Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-04
Mr.. MELLEN ANGRY.
Committee on Manufactures Told
Him to Clear Out.
THE ALDERMAN WAS LATE.
When He Was Refused Hear
ing There Was a Scene.
Before the Street Railway Committee Mr.,
Melen Was DooiIs ard Entertained
the Members by His Ready Wit.
Special Dispatch to the spy3

BOSTON, March 3.--Mr. MeIIel1 of WOr-
cester had two enga gements at the state
house yesterday. One was with the
committee on manufactures, where he was
due to show cause for the favorable con-
sideration of the bill authorizing the
city of Worcester to establish its own
electric lighting plant, and the other
was with the street railway committee,
where he had engaged to give equally
good reasons for a bill he had sent to
the capitol that street railway corpora
tons should make fuller and more com
plete returns to the board OF street rail-
way commissioners.
Before one of the committees he
the members of the committee
with being owned by the electric light
companies of the state, and carrying
around in their very pockets the stock
Of these companies, This was the com
mittee on manufactures. And when the
members of this committee asserted
their rights and insisted that Mr.. Mel
len should withdraw. he defied them in
terms that cannot be repeated, and
threatened that he would come to the
next year and follow with his
vengeance those who were still in the
general court then.
He appeared before the street railway
committee in time for the case In which
he was interested, and after a word of
reference relative to his treatment by
the committee on manufactures, went on
with his case, With the Worcester Con-
solidated Street Railway as the horrible
example of the corporation that sought
under foreign control and management
to deny the people of their proper serv-
ice and accommodations, and to rob
them as well of their hard earned mon
ey, he proceeded to explain the necessity
of a law that would compel this and 9TH
er corporations of similar nature to
make returns that would show the peo-
pie just how the money that they con-
tributed to the corporation Golfers in the
shape of car fares, was spent.
The committee listened to him with
close attention, for he was interesting
and entertaining, Bentley Warren OF
Boston, who was present. engaged Mr..
Mellen in friendly argument, and the
gentleman from Worcester was at his
best The members of the committee
were so deeply entertained by his wit
and his repartee. that they allowed the
widest digressions from the subject at
hand, until the time for the fair consid-
Grafton of the case had long passed But
nobody kicked for Mr.. Mellen was bright
and witty
Mr. Mellen was due before the COM
mittee on manufactures on the bill for
the establishment by the city Of Wor-
cester of its own electric lighting plant
This was the third assignment of the
matter by that committee When the
bill was first assigned, Mr.. Mellen did
not appear. The hearing was closed and
the bill was reported adversely in the
senate Through the efforts Of Senator
Roe the bill was reconmitted in order
that Mr.. Mellen might have an opportu-
nifty to appear before the committee in
support of his bill. At the second as
signment he appeared and explained to
the committee that he had three other
engagements, and that he must beg
their indulgence for another date. He
suggested Tuesday next, but as all re-
ports from this committee, as well of
other committees, are due in either
branch by the 9th, the committee
thought that this postponement could
not be made AS matter of accommo-
dation to Mr.. Mellen the hearing was
postponed until this morning. when the
committee was to meet al 1915 with one
other matter for previous consideration.
The committee met at the time ap-
pointed and considered the other bill,
and closed the case in about 40 minutes
Then Mr.. Mellen'S bill was called. Mr..
the measure, the officials of the Worces-
ter Electric Light Company. were pres
ent. eX-Mayor Sprague, Mr. Coughlin
and Mr.. Fairbank, but as the petitioner
for the legislation was not on hand, they
didn't care to make any statement to
the committee. The hearing was closed
and the committee went into executive
session. The door had hardly closed on
the remonstrants when Mr. Mellen ap-
tl1 fV,tf.
committee room and heard to his sur
prise that the hearing had been called.
and that he was shut out from all
chance of the advocacy of his measure
He demurred, and thought he had been
denied a fair chance to appear as citi-
zen of the commonwealth. But the COM
mittee thought the unfair treatment was
at the hand of Mr. Mellen. and told him
so rather plainly
Mr. Mellen declared that he was cheat
ed of a fair show, and when the commit
tee protested that they had been unfair.
ly treated, he commenced to use very
forcible language. Mr. Boutwell, inti-
mated that the committee was not dis
posed to listen to abuse, and Mr.. Mellen
he moved that Mr.. Mellen
be requested TO withdraw. This motion
prevailed.
Mr. MelIen said he would withdraw
when he got ready to, and desired to
know ii he was to be elected. Mr.. Bout
we'll answered affirmatively, and Mr.
Mellen displayed fight, but the war
cloud blew over After partaking of wa
Ter and standing at the head of the COM
mittee table and declaring that the en-
tire committee was owned by the cleo
.ric light companies. and that some of
hem had the stock Of the companies in
their pocket, he withdrew. AS he went
through the door he informed the mem
oers that they would hear from him lat
ar.
The committee voted against the bill
0y a unanimous vote. The report was
to tha fa In, tho of ffornnor