The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-03-01
President MeIIen Sees Seri, ous Trouble Ahead Un- less There is a Change
 in Conditions.
HONESTY AND SENSE NEEDED
CORPORATIONS AND PEOPLE
 MUST BOTH DO RIGHT.

Makes No Excuse for Corporate Wrong
 doing-Declares the Need of United
 Action for ImprOvement-Depler
 Criticism Without Knowledge and
 Talk Without ThOught-GOvernmen
 Vagaries NOticed-Must Be a Return
 to Right Thinking, Right Talking
 and Right Action if the Country Is to
 Escape Disaster.
 Hartford, Feb. 28-President Charles S. .Mellen, of the New York, New Ha- ven and Hartford railroad, tonight discussed the railroad question before a large audience of students and Hart ford citizens in Alumni hall at Trinity college The text of MT. Mellen's ad- dress follows:
 It is with no disposition to excuse the shortcomings of those who in handling corporate affairs have forgotten and become mixed, and are unable to differ- entiate between personal and official duty and responsibility that shall ad- dress you.
 If a public office is public trust, no less is the duty of handling the af- fairs of one of our large public service corporations, and I object to no law having for its object the punishment of those recreant to their trust; indeed urge there be punishment meted out that those who have done their full duty may be relieved from the unde- served stigma and suspicion that may otherwise attach when disclosures shocking in their nature come to light as in the case of recent investigations.
 There is much excuse that the public mind is excited, that wretched laws re- suit, that in rage and dismay there is disposition to strike down the innocent with the guilty, but
 Much though, there be, now is more than ever the time for calmness and deliberation, caution and restraint, if we would avoid mistake. This is no time for the haste which makes waste, injustice and the ultimate damage that will cause shame and confusion when we have time for reflection.
 Tn public and in private I have all ways conceded the need of efficient reg ulation of railroad corporations. There should be tribunal to redress wrongs too much power is not to be trusted to even successful and admittedly able men. If there is to be oppression il must be by those we have chosen, and not by those chosen for us. We can bear the wrongs we have imposed upon ourselves, having power to redress them at the polls, but it runs counter to nature to accept without chance of review, the dictum of our neighbor placed in power perhaps without our approval, confidence, and often in def- ance of our judgment.
 It has always seemed to me 1t would be preferable for the corporations and the public that such regulation be by the general government rather than by the states because of the necessity for a reasonable degree of uniformity in the regulations for the protection of the public, and that they might not conflict so seriously as would otherwise follow from the frequent changes of jurisdic- tion as we cross state lines.
 Another and most potent reason Is the fact that a commission at Wash ington Is less likely to be affected by local prejudice and give to cases brought before it more judicial con sideration with the best result to the parties in controversy.
 Thus, earnestly desiring improvement dn corporate management, have been in favor of larger power being exer- cised by tribunal constituted by the general government, and the greatest possible publicity being given to all the acts of corporations which have been handled in such way as to cause conl- plaint.
 From publicity alone I believe the greatest good would have resulted. If greatly extended and more detailed re- ports of operations were required, and particularly if expenditures were more strictly scrutinized and required to be published, much as are those of county and town officials. nearly everything of which complaint has been made would have disappeared as matter of neces- sity.
 There are enough cranks in the world to have rllng the changes upon every thing suspicious, and enough fear of discovery on the part of officials to have made reasonably sure nothing really serious could have been con- cealed,-to have protected the public and the corporations in way that would have been most beneficial to both.
 And it would have been less expen- sive to the railroads to have made such publication of expenditures and infinitely more useful to the public than to have prepared such volumi- nous and useless information as the sta- tisticians have required, like tons, pas sengers carried one mile, and the worse than useless attempt to ascertain what proportion of the expenses of a rail- road are applicable to passenger busi- ness and what to freight business,