Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-16
MAeNATEs WILL STAY AWAY
Railroad Presidents Decide Not 60 GO
TO Washington TO see the
President.

NEW YORK, March15 5--Messrs. McCrea,
Mellen. Hughitt and Newman. the four
railroad presidents for whose visit to the
White House j. Pierpont Morgan arranged
before his departure for Europe, held a
conference here today. The whole situa-
tion was canvassed with great care and It
was finally decided not TO go to Wash
ington.
It is understood the reason for this con-
clusion was that the railroad officials did
not feel they had any proper mandate
from the railroad corporations to represent
them. They recognized that the railroad
managers themselves are not in perfect
accord, and until some method could be
adopted for securing a consensus OF
opinion a visit to the president would be
idle. At the conclusion of the conference
the four presidents left for their homes.
Thomas F. Ryan, when asked his opinion
about the proposed meeting of the president
and the heads of the great railroads said;
believe II MIR. Morgans visit to the
president is followed up Il should be by
all our great business interests, and IL will
do much good. l also believe that the
is much misunderstood by the general pub
lie. IL is unfair to assume that II Is his
desire to hamper the business interests
Of the country. / am, however, convinced
that he purposes to enforce the law as he
finds them upon the statute books and
think the sooner the business interests Of
the country conclude to go to work to aid
the president in solving the difficult prob
leus that confront him every day the
sooner confidence will be restored and the
business Of the country move on without
interruption. So far as general, business
is concerned the only fault to be found
with Il is that It is too active.
WASHINGTON, March 15.-At late
hour tonight President Roosevelt had re-
idents who were suggested by J. Pierpont
Morgan on the eve OF his departure for
Europe as conferees to discuss with the
president the railroad situation and to urge
Mr.. Roosevelt to take some action ito
! allay the public anxiety as to the ad-
ministration's attitude. The president will
not invite Messrs. McCrea, Hughitt. New
man and Mellen to the White House, but
If they ask for an appointment the presi-
dent will be glad to receive them. The em-
barrassed position in which the railroad
magnates have been placed is due to the
fact that Mr. Morgan arranged the con-
| ference without consulting the officials
whom he asked to participate in the con-
! ference.
Today Mr.. McCrea communicated with
/ the president and made IL clear that while
he did not want to show any dlscourtesy
he did not want to be placed In the atti-
tude of rushing to the White House TO
make a plea for executive clemency.
Governor Deneen and Attorney General
/ Stead of Illinois who were invited to
Washington by President Roosevelt, ar
! rived tonight and will call at the White
House tomorrow. While Governor ,Deneen
refuses to discuss the object of his con-
ference with the president, 1t can authori-
tatlvely be stated that the Chicago & Alton
deal and other disclosures brought out
at the recent Hartman investigation will be
discussed and the situation in general gone
over,