The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-13
IS IF STAGE DUST9

We are still more or less confused over the truth, as it is trying to estab- lish itself, with regard to what has happened at Hartford to warrant the sharp controversy of last week and the interviews which have since appeared in the newspapers of the state with those directly and indirectly concerned. We are having some difficulty in get ting rid of the notion, that, after all, eyes are being filled with stage dust, which, as everyone knows, is not dust at all, but just-make-believe dust. Even if this fact is established and we are all made to believe that the winter has not been given over to illegitimate lob" bying, 1t will still be in order for some one to explain why it was thought necessary to swirl so much stage dust.
 President Mellen of the New Haven Railroad company is the first person interested to step to the center of the stage, and make a direct and tangible statement. He will have nothing to do with generalities, and while he does not take time to explain in detail what the legislation is which, in the opinion of his company, is hostile to the public welfare, and which is the reason why such opposition as 1t has seen fit to off fer is justif1able, he does indignantly deny that the New Haven railroad has done thing which in any degree runs counter to his public pledge to make appearances before the general assem- bly, with "clean hands He says: aNeither the New York, New Haven Ss Hartford Railroad company, nor any corporation owned or controlled by it, has expended dollar to influence leg islation at this session ot the Connecti- cut legislature, except as tt has legiti- mately paid money to its known attor- neys. The company of which l am president has not used, or caused to he used, any unlawful or improper methods to influence the action of the Connecticut legislature. Any state nent or innuendoes by Senators Atwa- ter and Judson to the contrary are ab- solutely without foundation" Presl- dent Mellen, in addition to this terse and direct statement adds, that So long as br is at the head of tho New Ha- ven Railroad company this will be the policy to be invariably enforced, name ly, d frank statement of,needs made 70 q legislature, then left unbothered by illegitimate lobbying as an additional means of securing favors.
 It is impossible not to accept at its face value such statement as that, unless one is willing, and able, as we are not, to present the evidence neces- arv to convict him of false witnessing. No matter what one may think of the modern railroad corporation, and of it's effect on the life of the country, that point has not yet been reached fortun- ately where one is warranted in con- demning railroad president, when, as in the case of MT. Mellen, he takes se- rious oath to his personal and man. agerial integrity. It is ones duty to so- ciety to accept the word of every man in such a connection until his faith lessness has been established. In this country man is innocent until he has been proved guilty, and certainly Pres ident Mellen has done too much for the manufacturing and commercial life of Connecticut, since his induction into the presidency of the New Haven rail- road to condemn him untried. In oth- CT words, MT. Mellen's indignant and direct denial of all charges or allega- lions brought against his property puts a new face on the controversy, and conpels his critics to make good their charges. or substitute proper apologies. The reputation of the state of Connec- ticut is of far greater importance than that of either President Melen, sena- tors Atwater and Judson, or Lawyer Robbins, and it is to protect that repu- tation from blemish that the whole truth must now come out, voluntarily, if feasible, under compulsion, if neces- sary.
 For the moment the battle, if it is really battle and not stage battle, turns about the proposed chartering of the Meriden and Afiddletown trolley, on the one hand, and the proposed East Haven and Morris Cove trolley, on the other hand. In connection with the for mer Senator Atwaters position is somewhat weakened, net only by the statement made by Mr. Robbins, that when he asked for an interview with