The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-11-22
SAYS JOHN D. SQUEEZED HIM
Continued from First Page.

critics and to accept the $4,000 call
loan.
why didn't you get time loan
asked Representative Gardner.
We'll" replied Alfred Merritt, with
an extremely gloomy expression, Il
think was used in the way they generally
Use Western men in New York"
In other words" suggested Mr. Gard
ner. you had an assurance from the Rev.
MIR. Gates tnat the call loan did not mean
what IL meant?'
Yes" replied the witness.
"You are business man" Mr.. Gardner
continued. You know what call money
mesns:"
Yes do-now." said Mr. Merritt.
why only now?" Mr.. Gardner asked
We'll MIR Merritt answered a. he shook
his head Il believed that Baptist minister
Chairman Stanley asked MIR. Merritt
| how il was that. owning as much valuable
railroad and ore property as he dld
il was impossible for him 10 borrow The
necessary $i2O, 900 ~ meet the Rock"-
I Teller call loan
Those were in panic days" said Mr.
/ MERIT. and nobody had much money
I Baslda. think that Rockefeller had SAID
Hands on! That fellow is my meat
and 50 nobody would lend me anything
/ at all -
! Representative Jack Real Of Texas
tried To simplify the situation.
"poesnt il come To this, he inquired
lafor., Won began negotiations with Iohn
/ II. Rockefeller. you had stock IN your
I railroad and ore properties and "h'n you
got through you did not
| That's exactly it, cried IN" witness
with the first enthusiasm he had shown.
, Before | began to deal with Mr.. RoCk'-
foller had a one-tenth interest IN IN" llu-
mth, Missate and Northern Railroad
to say nothing Of the ore, properuea'
That railroad made s, ,n","nn last year
II came out that Mr. Merritt, after
his row with Mr. Rockefeller, brought
suit against the latter. alleging mlsr"p'",
/ sentation and few other things, and
had got Judgment which me higher
court had reversed on t"chnicaH'y.
Then. as he was trying TO rails" the wind,
So that he could press the case against
Mr. Rockefeller again, ther" had COM
he said. l.n offer of compromise, ms
lie had accepted and had received s525'"l
in settlement.
This settlement agreement was pro
iduced before the committee and exam
med by the members with great interest
Mr.. Gardner found that II was Slgn','
not only by John n. Rockefeller with
his counsel. Joseph B. Cotton and Georg"
" Murray, as witnesses, and 10y AHfen
Merritt, but by two dozen other M"rrlt =
Mr.. Gardner wanted to know why th'1
was necessary Mr.. Merritt could not
tell him, except TO LAY that some ot the
uncles aunts nieces and nephews VINO
had signed the agreement with nm hah
} owned little stock in his properties
and that Mr.. Rockefeller had insisted
on their signing the settlement.
, They had received the $4,000 over
the half million. Alfred said. for writing
, their names on the paper. He had got the
rest. =,
, Mr.. Stanley, who announced himself
az anxious to get sufficient Information
: to prove to the Interstate Commerce
Commission that the charges on the
= Duluth Missabe and Northern Railroad
= are exorbitant, insistG on Mr.. Merritt,
telling what the road cost. In view o'
2 his announcement that he was JnSl a
= smiled when Mr.. Merritt said the ran
4 road had been built at an actual cost
q Of $500 600 and Immediately .capliallH"t
at 81, ,O0 900, s. ,o0O,0o0 Of which was II
bonds and s3,0HOY0 in stock ,-
brother, according to Alfred Merritt wh'
= first suggested that it would be Enot
thing for the Merritts 10 consolidate thei
=, railroad and ore holdings with the JOIN
= ID. Rockefeller properties IN the SANE
u region Az they needed money I'M
0 Merritts fell for it," the witness said, an'
. the Lake Superior Consolidated lroI
). Mines Company was formed Witnes
=. Alfred Merritt said he objected a goo,
). while to taking his holdings in stocI
I alone while John d. Rockefeller took HI
4 interest in bonds alone, but ne wa
= finally persuaded. he said, 10y the Rev
Mr. Gates who was attending to John D
u charity work at the time.
D Il know lots better now" said the wit
l. ness.
g 1t was only few months after the Rev
l. ..lf l.,.t 4tr,.
4 the Merritts and John D. together In
:. ! witness said, that the Merrltts lost thei
I entire equity III the Duluth Missabe am
q Northern and in their ore properties a
Z well He was confident that Charles NJ
SChwab's recent estimate of the value q
! the ore properties turned over 10 Roche
u feller and later acquired from nun by IN
: steel trust was quite conservative.
s Il see" commented Chairman Stanle
o at this poiut that the Rev, Mr. Gate
a was serving both the Lord and John J.
r Rockefeller"
r Yes, indeed said the witness.
y Referring once more to the final settle
q ment by which the MerrittS got Sj2j ,O'
from John d, Rockefeller, MIR, Gardne
reminded the witness that the agrcemei
specified that Mr. Rockefeller should hav
his good will and that friendly relation
y should thereafter exist.
They have" said Alfred Merritt, "bl
-, am under oath and have TO tell It
'- truth on the witness stand" lle addc
as that he did not have any good will ,
I'd friendly feelings for MIR Rockefeller at al
t Charles II, Martz, the engineer wi
ii built the road for the Merritts, to-
If the committee that Joseph H. Go
m ton, Mr., Rockefeller'S counsel when
n acquired the railroad in the ear
,i- gOs. urged him TO make r report 10 Il
"a Minnesota Railroad and Warehouse Con
se mission declaring that the Duluth, Mi
ar abe and Northern cost s500O.0OO TO buil
IL when as a matter of fact il cost on
81 100000. He refused to do this and he