The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-03
ALABAMA POWER CO. HAS NOT 38 MEN IN ISTATE LEGISLATURE Thomas w. Martin Vigor- 0usly Denies Stories Re-
 gently Circulated GREAT INJUSTICE
 TO EXCELLENT MEN Says Three Members of Legislature Were Attorneys for Power Com-
 pany Long Before They
 Sought Present Offices

vigorous denial was made yester- day by Thomas w Martin, general counsel for the Alabama Power com pany of rumors that have been gen erally circulated in Birmingham iate- ly as to excessive influence that his company might exercise in the next legislature because 1t was claimed 3s of its lawyers were members of that body
 The statement has also been made in this city, Montgomery, Mobile, uads- den and elsewhere to the effect that the 3S lawyers for the Alabama Power company had affected an understa nding with the prohibition members Of the legislature whereby they would work in harmony for a statewide hill and in turn the Alabama Power company should receive careful attention. These reports have been so insistent that MT Martin was yesterday called over the telephone at Montgomery in connection with them.
 M. Martin, who as head of the legal department of the Alabama Power company. would be most accurately in- formed as to the various attorneys for the company made a frank statement about the entire proposition. He said he had heard of the report both as to she large number of company men alleged to be members of the legisla- ture and also as to the reported trade between the attorneys and the leaders of the prohibition faction in the leg islature.
 Injustice to Carmichael He further said that it was a strik- ing injustice to A. H. Carmichael, who is prominently mentioned for speak CT, who, reports had it, was in ac- cord with the alleged trade. Mr. Mar tin said as a matter of fact MT. Car michael had never been connected di- rectly or indirectly with the legal de- rartment of the Alabama Power com pany nor had Judge E. B. Almon, whc was speaker for the last legislature MT. Almon explained that firm rep resented the company at Sheffield with which Judge Aimon was connected some time ago but that Judge Almon | dissolved his interest in the law firm before announcing for Congress. T have been informed of tho re- ports that the Alabama Power com | pany had in its employ 3S attorneys who were likewise members of the leg stature soon to convene" said MT. Martin ''As matter of fact, I was asked yesterday by g. prominent law yer here If we did not have 60. To that question as well as to the other reports I want to offer a very srronC denial.
 No Foundation in Fact z
 There Is absolutely no foundation | Of fact for the report that has com. to our attention. As a matter of fact the Alabama Power company has one attorney who was recently elected to the legislature. The Alabama Power company's subsidiary company has two attorneys that are members Of the legislature so that in all there could be charged up to this company three men of the 105 members of the house | and 70 senators. That Is a long. Ions way from 38 men or 60.
 | The three that 1 have reference tc were attorneys for our interests long before they ran for the legislature and | long before they were nominated. We have not employed a single attorney since the election that is a member oi the legislature. have heard that we had, through these men, made a com bination of some sort with the prohi- bition people, I want to brand that is a gross misstatement and utterly with. out IOundat1on In the first place we could not have done such thing, ana in the second place we are not inter- | ested one way or the other in the ques- tion of prohibition.
 These reports have connected the name of A. H. Carmichael with us. regret very much that this has beei done. for 1t Is grave injustice to MT Carmichael, who has never been eni ployed by us. directly or indirectly, sine, this company has been engaged in de. veloping water powers in Alabama. A, a matter of fact have never heard on, way or the other about the speakershir from out attorneys, and in addition thil company is far from interested in thal proposition,
 Reports Originate in Montgomery
 T am certain that we are correct1s informed as to the source of these re. ports They como from Montgomery.
 believe, and are the result of some liti. gation we have been engaged in with a company as to some water power rights I would not go to the trouble of denyine them or talking thus informally if thought for a moment that these report, would be taken seriously by fair mindee persons They do no harm but they cer.
 tainly annoy us and are very regretabl. on account of the personal injury the, might inflict upon others not oven re. motely subject to such insinuations
 "The Alabama Power company vii