ROOSEVELT AND MELLEN
Roosevelt and Mellen HERE is an interesting passage in the testimony of Charles S, Mellen, former president of the New Haven railroad, who was "proud to be known as Morgan's man" but declares he...
...I was a great admirer and still am of him...
...He was very anxious apparently that Morse's scheme should fail...
...It covered measures of public interest that I felt he (Roosevelt) should be consulted about...
...In La...
...that I foresaw Government interference preventing ultimately the ownership of steamship lines by railroads, and I thought it was doubtful if we should turn down an offer of this importance at a time when we could turn our property into cash, and trust to the uncertain future,, when we might, not have an offer and might be con fronted with a necessity...
...that he should not have the control of our steamship lines...
...ROOSEVELT URGED ME NOT TO SELL...
...Foixette's of November 2, 1912—nearly two years ago—Senator La Follette described the breakdown of the government's suit against the illegal New Haven m.cnopoly...
...I did not feel that a matter of that kind, which practically was going to cement Morse's monopoly of steamship coastwise transportation, should be put through without consulting him...
...ROOSEVELT, WHICH I EXPLAINED YESTERDAY, WERE INTIMATE...
...Mellen, but if you do not sell your lines to Mr...
...Morgan's representative, President Mellen of the New Haven," he wrote, "who brought about the whole combination, called upon Fresident Roosevelt and persuaded him to have omitted from the bill of complaint all reference to the acquisition of the steamship lines...
...I went to Washington and consulted him about it...
...YOU SHALL EXPERIENCE...
...He was anxious to buy our holdings of steamships, and after a considerably protracted negotiation I arrived at a point where I had a definite offer of $20,000,000 for the properties we controlled...
...Morse, I will promise you, so far as I am concerned, that you shall have no trouble while the law remains as it is...
...I am justified in saying that MR...
...He said: 'I can only promise for myself, Mr...
...I raised the question with him that this was a peculiarly favorable opportunity...
...I was anxious to sell, but MY RELATIONS WITH MR...
...that I thought we ought to avail ourselves of it...
...Roosevelt and Mellen HERE is an interesting passage in the testimony of Charles S, Mellen, former president of the New Haven railroad, who was "proud to be known as Morgan's man" but declares he was made "the goat" of the New Haven iniquities: "Charles W. Morse, who was then in the heyday of his prosperity, had organized a company that controlled nearly all the coastwise steamship interests on the Atlantic coast...
...And he added, "This obliging concession made by Roosevelt to Morgan's man Mellen took away the strongest prop sustaining the government's case...
...NO TROUBLE FROM ME IN YOUR OWNERSHIP OF WHAT YOU NOW HAVE.' "That was the reason, I suppose, when the dissolution, or bill in equity was filed, there was no mention of steamships made in that bill in the accusations against the New Haven road...
Vol. 6 • May 1914 • No. 22
