Mexico Missouri message., 1914-04-02
THE MUTUAL AGAIN.
Mr.. Sturgeon Pleads for Union
and Peace.

EullOT .AtSbdEt '--s'b 4dA O. WI
mutual telephone situation is
concerned it occurs TO US that
some Of your people are disposed
to make greens" Of us AMI joke
us out Of existence. IN a recent
issue Of the Message one Of your
readers says that man Parker
is q great joke; that hog story,
etc" As 10 the hog story Mr..
Parker never told it as your
reader seems to understand It, ]
infer that the telephone situation
is also far from being as he IN
derstauds il We do not propose
for our telephone system or the
principles upon which it rests 10
be joked out Of existence. We
happen TO be familiar with the be
ginning and growth Of the
mutual telephone sytem in the
east end Of the county. When
the work was begun the people
here were paying more per month
for a narrow and limited service
than they are now paying per
year for a large and extensive
service. We now have the salts
faction Of ownership and control
beside. The work was begun on
the ground floor.
Did not have a single switch
board 70 run TO as a stimulus. The
first farmers mutual switchboard
installed in the county was at
Cuivre. We had no example or
system to pattern after. Had all
the doubling Thomases 10 con-
tend with as well as the same sys-
TENS that seem 10 be such boog
boo to the Mutuals" in Mex
leo. There was no disposition to
fight any one thirty miles away
that would not come in and help
us. Simply said, "This system
shall be cooperative in principle
and any line entering this board
shall give and receive free ex-
change" There was no aping
the methods of Standard Oil or
concerns Of that kind. No salaried
officers. Simply mutual and CO.
operative. Around this standard
the people have rallied, beat
down the big Is, run out the
grafters and built up a system of
which we are certainly proud. If
any Of the doubtful ones around
you should stop in this locality
he could call without fee to Mont
gomery City, Vandalia, Bowling
Green, Louisiana or any one in
that territory and goodness only
knows where else except Mexico.
Now 1t seems that the Audrain
Mutual Telephone Co., whatever
and wherever that is. has become
possessed with the idea that all
the mutual people in the county
should help the Mexico and ad-
Jacent switch boards pay the ex-
pense Of maintaining a system in
Mexico until it is self-sustaining
just when that shall be l presume
Is to be left TO that company. As
Mr.. Erdell says in your last issue.
Now if you fellows want COM
municaion with Mexico do like
we did, pay for it, if not, quit
chewing the rag"
In all kindness we certainly
call this very poor counsel. Such
advice has been continually be-
fore US since we started out as
mutuals. If we had ever stopped
and took up that idea we would
have been in the same hole you
are In.
Mr.. Erdel, did you never hear
OF the man that undertook to ride
two horses going in opposite di-
rections at the same time with a
barb wire fence between them
Well, we are not after his expert
ence We feel confident we would
have it if we should adopt the
policy you prescribe.
The people have supported and
built up the system in the east
end lTrpyfriy,u 4Ir.- -