(quoted from post at 00:19:37 12/10/13) Edd, you are mostly correct in your observation. BUT, remember this, the entire country was different then. Farmers were still struggling to make a decent living, and the companies that provided power to the city dwellers were only interested in short term gain. To them it was not "profitable" to string power lines that only served one customer per mile or less, they did not have enough foresight to see that once the countryside had electric power that there would be a great expansion on the demand for electricity. So, the Government, under the direction of the President, stepped in and helped out. Obviously, someone realized the potential benefits, and they were right.
I grew up in an area served by Duke Power Company in central North Carolina, later moved to an area served by Carolina Power and Light. Since 1977 I have been with Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, and even though we still purchase power from other sources, we are now co-owners in at least one generating facility, I will take our Cooperative hands down over any other power facility.
For service and dependability, there is no comparison! The last serious ice storm we had was in early 2002. We were without power for less than 48 hours, IIRC. Both our daughters who lived in apartments in urban Asheboro, spent a couple of nights with us because it took much longer to restore power in the city.
Fast forward the scenario to today, and I seriously doubt if the farmers and country folk would get the same help as they did then. JMHO.