New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-01
Railway Gazette" Calls
New Haven Man Worse
than DebS'S Kind.
TERMS MORGAN ALLY
SORRY SPECTACLE"
buccaneers" and Fools and
COwardS in Wall ST." Blamed
for Railroads Plight.

I.n.tr the caption "Mcllep. Morgan and
the Ne, Haven the Railway Age Ca
zettc" I'm Ste current issue pays its re-
spects to Charles s. Mellen, who 1t de-
claros. presents a sorry spectacle III
whatever light his testimony before the
Interstate Commerce Commission Is
viewed" incidentally paying its respects
70 BENJAMIN +. Yoakum. Of the frisco
system. and the directors OF numerous
roads who are declared 10 he the real
socialist leaders Of America.
.1liebbiuders OF finance" buccaneers,
fools and towards in Wall Street and
"crooked indolent and incapable direct
ors" also come In for share or blame
Tor conditions such as existed on the Ne"
Haven and Frisco systems
.Or his own showing" says the Ca
zett,., which has been conservative ou'
candid critic Of so-caled high Hia'0'"s
in railroads. bravery and nice sense VI
RICH, and wrong are not his dom'"""'
characteristics. In the first he may o.
may not have been giving an uhoiasseN
occo,,ut az the New Haven transactions
l4o Acknowledges that he stood very ihuo'
In fear Of the indictment for mansiaugh'e'
:, connection with the Westport wreck
11a .1airps 10 have shouldered the PURGE"
90 an indictment in connection with 'he
c.~o,6 Trunks abandonment OF It's froFl-
do extension in order TO shield the late
rp >rorcon but II seems 10 have Kept
him awake at nights.
Testimony utterly Selfish.
..t,:. r-osert testimony therefore. may
10 viewed as an utterly selfish attempt 10
o,aor himself and escape any poss'oli.'
20 rroeecution or as perfectly lranN'
-, ovnosition Of the New Haven stu
.,ior as n was while J. p. Morgan was
aIva and Of Mr. Mellen's relations WIN IT,
eft is a very curious fact 'ne 20
ito" continues. that so far as the 1uii
est reports which we have EXAMINE
chow there is not a single phrase Oh W. .
Nieuen's which would suggest tha' ne i''.
81 duty as president to the thousands -
small stockholders in the Ne" nave
road His conception Of the puoHc s'e''''
20 I've the cynical one that since the puo''0
alects the kind of legislator suscepuo'e ~
.rravers from the hills the pubHc i uo
serving of what it GETS WhiIe ne soo'''1
Aa,.o been so obsessed with desire u
sarvo Mr. Morgan faithfully as 10 nave
,,,arlooked the fact that his real duty was
.,, a,ool,bolders Of the New Haven.
.One thing should he borne in mind
only, one side Of the matter has oeeh
heard. and that side has been pres'i u
under the fear Of personal prosecuuo"
Il no with tie bitterness OF personal IAN
.t,re ranking through his heart turthel-
more. many Of the assertions or MI Mel.
-, ore Quite possibly not susceptible Of
cornnlete refutation because j. r. MORGAN
on whom the chief responsibility is placed
BY Nj Mel,en, is dead
."The vlciousness of a system OF railroad
announcement under which the president oil
the connany is the mere hired man OF
c.roun Of bankers has often been com
,nented upon i'm these columns ana ]"
&c ,rue that all Of Mr.. Melien's acts were
sinnlv those Of a hired man, the bankers
u.are certainly unfortunate in the Kind OF
no, they hired and were extremely dere-
Nct in the performance Of their own duty
NJ supcrvising the conduct OF their hlIeu
man.
what are the remedies for such OUT
rageous mismanagement as obtained on
the New Haven when Mellen was us
president? 1t is up 10 the fnanciers ana
railway executives Of America to cooper
ate with public officials in finding an an
swer 10 that question. The New Haven
road is not the only railway that has been
McneuZed
"It is only relatively small minority
Of our railroads that have thus been ms
MANAGED Most of them have been nan
died with more than ordinary prudence
and ability. and for every one tha' no.
tocn conspcuously Ill managed the'e "t9
been more than one conspicuousE wen
managed. But It is wrong that 'he,o
should be any railroads that are sroSSH
mismanaged, and the fact that mere arc
any reflects upon and causes trouble io'
oil Of them.