Norwich bulletin., 1915-11-23
MELLEN TELLS OF TALK
 WITH PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
Sought "Littie Fathers" Advice About Acquisition of Boston and Maine Road,

l New York, Nov. 22 = Theodore Roosevelt as president of the United ! States, again appeared as the ad- i visor of Charles $. Mellen in New Ha- 1 ven affairs, the acquisition of the Bos- . ton and Maine railroad, i ntestimony 1 adduced today at the trial of the eleven former directors of the New Haven road under the Sherman anti | trust law.
 Mellen represented the former pres ldent as having, in 1907, ad- vised the purchase of the Boston and Maine with the reservation, however. that If you do wrong you needn't come back to me" The advice was given after MellenF had an interview at Roosevelt's suggestion, with Frank lin K. Lane, chairman of the inter- state commerce commission and ex. plained to him that there was danger of the Boston and Maine falling m, to the hands of aliens" if the New Haven did not take it. By aliens" the witness said, he meant the Cana dian Pacific or the Grand Trunk rail- roads of Canada and that Chairman Lane agreed with him that such an eventuality was dangerous from a military point of view.
 The testimony was brought Out aft CT R. l.. Batts. attorney for the gov ernment, had read into the record an exchange of correspondence, subse- quent to the interview between Mel len and H. M. Whitney of Boston.
 Little Father at Washington.
 T have always thought it possible that the Litrle Father at Washington might like to get his finger in the .pie,'' wrote Whitney, in reference to the Boston and Maine deal, ''in which case. if it should happen before the public had become reconciled to the change, it might result in infinite harm to ali your interests
 The Washington situation" Mel len wrote, in reply, T have, I think, completely cared for. One never knows for certain about those mat fully ploughed and every chance of trouble considered and I think elimfn- ated."
 Control of Boston and Maine.
 From this point the government to- day went farther into the more or less familiar history of the New Ha- ven's troubles in getting permanent control of the Boston and Maine which eliminated in 1909 in the passage by the MassaGhusetts legislature of a law enabling tEe New Haven legally to control the 1o9.00 shares of Boston and Maine stock it had acquired The government met a setback however when the court ruled that no evidence as to possible corruption of the legis-
 
 held that no such means were alleged in the indictment as having been used by the New Haven to gain its alleged monopoly of New England's trans portation traffic.
 The setback came when Attorney Batts inquired of MT. Mellen who the New Haven's legislative agent was in 1908. This was at the time when the New Haven had been restrained byan act of the Massachusetts legislature called the Cole bill, from exercising any control over its Boston and Maine holdings The government wanted to show that at this time the New Ha- ven, through legislative activity, was preparing the way for the enabling bill passed the following year MT. Mellen was allowed to state that the New Haven employed legislative agents and counsel and that Timothy E. Byrnes made reports to them on legislative matters. No action affect ing the New HEven was, however. taken in 1908. said MT. Mellen, al- though ''every statesman in Massa- chusetts had some legislation he
 Famous Billiard Deal.
 The famous Billiard deal, whereby it is alleged the New Haven fictitious ly transferred its Boston & Maine holdings to John l.. Billiard of Mer- iden. Conn. after the Cole legislative act expired. was also the subject of testimony, but the occasion. too. of