Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-26
MELLEN LETTERS TELL
NEW HAVEN METHOD
OF OUSTTNG RIVALS
Acquiring of Manhattan From
Morgan in 1893 Shut Out
New England Railroad
From New York
ABSORBING ARBITRARIEs'
Witness Explains Process of Cutting
of Competition Was Sanctioned
by Every Railroad"

NEW YORK, oct. 26.-Charles S. Mellen,
former president Of the New Haven Rail-
road, resumed the witness stand today
as Government witness in the con-
spiracy trial of william Rockefeller and
other New Haven directors
How the New Haven paved the way to
shut the New England out of New York
city was shown by letter Identified by
Mellen and read by the Government,
written in 1898, from Charles p. Clark,
president OF the New Haven, to the late
]. =. Morgan. Clark asked Morgan to
get out of the Manhattan Railway so
that the New Haven might acquire that
line. The Manhattan was the only in
gress of the New York and Northern
Railway into New York.
PROCESS OF ABSORPTION.
Frank NJ. Swacker, assistant Attorney
General, then read letter from Mellen
to General Traffic Manager Weller, of the
Boston and Albany, relative to cutting of
freight traffic from the New England.
Next the Government, through letters,
showed how the New Haven sought,
through discrimination against the Bos-
ton and Albany to cripple the freight
England.
Mellen then explained at great length
the New Haven's motive In its action
against the New York Central. and also
explained the railway operations known
as absorbing arbitraries."
'It is a process" Mellen said. sane
toned by every railroad for cutting off
freight traffic from connecting lines that
are competitors"
MELLEN AND MORGAN.
How Mellen in 1894, by taking the bull
by the HORNS" overcame the disfavor of
the late j. p. Morgan was related by
Mellen at the afternoon session.
'Mr. Clark told me-" said Mellen, that
Mr.. Morgan was much exercised about
the nuisances growing out of efforts to
shut the New York Central out of New
England and that Mr.. Morgan was in
clined to think / had fomented the
trouble. l went as soon as l could to
Mr.. Morgans offices in New York and
asked to see him. l was shown into
rear room and soon he came in.
What can 1 do for your Mr.. Morgan
said.
II told him l understood he did not
like me. He said that was right
"I then told him that what had done
was done on the suggestion of Mr.. Clark.
Mr.. Morgan replied that he had been
misinformed and had been used for
doormat. We shook hands and were
friends afterwards"
Following this the Government read
letter from Mellen to Clark telling of
plan by the New York Central to open its
New York freight terminals to the New
York and Northern, which would give the
New York and New England an entrance
TO New York.
This would be the severest blow to
the New Haven and might ruin our New
York freight business Mellen wrote.
Mellen went at great length into let
ter he wrote to Clark about the operation
of New York Central trains out of the
Harlem station. He said he wrote 1T be-
cause he considered 1t his duty to tell
the president all that was going on.
'What was done about it?' asked
Swacker.
Nothing" said Mellen. 'I did not
think 1t worth making fuss about, and
besides there already existed a state of
mind between the New York Central and
the New Haven, as the correspondence
has shown"
Letters between Mellen and Clark re-
ferred to the trunk line association and
its relations to rates in New England.
MelIen explained that there was an as
sociation of railways of which one God
dard was the head. the purpose of which
was to fix freight rates. The lines In 1t
were the Pennsylvania, Reading, New
Haven, New York Central. Ontario and
Western. Lackawanna, Jersey Central
and others.