The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-02-21
GUILD IS BITTER
AGAINST MORGAN
Declares Big Fidancier Is
Drunk With Power
HAS STATE ON THE HIP

Former Governor Of Massachusetts As.
serts New Yorker Is Forcing Public
Ownership of Railroads Upon Con.
sentative Men Who Hitherto Dread
ed lt-CharIes S. MeIIen and Tim
othy Byrnes Also Mentioned.
Boston, Feb. 21.-Curtis Guild, Jr.,
former governor of Massachusetts,.
publishes in his paper, the Commercial
Bulletin, scathing editorial entitled
"Mr. Morgan and Massachusetts. :"
Guild declares ]. Pierpont Morgan is
forcing public ownership upon con.
servative men. ..s. .~. ....
The editorial bitterly assails the
flnancier. It goes so far as to deride
his personal appearance and, in sar-
castle apology to previous opinions OF
railroad officials involved, terms them
the puppets Of the New York magnate.
The two officials mentioned are
Charles s. Mellen, formerly president
of the Northern Pacific, and Timothy
Byrnes, long a resident of Minneap.
oils.
when the New York, New Haven
and Hartford railroad" says the edi-
torial, started to control transporta-
ton in Massachusetts it began by de-
feating in the legislature bill to per-
nit the Boston and Maine railroad to
acquire trolley lines, course the New
York, New Haven and Hartford, a for
eign corporation itself, was pursuing.
1.-THE governor called attention to
the iniquity of railroad conditions In
Massachusetts, in special message.
"The railroad defeated the governor
in the legislature. It failed to defeat
him in the courts, in which relief next
was sought. Without a dissenting
voice the supreme court of Massachu
sets declared the railroad violator
of the law.
until last week it. generally was
supposed that the individual RESPONSE.
BILE for this defiance of the courts, the
law and the people of Massachusetts
was Mr.. Mellen, president Of the road,
and that the vice president, Mr..
Byrnes, would prove a better friend
to the requirements alike of law and
of citizenship. ~
Legislature Refuses Nothing.
1.-THE railroad has been allowed to
work it's will in merging with the Bos.
ton and Maine railroad. Everything it
asked has been done by the legisla
ture. as
What has the road done? It has
fulfilled not one promise so fervently
made by Mr.. Mellen. It now asks that
having broken the law in the past its
acts be legalized and that it be given
such control of transportation, light,
heat, water power, electric wires, poll
tics and government in Massachusetts
as never has been asked before by any
man or body of men. "
"Mr. Byrnes, the suave and court
eous, suddenly becomes before the leg
islature an apostle of the historic the
public be damned policy of the Van
derbilt family.
"The mask is off. We have all of us
done injustice to Mr.. Mellen-gross in
Justice. Nor is Mr.. Byrnes the trucu-
lent braggart. Both of these men are
really only hired 'megaphones through
which a beefy, red-faced, thick-necked
financial bully, drunk with wealth and
power, brawls his orders to stock
markets, directors, courts, govern
ments and nations.
"Mr. Morgan has Massachusetts on
the hip, he says, and refuses to rec.
ognize the right of the public to loop
hole of safety in the care Of future
mismanagements. IL
Public ownership of railroads is a
bitter step to take, but if Mr. Morgan
refuses to consent to public regulation
Of his huge monopoly he is today
forcing approval of public ownership
upon conservative men who hitherto
have dreaded it," --. u.