The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1916-05-06
MILTON 4. SMITH
MAY HAVE TO TELL
HOW MUCH DID HE SPEND FOR
POLITICAL PURPOSES IN
GEORGIA.

ATLANTA, May 5.-If the Inter
state Commerce commission succeeds
in compelling Milton H. Smith, pres
ident of the Louisville & Nashville
railroad. to tell how much his rail-
road has spent for political purposes
in Georgia during the last several
years, 1t is generally believed in this
city that his disclosures will prove
intensely interesting. nol only to mem
bers of the legislature and lawyers
but to the general public as well.
When Mr.. Smith was asked the di-
rect question yesterday in the course
of the Interstate Commerce commits
sions sensational investigation in
Washington, he flatly declined to ans
wer on the advice OF his attorney. I'M
mediately Ex-Governor Folk, of Mis-
souri,, who Is conducting the investiga-
ton as attorney for the commission
announced his intention of undertake
ing to secure a court decree compell-
ing Mr. Smith to give the commission
the desired information.
The commissions probe into the
political affairs of the Louisville &
Nashville railroad is equally as in
teresting to Georgians just at this time
as to citizens of Tennessee and Ken
lucky, where the main lines of the
Louisville G Nashville operate. This
is due to the fact that the state of
Georgia's railroad, the Western &,
Atlantic, is now leased to a subsidiary
of the Louisville 6 Nashville. the
lessee being the Nashville, Chattanoo
ga st. Louis railroad.
In 1919 the lease will expire and
the Louisville & Nashville must eth
err release the road at a very much
higher rental, or must buy the roat
outright, or must build a parallel line
from Chattanooga into Atlanta.
For. more than a year the Louis
vile & Nashville, acting through it,
agents, has been attempting to Sc
cure charter to build a parallel line
by an act prohibiting the issuance o
charter for parallel line, the Geor
gia legislature last year shut off thi
avenue, and the Louisville e Nashville
is now engaged in lawsuit intended
TO overthrow the act, being represent
ed by the law firm of King & Spald
ing and Dorsey, Brewster, Howell 4
Heyman, of Atlanta, in which Jack !
Spalding, Albert Howell and Solici
tor Hugh M. Dorsey are the princj
pal figures for the Louisville & Nash
vile; while the states interests ar
represented by Attorney General Gilt
ford Walker and Judge Horace m
Holden.
Ex-Governor Folk has specificall,
stated that one of his purposes il
questioning President Milton H. Smitl
is to ascertain, if possible, the exten
10 which the Louisville &, Nashville
mas manipulated Georgia politics i,
connection with the Western &, Al
lantic railroad; the extent to which
1t has engaged attorneys for their DC
lltlcal influence, the extent. ie any
TO which it may have issued fire.,
passes to office-hoIders in this state
ana the extent to which it has influ
enced or attempted to influence leg
islation bearing upon the construction
OF road parallel to the Western {
Atlantic.
disclosures on these questions h,
President Smith would be peculiarl,
interesting, just at this juncture. whel
the Louisville & Nashville is attempt
ing to build parallel road in spite o
an act of the Georgia legislature. an,
is attempting through it's variou
agents, to build up sentiment fay
orable to the sale of the Western &
Atlantic railroad.