New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-20

he also receiver s-fo,ov III n'''''
claim against tho New Haven. 1h's WINS
maid on the advice OF Mr. stetson'
Mr. NeIlep also de'ved into the intrica-
s,.. NJ the sale OF the l09.9s shares VI
Boston & Maine stock TO the Billiard ,o"
,anv and its resale back to the Ne"
Haven. He said Billiard had made SOME
thing like $4,000 on this TRANSACTION
and that the New Haven on.o'0.'
thought this excessive and sent MN "
see Billiard to compromise on smai'e'
amount. ,,-r
Mr.. whitney, in his letter to Mr.. Meheh'
.,,.r saving that he thought that the alb
sorption OF the Boston & Maine met WIN
the approval OF tho business men, put Una,
the public still had to be reckoned WIN
went on:
ct have also thought Il possible that
the little father In Washington might
also like to get hts finger In the PIE III
which case, IL it should happen before tue
public had become reconciied 70 t"e
change. 1t might result in infinite harm 10
all your interests"
..The little father" Mr.. Mellen said, was
! President Roosevelt. He said he mao hau
a conference with Mr.. Roosevelt sohe
time in the spring OF 1907, when ne was
considering the purchase OF Boston
Maine shares.
"yIa told me-" he said. "as nearly as
can recall. that he was not lawyer Una.
no did not know whether the law "ouiu
permit anything of that kind' ana NC
could not assure me that 1t was not IN
violation Of the law; that wouid DE
treated the same as anybody else pu'
/ the reasons / gave him why 1t seemed 10
me desirable to buy the Boston Maine
sbares. he said, appealed TO him, and II
,bere was no legal question involved that
he ~ he were In my place. would he dls-
posed TO do what he plainly saw was
dlsposed to do-that is, acquire these
shares"
Bought After Seeing Roosevelt.
what reason did you give him." asked
Mr.. Polk.
THAT the shares we're going to be Sold
In my Judgment, and were likely to so 70
lines possibly outside OF the country
notably the Canadian Pacific or the
Grand Trunk. He sent me TO discuss the
matter with Mr.. Lane. who was then In
terstate Commerce Commissioner. and
went and talked with Mr.. Lane, and then
went back and saw the President, and |
got the statement from the President that
he could not help me in any way, shape
or manner II anything / did was found to
be IN violation OF the law
Then what did You do after the inter
View"
Bought"
Mr.. Mellen admitted that he had said
I'm his reply TO Mr.. Whitney, after his
/ talk with Mr.. Roosevelt: 1T has been
/ thought advisable by all concerned that
/ Just as little official information should
20 to the newspapers regarding the Bos-
/ ton Il Maine matter as is absolutely
necessary. This was agreed upon by MI
Ledyard, Mr.. futile and myself And we
are acting on this theory. The Washing
ton situation | have, | think. complete
record for One never knows for GER
tainty regarding matters there, but The
ground has been carefully ploughed and
every chance for trouble considered, and
| think successfully eliminated. | will be
in Boston on Friday. and shall be glad
to discuss this with you further. If you
have time"
What do YOU mean by the ground hav-
ing been carefully ploughed?" asked Mr.
Folk.
II meant I had canvassed the situation
very thoroughly ! thought told every
thing to the President that was in my
mind, and he said that II seemed to him,
from his standpoint-from my standpoint
that | ought to do II, but he could not
give me any advice: he was not a lawyer.
and that / must not expect, if I did any
thing in violation of the law. to look to
him for any relief"
Mr. Mellen said he frequently had con-
ferences with Mr.. Roosevelt and that
he admired him very much.
Demurred at Secrecy.
Mr.. Mellen said that Mr.. Thorne had
called at his office and told him that he
had acquired control of the New York &c
Port Chester and the New York, West
chester & Boston roads. He said he was
curious to know why Mr.. Thorne had
bought these properties but that neverthe-
less he took IT up with his board. Mr.
Morgan. he said, moved that a committee
be appointed to handle the matter and he
appointed Messrs. Morgan, Rockefeller
and Miller.
II consider them the most conservative.
careful and able men that could be found
for that purpose" ne said.
When this committee reported that it had
spent more than sil,oooo00 in this trans
action Mr.. Melen demurred
81 asked Mr. Morgan after the meet
ing" lie explained. IF he would stop a
moment and see me in my office He did
and told him that ] thought that the re-
port was not IN detail so much as II
should be; that there was nothing to in
dictate to me how much had been spent in
the different items that were enumerated.
You have report and you will see there
are a number OF items enumerated and
the whole cost S1l,155,O00. | said:
Somebody is going to want to know
may want to know myself-what the
New York & Portchester cost, what
the development cost, what was paid
for the stock. what was paid for the
bonds and what was paid for the differ
ent items. IL seems to me this report
should read on such a date so many
shares Of stock we're bought OF such a
PARTY to be exchanged for so much and
the whole should foot up Sll,l55,cO and
should be clear account to show how
this money was disbursed.
aLur,;I;.t.dU hv Moro.n