The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-14
MELLEN TALKS PLAINLY
(continued from First Page

 
 disposing of the whole crop by means of peddlers in the state of Vermont. (Applanse.)
 Governor Woodruff was the next speaker He welcomed the delegates and their friends on behalf of the state, and speaking as a member of the grange greeted it's members. He referred to the manufacturing and in- dustrial pursuits of the state, and also spoke of it's place in the world of let ters and art. Touching upon it's agri- cultural side he said that Connecticut was manufacturing rather than an agricultural community.
 The governor was followed by Pres ident Charles s. Mellen of the New York. New Haven and Hartford rail- road, who was introduced as lone of the best railroad presidents in this country" !
 President MeIIel's Address.
 President Mellen said:
 The prejuaices excited by dema- gogues ssRd politicians against corpo- rations has now reached stage when a SstassfS are suffering. In other words, the burden which has rested so heav- fly upon corporations and those charged with their affairs so long, is being distrfbuted--other oxen are being gored, and the community will soon have it's own troubles to worry about, interest is bound to flag; the defnagogue will have to find some other Issue to attract voters and sweet forgetfulness may for time replace corporate prominence; the wounds will then have time to heal and we may all be happy yet.
 We shall read of all this agitation in years to come and wonder how we could have been so excited over it. After excitement comes lassitude, aft CT that sleep and, lateE recovery.
 Corporations On the Nerves.
 This country has been having the time of It's life. We have been cllas- ing the corporations, until t has got on our nerves--we are tired of the life we have been leading-we have got to rest. When we awake it will appear to have been costly dream. When we have mended the smashed furniture, the broken crockery, we will lay by for time and accumu- late the wherewithal to repair the waste of our debauch.
 We may not think so we'll of our selves for sometime; our leaders will not look quite so large in our eyes again, but we forget quickly, and if we can only forget the whole miser- able business after we have paid the bill and have well learned our lesson, there will be measure of compensa- tion not without It's value.
 Nasty Places Uncovered.
 We have uncovered some nasty places. We have instituted some re- forms We shall live for a time upon knowledge rather than assertion, and try and rehabilitate upon plain diet
 All knowledge is expensive. We must not demur to paying our bill. We can not reflect upon the causes for all our excitement. We can see that the remedies could otherwise bet ter have been applied, but we are im- patient--we wanted to do it, day be- fore yesterday in the "arm strong" brass band fashion; and we have done it, and we are going to have time now for contemplation of our work and consider whether we went about 1t in the wisest way, or whether our tenn per got the better of our judgment and our leaders took advantage of it., and made the process unduly expen- sive-more so than we intended.
 The sale of transportation was in the early days like the sale of any other commodity, subject to the same fluctuations in price, the same conces- sions to the wholesale customer and the same discrlminations between in dividuals you now find in industrial, mercantile and professional life.
 The railroad men of the days of the rebate, now so unpopular, were of the character of the times in which they lived and did business, They did the best they could with the con- ditions surrounding them, and, up to the time of the practice being forbid den by law, are as little deserving the hard criticism of the present day as we ourselves shall be of that of the generation which will in turn succeed us and doubtless wonder that sup posedly sensible men, should have