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Attorney General Bonaparte shares with President Roosevelt the letter by United States District Attorney Asa P. French regarding the investigation of the merger of Hartford and New Haven Railroad and Boston and Maine Railroad.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-23
Theodore Roosevelt informs Edgar J. Rich, of the Boston & Maine Railroad, that he submitted Rich’s paper to Ernest Abbott, and that there is nothing further to do at present.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-06-02
Senator Lodge discusses legislation and other steps being taken regarding the Boston & Maine Railroad merger to prevent Edward Henry Harriman from gaining control of that railroad and consolidate it with his other holdings. Various other financiers would like to retain their stock in the Boston & Maine. In a handwritten postscript, Lodge says that he may not make it to the Republican National Convention in Chicago because his sister is dying.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-27
Senator Lodge asserts his views that Edward Henry Harriman’s attempt to gain control of the Boston & Maine railroad is a real threat, verified independently of Charles S. Mellen and T. E. Byrnes. The legislation introduced would allow the state to maintain control of the railroad. Lodge does not want Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte to direct District Attorney Asa P. French to stop the dividends of the railroad until it is possible to pass legislation protecting the state.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-30
Senator Lodge reflects on the results of the election and is generally pleased, particularly with the sound defeat of Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Henry Melville Whitney. Lodge was less pleased by the events in New York which included a fusion of the Republican Party with William Randolph Hearst’s Independence League in New York City and embarrassing behavior by Governor Charles Evans Hughes.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-09
Senator Lodge describes his work in getting an agreement in place for a bill in the the Massachusetts State Legislature regarding the merger of the Boston & Main Railroad and the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. Lodge says he believes it is a good bill, but the difficulties created by moving stocks between railroads causes him to lose his temper. In another matter, Lodge asks Roosevelt if it is possible to have a detective or Secret Service agents investigate two men who have been making false statements about the Brownsville Affair.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-06-20
Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock writes President Roosevelt with updates on the New Hampshire gubernatorial campaign. Winston Churchill was seen as a serious contender to win the nomination but Charles Miller Floyd, who was the favorite of the Boston and Maine Railroad, ended up winning over Charles Henry Greenleaf, making considerable progress given his lack of experience.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-19
Commissioner of Corporations Garfield summarizes for President Roosevelt portions of the oil report. The report uncovered the practice of railroad lines in the Northeast and Midwest offering Standard Oil Company secret discounted rates in the interstate transportation of oil. Both railroad and Standard Oil representatives deny any wrongdoing.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-05-16
An article in the Evening Post reports on a purportedly unsolicited visit by Charles S. Mellen to the White House to discuss his railroad’s planned merger with the Boston and Maine Railroads, offering his services to expedite any investigation the federal government might make into the merger. Several handwritten annotations comment on the article.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-06
Many managers of trusts and mergers have been meeting privately with President Roosevelt in light of the administration’s increased prosecutions of trusts in violation of the Sherman Act. It is uncertain exactly what is discussed in their meetings, but most meetings have proven beneficial for the managers and their businesses.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-08
The understanding of the Interstate Commerce Commission is that the Sherman Antitrust Act does not apply to railroads, although without input from the Supreme Court on the matter they are unwilling to state so definitively. In any event, the particular matter of the merger of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad Company with the Boston and Maine Railroad is not a violation of the act.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-08
Senator Lodge encloses letters from William B. Lawrence and from Colonel Benton concerning post office regulation limiting the number of stamps a postmaster can sell.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-12-04
Senator Lodge writes to President Roosevelt about a variety of subjects, appointments, issues within the Republican Party. Lodge encloses a letter from Lucius Tuttle, President of the Boston and Maine Railroad, expressing concern about the appointment of someone new by Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw to handle transportation matters.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-06-27
Senator Lodge found President Roosevelt’s Springfield speech admirable and believes it will be helpful within the business community. Lodge sends a speech he made in Greenfield, Massachusetts. He understands that Roosevelt cannot attend the dedication of the McKinley statue in Adams, Massachusetts but warns that others will ask Roosevelt to attend. Finally, Lodge suggests that Roosevelt thank the Boston and Maine Railroad for having an engine ready for Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt’s use when Ted Roosevelt was ill.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-06-10