Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-05-27
MORGAN DENIES
MELLEN CHARGE
Brands False Accusation That
Father Concealed Facts
About New Haven.

Washington. D. c.. May 27.-Furthel
| testimony before the commerce com
mission on the financial AFFAIRS of the
New Haven railroad was postponed un
til June 3. to permit special examiners
! to inspect the books OF the J. p. Nor
gan company and the personal papers
of the late ]. Pierpont Morgan.
New York. May 27.-J. p Morgan
last night characterized as untrue the
testimony of Charles s. Mellen. former
head OF the New York, New Haven &
Hartford railroad, before the inter
state commerce commission In Wash
ington last week, that ]. Pierpont Nor
gan concealed from Mr.. Mellen facts
regarding the New Haven road which
Mr.. Mellen should have known.
MT. Morgan offered to produce be-
fore any proper tribunal at any time
the records of ]. P. Morgan & Co. and
the personal records OF his father.
Taking full responsibility upon him
self for the change IN the roads pres
idency by which Mr.. Mellen resigned
and gave way to another. Mr.. Morgan
said II was untrue that his father in
any sense took from Mr.. Mellen the
management of the road or its affairs.
Regarding the absorption OF the Bos-
ton & Maine by the New Haven, Mr..
Morgan said his father deemed II ad-
visable for the public benefit, since it
was recognized by others as we'll as by
the late Mr.. Morgan himself, that
changing economic conditions threat
ened the commercial position OF New
England
Mr. Morgan's statement was his first
direct reply to Mr.. Mellen's testimony,
which he examined. he said. from a
stenographic report. The statement
read:
81 became a director of the New Ha-
ven railroad in April, 1913. and resign
ed on Dec. 81 of the same year. The
only reference to me personally which
1 have found in Mr.. Mellen's testimony
has to do with the fact that ], as a
director of the company, called upon
him and told him that a change in the
presidency was desirable.
There is. however, in Mr. Mellen's
testimony something more important
myself. Mr.. Mellen in substance |
charges my father with having con-
cealed from him, the president of the |
company. facts which the president of |
the company should have known.
my father was born in New Eng |
and, and he believed IN the New Ha- |
ven railroad. He recognized, as others |
have recognized, that with the shifting |
Of the center of population in this
and the changing economic |
the commercial position of
New England was threatened, and that
/ change in this commercial position
would, unless an effort were made to
,ounteract 1t, result in an unfavorable
fleet upon New England's leading rail-
Dad.
HE believed, moreover. that the
Sew Haven and the Boston & Maine,
which were not in his opinion in any
ense competing lines, could be oper-
tied to the benefit OF New England
more advantageously together than
part. and that no harm could come
o the public from this amalgamation.
Il am quite ready to believe, also,
hat he agreed with Mr.. Mellen that
he entrance of the Grand Trunk rail-
way into Providence would have in
olved the unnecessary duplication OF
ABILITIES for which the New England
ublic sooner or later would have had
o pay. But the imputation that my
ather in any sense took the manage
nent of the railroad, or any part OF its
fairs. out of the hands OF the presi- :
ent. is untrue"