The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-02
SMITH REPLIES
 WITH VIGOR Responds to Comer's Letter to So1ons. STIRRING EPIsIIE TO GOVERNOR Head of Louisville and Nashville Comments on His Course. Asserts That Railroads Have Right To ne Heard on Legislation, But That Governor Has Not Recognised
 That Fact.

l Nashville Railroad Company in an swer to Governor Corners circular et- ter to members of the Legislature. was given out yesterday. The last letter Of President Smiths. in wnicn ne aBswe, 6 the attack of Governor Conner on the Louisville and Nashville. is. perhaps. the most interesting of the series which has passed between the Governor and Pres | ident Smith.
 In one paragraph, Mr. Smith says:
 By crying wolf you have done what you could to intimidate all those who might desire to say a word for the railroads. extending your animus even to the legislators themselves, you, and those acting with you. have endeavered at least to make 1t unpleasant for a leg islator should he have the temerity to | confer with or listen to a representative I of the railway interes-s. This method Is not newt was probably used by the first demagogue.'
 The letter Is strong all the way | through. He intimates that the Cow ernor favored legislation which had a tendency to deprive the railroads of him that the proposition of taking the property by law of an individual who l has railway investments. may be cas- fly extended to taking the property of one who owns cotton mills and cotton lands.
 | statement that President Roosevelt has declared | that swollen fortunes" should be re- duced, although no figure was fixed be- yond which a fortune would be swoI- len. He says:
 l Tt is true that the extent of a for tune. before 1t is swollen. has not been clearly defined, but there ara many who may be taught to believe that a man who owns and cultivates a farm os zo.ooo acres, owns cotton mills. valuable | real estate, etc, has more than his share-his fortune Is swollen.
 Ine Governor owns cotton mill and until lew days ago he owned a tract bour County.
 Copy of the Letter.
 nne letter of President Smith. in fuIl
 ,, Louisville, Ky, Sept. as 1eo7
 non. B B. Conner, Governor State of l Alabama. Montgomery, Ala:
 Sir--My attention has been
 S@tE to your communication of the
 14tn instant, in which you announce
 your intention to convene the I,eeisiss 7
 eure Tn extra session about the Tin of
 November. ''n oh
 You say: Unfortunatelv for +h.
 state the Louisville and Nashville ba z
 go iong dominated all functions look
 Ing toward railroad legislation or con | s @t they can not realize the
 State that will necessarily come from,
 these conditions
 By this you doubtless refer to the
 exercise Of the right by the Louisville
 and Nashville Railroad Companv and
 py other railway corporations to be
 heard upon the subject of pending
 Ieslsiaion that may injure their inter-
 ests, and to the right they enjoy in | cOmnnn
 ehoeavor, in every legitimate and prop
 CT way. to prevent unjust and confis-
 catory legislation.
 | TOUT attitude is and has been that | the rallway Interests have no right to
 De heard, nor to make any effort at all
 10 avert antagonistic legislation; and
 you even go so far as to deny to the
 Iaiiways the right to appeal to the
 courts TOT protection against laws
 which they believe to be illegal. How
 can you honestly deny to the rail-
 ways the right to be heard and to use such rightful influences as they may to guard their interests against in 1 justice? -
 The railroad interests in Alabama is I a large one-probably the largest in the State except the agricultural in- l terest--and 1t has precisely the same right to be heard in its own defense | as the farmers. the fertilizer manu- lecturers; the owners of cotton mills | or coal mines, of saw mills, and of all other industries This is so plain that you will not deny it.
 But you will probably say that the railroads have never been deprived of their right to be heard. And yet YOU have spared no effort, whether by in timidation or by other means to pre- vent the railways from exercising such influence as they have, and from call ing upon their friends for Intelligent assistance.
 Has Intimidated Others.
 By crying Wolf you have done what you could to intimidate all those who might desire to say a word for the railroads; extending your animus even to the legislators themselves. You and those acting with you, have en- deavored to at least make it unpleas- ant for legislator should he have the temerity to confer with or listen to representative of the railway in- terests. This method is not new-it was probably used by the first dema- gogue.
 Has what you call the domination of the Louisville and Nashville Rail- road Company-i C., its efforts to pre- vent legislation injuriously affecting railways, and thereby promoting the interests of all the citizens of the ll dAeCteQ the interests of those citizens? Can you, 1 or can any one, point to single in- stance where the influence of the Lou isville and Nashville Railroad Com | pany in legislative matters has in any way injuriously affected them? Or can | you. or can any one, point to a single | Instance where such influence was i'm properly exerted? It is most unfor- | tunate that the influence of the Louis | vile and Nashville and other railroad | companies was not successfully exert | ed to prevent the exceedingly unjust, ] injurious and confscatory legislation enacted by the present Legislature. When the Legislature of Alabama l assembled for the session of 1S83-4. a | party. hoping for preferment, prepared | and caused to be introduced immedi- 1 ately numerous drastic bills intended | to a large extent to take from the l owners the control of the railway prop | erty; and he was sufficiently intluen- | tial to secure their introduction sim | ultaneously in both houses.
 Forced a Hearing.
 The bills were promptly referred 1 to committees. and the railways were | absolutely refused a hearing. AL | though they employed 10 represent
 them exGovernOr Watts. who at the
 time was a highly esteemed citizen. | he was wholly unable to secure hear | ing, and all the bills were favorably l reported in each house. Under these | circumstances, the railways appealed 1 to the people of Alabama through the l press; and the people, by petition and