The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-02-21
ANOTHER MUNICIPAL MESSAGE

company, was received Tuesday night
just prior to the receivers departure for
st. Joseph to inspect the municipal cleo
tTic light plant there. This letter was
accompanied by a long article by Mr..
Myers, herewith printed in full. and
setting forth reply to this paper
municipal Message" published in the
State Journal five days prior thereto;
namely, on last Thursday. February
18th, and reprinted in this paper today.
Narlier attention to this reply has been
delayed by the writer's absence in ST.
Joseph.
It Is proper to note, right here, that
promptly following the publication CT
'sThe Message referred to, a letter
vas received from Mr.. Myers, wherein
be said:
''I have Just read your splendid edi-
torial with tremendous interest. as you
can well imagine, and regardless of the
tact that it contained many statements
and figures to which cannot agree, I
hasten to thank you for the many kind
things you have said and your apparent
effort to be fair. The tremendous ad-
vantage under which we labor Is that
while your paper reaches practically
every household in Topeka once day
and spreads the gospel as it were, with
continued and telling effect, we as in
dividuals can only disseminate and
spread our views to such people as are
willing to stop and listen to US. Would
1t therefore be expecting too much to
ask that you extend me the courtesy of
such space in your paper as may be
necessary to make reply to your splen-
did editorial. Whatever / may submit
for publication will be in every way en-
tirely proper
was made:
II am glad the editorial interested
you.
, 1--WE strive to make the State Jour-
nal interesting, even to those who do
not always agree with it.
81 am especially pleased to have
you express my sentiments that we
may differ on questions Of public por-
icy without personal feeling.
"I am bound to give you a chance
to reply, in our columns, to anything
which you may think rlisrepresented
you, and of course without charge"
1t. will be observed that while the
State Journal was entirely willing to
permit Mr.. Myers to correct any So
regarded mis-statements, it was not
the intention to permit him to use
the State Journal in such reply to
exploit the business of his company,
particularly at the expense of the
city of Topeka Mr.. Myers business
as president and director of the Edi-
son company is to get business for
that company and get all he can at
the best prices he can. He is paid
for doing that very thing and no
criticism is offered on that point
However. when Mr. Myers asserts. as
he has to the writer and to the coun-
eI haf he
particularly for the business of city
lighting, that he wants to please his
associates by getting more business,
but that he himself is vitality interest
ed in lower taxation in Topeka and
that 1t has been costing the city of
Topeka a scandalous price in the
matter of higher taxes by reason or
the municipality owned plant over
corporate supply of light; when Mr..
Myers says all these things. the read
or must take them with slight wink
of the left eye and certain discount
that would be allowable in view of
the fact that Mr.. Myers does not oc-
cupy an unprejudiced position, but is
3 bidder for a city contract.
The reader in this connection may
also be permitted to assume that the
per of this beautiful city, is naturally
somewhat pre1udiced in favor of To-
peka's side of this question, and is
also bound to look after the city's
welfare and defend the city's interest
60 the best of its ability Mr.. Myers
article Is herewith printed in fun
without the change of q word, al
though, we regret to say that we can
~ IL
courtesy and appearance of fairness
that he has In his letter quoted above
kindly attributed to this paper in this
discussion.
However, we think Mr.. Myers ex-
travagance of statement will reflect
against his own cause and injure his
own position rather than harm the
position OF the State Journal
Mr.. Myers begins by heading his ar
tAcle Municipal Message Number
Two" Herein he starts out at the very
beginning with q misnomer. The head
ing of the original article, "A Municipal
Message" appealed to him with such
force and fancy that he steals the cap
ton and forthwith dubs his Corpora
ton Message, in the interest of the cor
poration called the Topeka Edison
company, Municipal Message No. q"
We are not sure but that Mr. Myers
should be prosecuted under the Pure
Food and Drugs Act Of June so, 1906
for nislabeling his goods. His article
however, is given herewith in full and
our replies to his article are published
following it IN this issue in the way of
foot notes marked Exhibit A, b, etc. :"
and so indexed and duplicated in
brackets In Mr.. Myers letter itself
which here follows:
MUNICIPAL MESSAGE NO. 2.
To which the attention of the Topeka
state Journal is particularly re-
quested.