The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-21
Former Railway President Lectures Court on
 Management
CONSPIRACY BEGAN
 9 YEARS AGO
Wealthy Defendants Make Best of Situation and Receive the Former Executive With Every Evi-
 dence of Cordiality

New York, October 20.-Charles $. Meilen. one time president of the New York, New Haven and Hartford rail- | road, testified as a government witness today against the II men with whom he was formerly associated on the roads board of directors, whose trial on the charge of violating the Sher- | man antitrust law began one week ago.
 Standing before a government. map of the New England railroad system, with long pointer in his hand, much like college professor delivering a lecture to his pupils, Mir. Menen spent the last two hours of the afternoon session explaining the nature of the competitive railroad conditions at the time. 20 years ago when the New Ha- vens alleged conspiracy to control the entire transportation traffic of the six, states began. It was only the pre- liminary part of the lengthy story which the government expects the for mer railroad president to tell the jury before the trial Is over
 The former New Haven president was greeted with every evidence of cor diality by the defendants when he en-
 
 numerous handshakings exchanged with him when the trial adjourned until to- morrow.
 William Rockefeller was among sev- eral of the defendants who stepped forward to converse with him.
 Mellen Now . Farmer
 Mr Mellen gave his occupation as "a farmer-an agriculturist." He told the history of his railroad experience, which dated back to 1869, when he was a clerk in the cashiers office of of the Northern Railroad of New Hampshire. Then he took his pointer and traced on the map the routes of the dozen New England railroads which in 1890 had an independent ex- istence. He described their steamboat line connection with New York and other points and their rail connection with other roads outside of New Eng land. The New Haven's chief strateg- ical advantage at the time, the wit ness indicated, was in passenger traf- fic as none of the other roads could maintain through passenger service to New York except over the New Haven tracks. 's
 All these roads maintained their freight connections to points outside. engagements with outside lines, MT. Mel len explained, and contributed pro rata to the expenses of about a score, of freight soliciting organizations which routed through traffic over the various connecting lines. These vari- ous through routes were in competi- tion Mir. Melfen said.
 Was the competition keeng' asked Frank l.. Swacker, the government at torney.
 q should think there was consid- erable competition" replied the wit ness. Tt was fairly lively"
 The New Haven itself. as was the case of some of the other lines, the witness explained, never solicited traf- fife as their financial condition was not such at the time that they could stand the expense. The witness was still in the midst of this phase of his testi- mony when adjournment was taken un- til tomorrow When completed the gov ernment expects to use it as basis the gradual acquisition of the lines by the New Haven, with which MT. Mel len became connected as vice presi- dent in 1892
 MT Mellen was preceded on the stand by two present officials of the New Haven, who identified about i200O doc umentary exhibits subpoenaed by the government from the New Haven files. Their Introduction was the occasion of an unsuccessful effort on the part of the attorneys for the defense to force the government to present evi- dence of the alleged unlawful acts com- mitted by the defendants within the period of the statute of limitations, in other words acts committed since 1912. Judge Hunt overruled their motion.