Atlas Shrugged – Day 006 – pp. 54-63
Dagny has been against participating in this project from Day 1. At the time, however she was still a low ranking employee so she was SOL as far as her opinion went.
She revisits a Board meeting in her mind where Jim speaks at length about giving the Mexican people “a chance” and the duty they as the privileged class bear to extend that opportunity.
The board sunk $30 mil into the line.
Dagny thinks of quitting but tells herself that Taggart Trans. will need her now more than ever.
So while Jim is sinking a boatload of money (roughly $275 million of 2010 dollars) Ellis Wyatt is shipping loads of oil out of Colorado making the Phoenix-Durango line rich.
When the VP of Operations resigned, Dagny forces herself into the position against Jim’s protests.
Back to the present.
Jim storms into Dagny’s office and confronts her about the single train she has running in Mexico and the POS engine she has pulling it.
She cops to cutting service because she doesn’t expect the Mexican experiment to succeed. Jim contends the revenues from the copper mines will more than cover costs.
And now we meet, indirectly, another playa — Francisco d’Anconia.
“You don’t doubt the success of those copper mines, do you? — when it’s Francico d’Anconia who’s running them?” He stressed the name, watching her.
She said, “He may be your friend, but–”
“My friend? I thought he was yours.”
She said steadily “Not for the last ten years.”
HA! Tension between her and the Spaniard.
“That’s too bad, isn’t it? Still he’s one of the smartest operators on earth. He never failed in a venture — I mean. a business venture — and he’s sunk millions of his own money into these mines, so we can rely on his judgment.”
That Jim. Always relying on the judgment of others.
A little more banter re Francisco and back to the situation in Mexico. Dagny says matter-of-factly she found and employed the crappiest equipment she could find so when the looters took over when the government nationalized the rail…
Whoa. Don’t take that tone with Jim!! It will never happen.
(At this point we can be just about assured the Mexican G is going to nationalize the railroad.)
Of course Jim will bring this before board. Dagny offers to let him personally reverse her order. He, as expected, is to sackless to do it.
The Doers vs the Blame Avoiders. If you can’t be blamed, if it’s not your fault, you have no responsibility to any greater cause. Because doing your job is in fact a higher good. What are we up to… Dagny 4 – Jim 0 (Don’t know when the slaughter rule kicks in)
On her way out through the station, she passes a statue of Nat Taggart, her grandfather and founder of the railway. A ruthless and infamous man, he was a doer. Willing to risk anything to see his dream come true. She seems to have a rather unnatural, familial admiration for him. Maybe like she’d like to be him… Or maybe do him… Not too sure…
Our pages and the chapter close with Eddie Willers eating dinner in the company cafeteria talking with a worker he knows but has never introduced himself to.
He ruminates on the importance of the Rio Norte Line in saving the company. If they fail, he doesn’t know what he’ll go. But he’s confident. They’ve ordered the rails from Rearden and they’ve hired McNamara from Cleveland to do the job (he was the one who came in to finish the Mexico job when they were behind schedule and over budget.) He’ll get the job done…