"In this work, William G. Thomas introduces the southern attorneys who represented railroads between 1880 and 1916, closely examining their role in the political economy of the South during the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era, a period in which the region experienced sharp change, explosive growth, and heated political contests." "Lawyering for the Railroad provides the first full account of railroad monopoly power, tracing its sources and effects in the southern political economy."--BOOK JACKET.