The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-15
Letters to The Editor
MILTON H. SMITH.
Some Facts Regarding His Recent
 Years of Effort in Upbuiiding ' Almhanan.

Some E&GEI hG&4F84M8 AAh@ eA@N~sAs Years of Effort in Upbuiiding
 Alabama.
 Editor The Advertiser: :.
 In the present tangled condition or affairs in Alabama, I think I am pos
 sessed of information which. n dss dnsss tfce to. all concerned, the good peopie of your State ought to possess.
 since 1900 have been RuntiihshinTsb Rgubth Tbis g was originally issued by nsor, me Tpon peopis aG of the Middle West. truthfully, of con ditfons in the Central South. Certain contingencies not here pertinent eafiy brought about ua an ,,,s,, sssan depart. ment of the Louisville and NashYllle Railroad. by which that. department contracted to take and disfTInute throughout the North the several issues as made: agreeing to take not less than IO, 900 of each monthly issue; at. times the total number of copies so issuea has risen to sS.o0O.,, These nave peea fn those above the. Ohio River who have inquired for reliable lnforHation toucns ing the resources, climate. soils, sociai Ss mSSy astals sat wsS SiSPS an intending inmigrafst would naturally wish to know of the region discussed.
 In this work. I have gone, anent a ', y1ar spe 2 and pencil, and endeavored 70 trutn- fully and conservatiyely compile, Tn an attractive manner, such matter as would normally apPeahi tS o,,a6 na6se The The work has included issues on IennesseS' Georgia, West Florida and Misslsslppl, but the major part of 1t has been done pieted an industrial issue on Montgom- cry; and presently to follow with one covering the territory between your city and Mobile, and that Is to De ioi. foled with one covering, in detail, that region served by the road between FIomaton and Myrtlewood, north ana -south from Selma. Into these are. com Dressed a mass of information. gafh- cred by drives through the country and careful investigation, and suppNes, no doubt, compendium not elseWhere surpassed. ..,, and Nashville Railroad; personally. l have never met the President, MT. Mil ton Fl. Smith, nor do I know him oy sight. my work being Of minor naLure and in touch with but one department: But 1t quite naturally follows that l do know what is the. work which mas been--and is now being-done by the corporation in furthering that In which we are all concerned. For I, too, am a taxpayer, although small, in Ala bama.
 MT. work. however. has brought me into close touch with the officials with Whom operate. Col. G. A. Park, Gen eral Immigration and Industrial Agent; ; MT, c. B; Compton, frame I1 nanaSe Lsar ee. w. A. Russell. General Passenger Agent, as well as the local officials. l know with what earnest enthusiasm these gentlemen, and MT. E-, A. ,Der Funiak, General Freight Agent, J; | Mckinney, superlntendent aL yo@r gSt GslSt Agent, F. c. Shephard, all cooperate with me in this work; how loyal ana hearty has been the support accorded Falkner; w. E. Knox, Former Superin- tendent of the Anniston branch; H. C
 Barclay General Agent at Mobile; E. O
 Saltmarsh. Superintendent Selma alViS, of which reflect the intense interest shown by the head of the road in all that favorably affects your great State.
 I write thus, not as a railroad man.
 but as one who. acting closely with the road, must of necessity, understand the spirit which governs this work.
 have ,rfbsk G of sommon TaTOf0 to all who travel. I buy my tickets and pay my fare quite as does the rest of mankind. But this I do know; every Louisville and Nashville Railroad in the operations of that great system are intensely loyal to it. it's uplifting. and
 to the honored head of the road. It
 is related that some years ago, when
 August Belmont was still In control, a banquet was given here fin Louisville
 at the Galt House, at an annual meet ing. When called upon to respond to a toast, MT. Belmont, next to whom was seated MT. Smith placed his hand on the shoulder of the latter and said: l "It is usually said that the Louisville | and Nashville is a Belmont road; | want to say to you all here assembled | that it is not I. but this gentleman, 1 who has made the road whatever it is | this gentleman, Milton H. Smith" em- phasizing his words by affectionately | batting that gentleman on the shoul- 1 der This he continued, ought to
 be known as the Smith not the Bel | mont system.
 Without dsparagement of other | roads. you and I know with what safe | ty passengers are carried over the l rails of the Louisville and Nashville; ] and how small a percentage that road 1 contributes. annually, toward the ap- 1 palling total of lives lost on the rails | of this country. Do you know why; | Because Milton H. Smith is at the head 1 of it and because the trainS are never allowed to replace speed for safety Rumor has it--doubtless true-that | 1t was Milton H. smith who supplied a | large sum for the purpose of making | steel from Alabama iron, an expire 1 mant now abundantly justified by the l great steel mills of your State. It has | been that same active energy which l has sought to build up your waste | places; to promote the strawberry tn- l dustry at and about Castleherry; to | help create the peach development 1 both in South and Northeast Alabama | to supply intelligent tFaveling agrt- | cultural agents who are responsible 1 for the fact that hundreds of acres oi