The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-05
WILL ATTEND EXTRA SESSION President Milton H,
 Smith Here.
 rtf9 f'9I F91 ts- sse DISCUSSES LEGISLATIVE ISSUES Gives Out Statement in Reply to Atlanta Editorial. Reiterates His Asseftion That Rail- roads of Georgia Have Not Pros- 7 perea During The Period Fol- lowing Ansi-Rsiiroad Les-
 f.

.s 8TeSlooHt- MiAhou x- ouaAHs VI NuS Louisville and Nashville Railroad. spent last night in Montgomery and he viii remain in Alabama until the conYening of the extra session of the LegisIatnre Thursday. noon. MT. Smith will, however. leave this morning for Talladega and Anniston with the pur- pose of returning to Montgomery Wednesday night or Thursday morning. He goes to Talladega and Admission to make a personal investigation of depot conditions. Both cities have been urging the building of new passenger stations and the applications of these cities have been givtn careful consider ation by the officials of the Louisville and Nashville. Mr. Smith will visit both cities to look into their needs and the conditions for the building of pas. senger stations s5
 .s Mfr. Saith. in accordance with his us- uai custom, gave out no Inter ciew last night beyond the signed statements which he has Issued in his pending controversy with the admints- tration of Governor Conner.
 He had just written a signed state ment in reply to an editorial In The Atlanta Journal and in this statement Mr. Smith backed up his former asser- tions that the anti-railroad policy fol- lowed for a number of years in Geor- 9ia had not only stopped railroad building Yn that State. but with the ex' ception of three roads, two of which se. supported by the Louisville and Nashville. the Georgia roads had been forced into bankruptcy.
 Mr. Smith reached the city yester- day evening from Mobile. where it is understood he investigated the contro- yersy over the Mobile passenger station. He was in his private car and during his stay in Montgomery he remained in his car except for constitutional walk up town last night: To enuuiring newspaper men he said he had no statement to issue on the Alabama situation. He called atten- tion. however, to his reply 10 rather personal editorial directed to him by The Atlanta Journal, in which state- ment he reviewed the dire effects of the anti-railroad policy in Georgia
 Here During the Session.
 It was said last night that Mir. Smith will be in Montgomery during the early days of the extra session, to appear before any committee or to dis- cuss with any member of the legisla- ture the important legislation which will be proposed to thes extra session. A' This announcemefit was made in view of certain quoted statement from members of the legislature in which they said that the railroad men at the two previous sessions did not come near them and that they had only op- portuHity to hear one side of the ques' kion
 It was gossip last night that MT. Smith would be present to give any information. which might be desired, so that it could not be said at the extra session that the railroads were not willing to present their side of the case to members of the legislature.
 President Smith last night only said that he would probably be present in MontgorneFy during the opening of the extra session.
 His statement In reply to the per sonal editorial of The Atlanta Journal was as follows:
 Louisville, Ky, Oct 31, 1907. Editor Atlanta Journal:
 An Atlanta friend has called my at tention to the editorial in your issue of the 27th instant, entitled President Smiths Migrepresentations," in which you charge that in a communication to The Atlanta Constitution, published on the goth instant, deliberately made false statements relative to matters of public record, and you seem to base your conclusions on three statements, viz: ~ ETs1,S 1T e
 The Three Charges.
 "First-Bankruptcy of all the rail- roads In the State except three during afteen or eighteen years following the enactment by the State of Georgia of a law creating a commission with man datory powers, and the exercise of such mandatory powers by the Commission in an arbitrary manner ''Secoue~-That I, being in a position to know the fectsa wilfully made the false statement that the Georgia Rail- road has up to this time been operated by the lessees at Q heavy loss.
 '"Third-Thak I. without seeking to inform myself. stated that only one im- portant line had been constructed in the State of Georgia since the enact ment of the Legislation. and you as- sume that, having made such state ment, 1 am Ignorant of the tact that there has been a large increase in rail road mileage in the. State during the period referEd to.
 "'In regard to the first charge: When I stated that during fifteen or eighteen years after the enactment of the law creating commission, every railroad in the State except three became bank rupt,' had in mind the Georgia, the Atlanta and West Point and the Wes- tern and Atlantic as the three roads.
 Tt now appears that my statement was in error, to the extent that the Sa- vannah, Florida and Western Railroad