Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-05-05
|. { n. D0INGS IS
CAUSE Of INTEREST
THROUGHOUT STATE

| NASNAOoulCo VI NhbICCdl6 uiSlliDullOH
! OF free passes by the Louisville &
Nashville railroad and its sabsi1iary,
the Nashville, Chattanooga Il st. Louis
railroad, and the use of an alleged
siush fund my the L. G. N. in Alabama
politics, have aroused great deal of
interest in Atlanta, by reason of the
fact that the state of Georgia is
now engaged in a struggle to prevent
the Louisville & Nashville from OBJ
tanning control of the Western & At
lantic railroad, which runs from
Chattanooga to Atlanta and is owned
by the state and which is leased to the
Nashville Chattanooga & st. Louis.
The Western & Atlantic railroad is
the state of Georgia's most valuable
property. It's value gives Georgia
bonds commanding position in the
financial market, and it's revenue de-
rived from the lease pays two-thirds
Of the support of the common schools.
The present lease will expire in 1919.
In preparation for the expiration of
the lease the Louisville and Nashville
railroad has been engaged for a year
or more in an attempt to build line
from Chattanooga to Atlanta. The
Georgia legislature in 1915 passed an
act prohibiting the issuance of
charter to any railroad to build such
parallel. Shortly thereafter, agents
of the Louisville & Nashville applied
to the secretary of state for a char
ter, were denied a charter, and i'm
mediately instituted proceedings in
Fulton superior court to compel the
issuance of the charter by mandamus
OF the secretary of the state The writ
was denied, and the case was appealed
to the state supreme court.
Arguments on the appeal have been
presented to the supreme court and
the case is now before that tribunal
for decision. The state is represented
by Attorney General Clifford Walker
and Judge Horace n Holden. The
louisville & Nashville is represented
by King & Spalding and by Dorsey,
Brewster, Howell & Heyman, the
head of the latter firm being Hugh
NJ. Dorsey, Fulton county's solicitor
who gained widespread notoriety in
the Frank case and is now prospec-
tive candidate for governor.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, sitting in Nashville, has dis
closed the fact that the Louisville &
Nashville and the Nashville Chatta-
nooga & St Louis, during 1913, issued
22,800 free passes for a total mileage
Of 100000 miles representing a cash
value of 1926, 900. These passes were
distributed among legislators, judges,
court officials, jurors, witnesses,
newspaper men and others in official
and quasi-official positions who were
able to reciprocate with favors to the
road 1t was also brought out through
the testimony of an Atlanta advertis-
ing man that the L. G. n spent between
$4,000 and $4,000 in Alabama to de-
feat Conner for governor and to crceate
sentiment favorable to the railroad.
Increasing apprehension is felt in
the Georgia capitol regarding the
outcome of the states titantic struggle
to prevent the sale or parallelling Of
the Western & Atlantic railroad. It is
regarded as a foregone conclusion
tdat the attorneys representing the
Louisville & Nashville will take their
fight to the United States supreme
court if they fail to secure decision
in their favor from the suprem ecourt
Of Georgia.
In addition to the attempt to parallel
tie Western & Atlantic the propaganda
in favor Of the sale of the Western &
Atlantic, which is generally believed