The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-07-29
Will GO TO COURTS
EFFORTS TO SETTLE new HAVEN
WITHOUT SUIT FAILS
wilson WANTS ACTION
President Directs Attorney General
McReynolds to Bring Civil Suit for
Dissolution and Lay Facts Before
Grand Jury for Investigation OF
HCrimSral ASnectS"
"Criminal Aspects.

The long continued effort to un-
tangle the New Haven railroad with
out litigation came to an end Tues
day night, when President Wilson in
a letter to Attorney General Mercy
nolds directed the institution Of a
Sherman law suit to dissolve the sys-
tenn and ordered that the criminal
aspects Of the case" be laid before
federal grand jury.
The presidents approval of the
course mapped out by the department
Of justice means that the civil suit
will be fled against the New Haven
in the United States court at New
York at once. The attorney general
also Immediately will direct United
States District Attorney Marshall at
New York to summon a grand jury,
and the task of laying evidence be-
fore that body on which to ask for
criminal indictments against officers
and directors Of the New Haven un-
der the Mellen management will be
begun as soon as possible.
How many indictments will be
sought was not divulged but it was
plainly indicated in correspondence
made public that the attorney general
expects to ask for a bill against Chas.
is. Mellen, former president Of the
New Haven. The most significant
fact in connection with the proceed
ings was said to be a statement which
Mr.. McReynolds gave out several
months ago when the interstate COM
merce commission began its New
Haven inquiry.
In the statement the attorney gen.
eral warned the commission that i'm
munity might be given certain men If
made to testify as to their actions as
directors Of the road. The names he
mentioned were: Charles S. Melleu,
William Rockefeller, George McCul-
Tough Miller, Charles F. Brooker, Ed
win Miner, Lewis Cass Ledyard, Geo.
F. Baker and Edward R. Robins.
In addition to directing suit, the
president in his letter to Mr.McRey-
nolds declared that the decision Of
the New Haven directors not to keep
their agreement to dissolve peaceful
i1y had caused him ''the deepest sur
prise and regret" and that their fail
ure upon so slight pretext" was
"inexplicable and entirely without
Justification.
The departments course, he said.
was just, reasonable and efficient, and
should have resulted in avoiding a
suit. Accompanying the presidents
letter, the department made public
correspondence between the attorney
general and the president and the at
torney general and President Hustis
(of the New Haven.
| One of the most interesting phases
of the correspondence was contained
in the attorney generals letter to
President Wilson, in which there Is a
decided rebuke for the interstate COM
lmerce commission for Its action in
subpoenaing Mellen "and perhaps
Iothers Of the greatly culpable" with
the possibility Of embarrassing the
department by a claim of immunity in
return for their testimony. In this
connection the attorney general
makes the statement that criminal
prosecutions have been always in
mind and that there has never been
"the slightest hope that parties guilty
of criminal violations of the Law
would escape"
The letter from the attorney gen.
eral to President Hustis made it clear
that the department takes the posi-
ton that the New Haven directors
did not live up to their agreement Of
last March for a peaceful dissolution
in their refusal to sell their Boston
& Maine stock, under conditions i'm
posed by Massachusetts,, and put the
blame for what may follow on the
lheads Of these directors.