Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-12-16
MCDONALD TALKS ON
PUBLIC SERVANT"
Gy Associated Press)

LN<NtilS Sch, ny, ~. -
Speaking before the kentucky
Association of Public Utilities
here Donald Mcdonald, vice
president and general manager
of the Louisville Gas & Electric
Company, declared that the pub
lie should have proper informa-
ton before attackingI the pub
lie utilities. "The Public Serv-
ant" was the subject of Mr.. Nc
Donald'S address.
prior TO modern inventions,
all of the services which are rem
dered by our various companies
were performed by human serv-
ants. One servant drove the
carriage, another brought in the
fuel and lighted the fire, third
trimmed the lamps and KEEP:
them filled with oil, a fourth
carried the messages said Mr..
Mcdonald.
The modern public service
corporation performs all Of these
services much better, much mere
quickly and for an immensely
greater percent of the population
at definitely less cost.
Mr.. Mcdonald drew MANY
comparisons from the Bible in
his address on the relation OF
the public to the public utilities.
''All that the public utilities
have a right to ask is that in
public matters the public speak
with one voice, that they speak
through IN authority which is
recognized by both sides, and
that that authority informs it
self of the facts before It issues
ORDERS" said Mr.. Mcdonald.
The most momentous event
III human history came abou:
through the failure Of a master
to inform himself of the needs
OF his servants and to adopt a
sympathetic attitude towards
those needs. Pharaoh said to the
children Of Isreal, Make bricks
without straw; and the tale oil
! the bricks shall not be diminish
/ ed In other words, these over
burdened slaves must go into
the fields and gather stubblc
and in spite OF the time lost III
this way they must make bricks
as they made them before, when
the straw was delivered to them
OF course it resulted in great
discomfort and great wailing.
| lie taskmdsters beat the men
and many died under the harsh
treatment. A leader arose-a
leader always does arise. In this
case his name was Moses prob
ably the ablest man that ever
appeared i'll history. He carried
the case TO Pharaoh. Pharoah
hardened his heart. The plaques
followed and Pharaoh promised
amelioration. But when the frogs
and lice had gone, when the hail
had passed away, when the
thunder and lightning had roll
ed by and the skies were again
clear, Pharaoh again hardened
his heart. And then came the
death of the frst-born.
From the frst-born of the
prisoner in the dungeon to the
hrst-born Of Pharaoh on his
throne, there was not one house
of the Egyptians in which there
was not u dead man. Pharaoh
yielded, tardily, of course. and
grudgingly, but he yielded. He
not only allowed them to go,
but speeded their parting in ev-,
cry way-in fact. he thrust them
out.
From this great strike of
ovcrburdencd laborers arose the
nation whose culture, whose Wig
or and whose Christ has ma! ked
human history more than any
other nation that has lived upon
this earth.
st frequently happens that
the wrath of man is made to
praise God; that the mistakes
and stupiditics and stubbornness
of d utility on the one side, or
OF a municipality or the other,
finally results in better day
for both sides. But the better
day comes after plaques and
storms. 1t is much better that
each side should recognize the
rights and the interest of the
other. It is much better that
the utility take care to be a
good servant and that the mu-
nicina1itv take care that If shall