The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-05-21
BELIEVES SUCH ACTION WOULD
 BENEFIT PUBLIC Former New Haven Chief Favors Government Reg
 ulation of Roads SAYS COMPANY DIDN'T WANT CONN. TRoLLEYs Senator Aldrich Not Given to Writing Letters About
 His Negotiations

Washington, May 21.-Cha1les s. 3Ee1len. former president of the New York. New Haven ana Hartford rail- road, told the interstate commerce commission today that he favored rail- road monopoly to be controlled and regulated by the government and that such q monopoly would be beneficial to the public
 ousstioned by 7Er. FOLK as to his present Business relations, Mr. Meilen Hafds
 T have not dolIar'a interest today. in the New Haven. T diApoaed of all my stock. retain a little inter- in the Ontario 6 Western
 ..WEy did you personally favor the consoEdaf1en of the trolleys with the New Haven sss
 ~Becauss consolidation would re- suit In better service, lower rates and. sxeateF satisfaction to the pubhd ' believe the public is better seTTed by a rnnnrp11y Of tranapoi'tation ffian In amy other way. I think, however, kMlzk khr sncmDpn1y szapulu ba x0n zl tFni1#H mnd regulated by the gUvern-
 :ssThaf do you think railroads esn- efa11y are doing about the matter7''
 CT know of nothing a railroad can sso now except take off it's hat to some government official
 .1f MT Morgan had not died how |1ar would you have gone in this dream of consolidation 2n
 eGone to Heaven, suppose-''
 Didn't Morgan have more power than any state government under which you operated 2''
 That Is not so.
 ''Why not2"
 -.He never tried to exercise any
 s.ruc -,- sv ,o,,+-c7 ne 4ba Netv England situation 2s'
 sT can best answer that by quoting bene ola saying, Where McGregor sits l4hers is tine head of the table"
 Opposed to Water Lines.
 s~What would the meetings of the directors Of the New Haven have been like without MT Morgan 2''
 -About ss tame as lot of cows without 6 bull
 8Er. Me11en said he was opposed to lthe New Haven holding and operating steamsh1p lines
 T vas always against the plan I was afraid of disasters on those finder boxes-
 Mr- Me11en, after testify1nE regard ing an offer of s2ee.0o0.0o0 made by Charles ". Morse for the purchase of steamships owned by the New Ha- wen, said he came to Washington and consulted President Roosevelt in rel gard to the matter
 .nEr Morwe,' 2 he said, had acquired Ipractical control of nearly all theI steam lines on the Atlantic coast He wanted our holdings and I finally got b definite offer Of s20 00o. 900 from him. T wanted to sell but was great ad- I1airer of President Roosevelt and I thought matter of that kind that was so full of interest to the public lougfat to be laid before the president lof the United States saw him and he was anxious, apparently, that Eadorse shouId be chrecked in his ac- Iuuisfxion of control Of steamer lines. lHe urged me not to sell
 .1 told Mr- Roosevelt that, as it was expected the bill being prepared by Herbert Knox Smith, commissioners of lcorporations, would contain a clause preventing railroads from owning it would be to our advan- sfage to accept the Morse offer IT told him felt it was doubtful that bHe ought to turn down the proposi- lffun when, by it. we could turn our property into cash
 Thinks Roosevelt Kept Faith.
 .'when was the bin put in by At aorney General Bonaparte ?"
 'T think in 1907-''
 why was the provision preventing 1efx out s'
 ..I imagine it was because MT. Roosevelt kept faith with us.''
 Mir Folk read a letter from MT. Me11en 4o Stevenson Taylor, in which he expressed the opinion that it was rnwise to take up an option of the Joy steamship line.
 s1f you thought it unwise then, vr11y was it that the directors of the n1gw England Navigation company la- Ter approved the purchase ?"
 sscsfrcumstances that arose later led 4,ne to change my views
 Before Mir Me1len took the stand there was informal discussion among attorneys and investigators as to how much longer Mr. Me1len would be de- as witness It was Intip1ated I 1,v renresentatfves Of the com mi ssfon | fbat there still Was much ground to f
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