The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-11-29
SARCASTIC ANSWER
TO Letter of Chairman of the Georgia Rail-
road Commission by Special
Attorney Cummings.

warm reply to the letter recently sent
him by Chairman McLendon of the
Georgia state railroad commission, in
which the chairman declared that the
Georgia road was not an outlaw"
In his letter Major Cummings says
the chairman has set up a man of
straw and vallantly knocked him
down, has made several misstatements
about his letter, and then takes up the
"outlaw" statement.
"Hon. S. G. McLendon, chairman rail-
road commission-Dear Sir: have this
morning your letter of yesterday, for
which please accept my thanks.
"The purpose of my letter of Novem-
Der 14th, to which yours is a reply, was
to get the name of the civil engineer
who examined the Georgia railroad.
This purpose was natural, and legiti-
mate and was supported by reasons
which seemed to me to be proper, and
not wholly without merit.
"You decline to give this information
at present. was prepared in measure
for this declination by having observed
of late that the railroad commission, or
rather, ysu, its chairman, are disposed
to render its great powers more appall-
ing by enveloping its acts in portentous
mystery. Having discharged, though
without success my undertaking, as
legal adviser of the Georgia railroad, to
get the name of the examiner, and in
vestigators of the railroads property,
shall now in the freedom of our long
and pleasant acquaintance and mutual
regard, make, in my personal capacity,
some observations on your letter.
"You say contend that the Georgia
railroad commission has no right to ex.
anime the property of the Georgia rail-
road without the knowledge or consent
of some officer Of that company.
Nov, my dear sir, really cannot let
you charge me, as you do in that sen.
tence, with sheer idiocy, and not deny
it, I do deny that have ever contend
ed for anything 80 absurd. You, your
sci, make haste to admit that I do
not say this in terms, but you add that
do say 1t in substance.
II deny this with equal positiveness,
and challenge the production OF any
part of my letter susceptible, by any
possibility, Of such construction.
"You have, in reply to my alleged
contention brilliantly refuted prop.
osition which no one has ever pro
pounded
"You have set up a man of straw and
valiantly knocked him down. l am
amazed that one who feels himself
burdened with the regulation of nearly
all things, great and small, between
heaven and earth, can find time for
this old, but, wlthal harmless, pastime
You are good enough-merciful enough,
may say-te warn me in advance, and
lin perfect frankness,' that 'disobedl
ence to the reasonable regulations and
orders of this commission will render
the Georgia railroad an outlaw.
what is an outlaw? A person who
is put out Of the protection OF the
law Thus we have it distinctly stated
that disobedience of rule of the com.
reasonable in the opinion OF
the commlssion-closes the courts to
the railroads.
"A citizen OF Georgia may commit
murder, may embezzle, may forge, may
stealth every instance violating the
law of the state-but the courts will
hear him in his defense; he is not an
outlaw. II takes disobedience to the
commission to reduce the disobedient
to the condition of the Caput Lupinum.
my dear sir, you must assume some
of the responsibility for this long let
ter; for II you had not, in a part Of
your letter, written me down an idiot,
l would not have thought it necessary
to answer it.
with regards, very truly yours.
"(Signed)
JOSEPH B. CUMMINGS"