The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-03-26
COOPERATION NOT COMPETITION

me following very interesting ana
sensible letter was written by Mr. W.
B. Taylor, president of the Gainesville
board Of trade to the chairman OF the
board Of county commissioners of
AIachua county:
Gainesville, March "a, 1913"
Mr. C. c. Pedrick, Chairman Board of
County Commissioners, Gaines
Vile, Fla:
My dear Friend Pedrick: I am en-
closing carbon of a letter being mail
ed today to D. s. Williams at Oeala. 1
wish as soon as you receive this that
you would advise me what date your
board meets and about the hour you
would suggest delegation visiting
you with the idea of presenting some
reasons as TO why this county should
for the present. at least, join with Ma
rfon county in a tri-county fair.
don't keep straight on your meeting
days, for which reason 1 am asking
that you advise me at once, as there
TO appear before you.
II believe you understand that 1
have no crystalIzed ideas, nor any set
scheme or plan, concerning what
should be done in connection with this
that competition among our own peo-
pie will be the means of great benefit
to all concerned, and out of these
fairs there is no doubt that warm ri
valry springs up. You know in trade
the word competition" has been elm
mated, and in place of competition we
now use cooperation" 1t is better
Interpretation for the old saw. All
petition Is the life of trade" How
much more truthful it is to say that
cooperation is the life of trade. If ]
am striving to do more hardware bus
mess than my neighbors it is not nee
essarily competition, but 1t is coopera-
ton; for IL it is the life of trade. it is
benefting to both of us, and the same
thing holds with our rural commun-
tiles. If competition or cooperation
will spur our citizens up to improve
the quality of the chickens, the quail
fty of their live stock. or the grade
quality and quantity of any farm pro-
duet it is directly adding to the wealth
OF the community. 1 find in my ex-
perience that there is one fundamen-
tai fact that nine people out of ter
lose sight of, viz: That every single
ity is adding just exactly that much
to the wealth of the community.
mean by this that if you buy a wagon
for $25 and send your money to North
Carolina for it; somebody from New.
berry comes in and gives you $40 fol
the same wagon, you have made SIS
but the community in which you live
has made $50, for the community has
q
with. Every single thing that is done
that brings money into a community
is absolutely adding that much clean
clear profit to the community W.
have got that much more money tt
play on.
81 saw an article in the Sun signed
by a man named Roberts that was al
right in it's way, but entirely wrong il
it's method. There is no use for Alach
VA county to say that they won't join
with Marion county because we wan
a fair of our own. If you were tt
start out to get fair in Alachus
county you know as we'll as 1 do tina
it would be practically a hopeless job
II we start in a modest way to CO.
operate with Marion county ii will
not be many years before the actua
brought home to our people and W,
will have it, and it win not be in com
petition with Marion county, but will
be cooperating with Marion county.
would like to see a chain of county
fairs that started at Pensacola anC
went slam to Key West. They wouldn'
be in competition with each other il
any sense. 1t would be entirely coop
lions for less money avoiding Ions
jumps; for, after all is said and done
these county fairs are very largel,
local What we want to do is to start
and the way to start is to begin at tn,
bottom and build up-not wait unit
we think the time is ripe to start a
the pinnacle, for as invariably follows
that effort we will wind up in the eel
lar. Everything that ever amounts t
anything has got to grow to it, anC
any other idea might as we'll be dis
missed in the beginning.
II wish IL you are giving this matte
the thought IT deserves that you would
advise me from time TO time of fea
lures as they present themselves t
you.
II made up my mind long time ag,
that I would never appear before tn,
county commissioners, or any othe
board in authority, and suggest or urg,
anything that 1 did not thoroug hl!
believe in myself That is one reason
that you never see my name on a pc
titiOn unless 1t is some meritoriou
project. and, while 1 do not always ge
you gentlemen TO see things as l do,
don't want you to get the idea that
chair and a pair OF mules could eve
pull me before a meeting of the coun
ty commissioners and say one singh
word that / didn't believe in from tol
to bottom. nor to suggest one singh
thing that / would not be willing t,
subscribe to personally. 1 am n,
boomer or booster. and you know
there is mighty little hot air in m!
make up. / am from Missouri: but
am frank to say to you now, as 1 hav,
before. that Alachua county should g,
into this fair business and go into
right The only way to get in RICH
Is to learn something about it, and w
might as well profit by the expensive
mistakes that our neighbor Marion ha
made in its progress. There are
great many things we can learn from
Marion county and they can lear
some from us, which only brings bacl
the idea that 1 advanced in the begin
ming, that competition is really co
operation. If in our efforts to exec
we each adopt the others better plan
neither loses and both are gamers"
The numerous friends he has mad
in ocala and surrounding territor.