Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1905-09-21
Yours truly,

copy.
Yours truly,
s. e. Kendall.
Mexico, Mo. Sept. 18th, 1905.
To tho Editor of the Ledger.
Dear SIR your paper of re-
cent date, | see an article purport-
ing to be from an Audrain farmer,
in which there are statements that
are not borne out by the facts.
This being true, | will respectfully
ask you to give me space in your
paper to rcfute such statements.
The writer of the article, who
ever he may be, says that the in
telligence and the bone and sinew
are universally in the majority.
Admitting this to be true, on the
auto question in Audrain county,
you and all of the friends of the
auto must go away back and sit
down. Again he says that af-
ter diligent canvass Of several days,
that 60 names were procured call
ing for a mass meeting, when the
truth of the matter is that | did
not canvass more than two hours,
and obtained 20 names, and the
next day Mr.. D. NJ. Roberts and
Frank james with little effort OBJ
tanned sc names and Mr., Robert
Gray of Wilson Township sent in
105 and Joe Pratt sent i in 81
names, and 30 good men came into
my office and asked TO me to let
them sign it, and l have heard Of
but two farmers who have refused
to sign it. If you will come to nv
office / will show Vol the sipno-
lures OF 24S as good citizens as you
can find anywhere, who oppose the
running Of the auto on our public
roads,
To have canyassed as long as
your farmer stated, l could have
obtained two thousand or more
names.
You charge us with being moss
backs and in the way of progress,
when the fact is you have resurrec-
ted the:old ancient war chariot,
with its glittering blades of steel
dripping with the blood of its vic.
Tins, going at break-neck speed
over the country, and you claim
by your actions that progress just
ifes the killing and manning Of the
people.
If l remember r'glt'y the French
revolution was brought about by
the nobility running rough shod
over the people. About all of
the revolutions in the his
tory of the world have been
brought about by the reckless dis.
regard of the rights of the people,
just as the autoists are doing today,
Again the writer of your article
says that the element who oppose
the auto is quite Insignificant eth
er in numbers or in moral weight
This will b e resesnted by over
two thousand of our best citizens
| will name only IL few: Judge NJ
G, Flint, VIM. ii. Ken
nan, j. w. Gilpin, Douglass
McIllhany, Morrison Lakeland, j
d. Crews, g. IL, Shoup, j. 0, Do
we'll, J II. VIM, Rubt. Gray, j
b. Cottel, Y. W. Crawford, j, W
WoOlery, w. A. Edmonston,Jno
y. Brown, Lee Gregory, Ely
Ireck, J. l.. Ware, Y. Il. Hook, y
Berry, d. NJ. Roberts and Il. l.
Caldwell.
Again you say that we opposr
all kinds of invention, and yor
are disposed to make the Who'll,
fight on me. Let us see. Somr
years ago the editor of the Ledge
was out to my farm, and wrote ~
quite an article ON my up.to dat,
buildings, etc, We will see villa
kind of Il fogy | am. l imported
one of the first thoroughbred stall
ms into Audraiu county, and / Il
further improve the stock of thu
county helped rebuild the ole
fair grounds, that was deatroye'
during the civil war, and later tool
stock in our last fair and spen
much time in helping to make
Audrain the great stock center tina
it is today.
You in comparing our position