The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-08-24
|LELLEN'S DEALS UNDER INQUIRY Federal Government Directs Investigation Into Ac-
 quisition of B. &
 M. Control.
)THER MERGERS ARE
 ALSO TO BE PROBED
hose of the New Haven Road for the Last Six Years Now Being
 Looked Into.

# Boston, Aug. 23.-United States Dis Sict Attorney Asa F. French announc M tonight in communication to Erenville s. MacFarland, chairman of
 Le executive committee of the Inde-
 endence league of Massachusetts,
 lat President Roosevelt and the de-
 hrtment of justice has under consld-
 Fation the proposed control of the Hoston and Maine railroad by the New
 ork, New Haven and Hartford sys-
 m The district attorney further
 ates that he has been directed by the Etorney general to investigate the at #mpted merger and also the acquisi-
 on of other lines, rail and water by
 De New Yorlz, New Haven and Hart krd road.
 ! District Attorney French's letter is
 follows:
 & q have received your communica- on of August 21 calling my attention & the alleged violation of the federal Hnti-trust law by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad com xhny, by MT. Charles s. Mellen, it's resident, and possibly by others with kspect to the acquisition and control sF stock in the Boston and Maine Rail- Dad company, upon the theory which bu advance and undertake to demon- Erate, that the two railroads compete 4 interstate commerce.
 4 T beg to say in reply that the whole Natter has been under advisement by |be president and the department of Snstice for some time. The steno-
 raphic report of MT. Mellen's testi- Sony before the Massachusetts legis- $tive committee on railroads, and his &revious communication to Governor &ui1d, from both of which you quotc, %ere promptly transmitted to the att &rney general, and l was directed by Elm some weeks ago to begin and l
 n now making a careful inquiry, not &hly into the facts to which you refer,
 bnnected with the attempted consoli-
 'tion of the two railroads. but of the ! pouisition, direct and indirect, by the New Haven road during the past five % six years, of other steam roads, of \ rect railways, and of steamship lines, &hgaged in competitory traffic. The 8lrpose of this inquiry is to ascertain < bw far. if at all, these transactions Nave been violative of the antitrust
 Lt. and to take such action as the re- Fllt of the investigation may justify, Ind to the end that the policy of the sbtional government with regard to
 rriers engaged in interstate com &erce, as expressed by congress and M Mterpreted by the supreme court in
 trans Missouri and Northern Secu- &ties cases, may be maintained and
 lat individuals as well as corporations,
 fending against the law, may be ade- &lately punished
 , "The policy of the administration as S prosecutions under the anti-trust < tt has been too clearly and emphatic N ly stated by the president in his re-
 ent speech at Provincetown. as well
 by the attorney general to leave
 ly doubt in the minds of the people, ! lat while honestly conducted corpora < ons and their officers have nothing to
 ar, there is to be no temporizing with
 ose, who, after a thorough and i'm
 lrtially conducted investigation, ap-
 bar to have been vlolators of the law.
 T beg to add, in view of your kind
 fusion to myself, the assurance that
 long as I am United States district 2 torney for this district. shall do my 7 Bst to enforce the federal laws viz f -ously, fearlessly and impartially."