The Railroad King’s Surprise Endorsement
Northern Pacific president Charles S. Mellen shocks local business leaders by backing Teddy Roosevelt—despite the President's aggressive trust-busting.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
During his recent visit to Seattle, President Charles S. Mellen of the Northern Pacific railroad announced to friends here that he was an enthusiastic Roosevelt man, and in case Roosevelt is nominated would personally contribute $10,000 to the national republican campaign fund. In making this announcement, Mr. Mellen related a conversation which he had in New York recently with J. P. Morgan on the subject of Roosevelt's nomination, in which Morgan declared that if Roosevelt were nominated the party would not be able to raise a campaign fund of $10,000 in all of Wall Street. While in Seattle, a dinner was tendered to Mr. Mellen by H. C. Henry, the president of the National Bank of Commerce. When asked how he could support a man attempting to dissolve his company, Mellen replied: 'President Roosevelt is advised by his attorney general that the merger is unlawful, and is sworn to uphold and execute the laws. I hope the time will come when capital will be permitted to combine for its own protection, but in the meantime it is very highly essential that the chief executive of the nation should enforce all the laws without fear or favor, against the rich and poor alike. That is what he is honestly endeavoring to do.'
“I would not admire him one half so much were he not doing as he is.”
This story offers a rare glimpse into the internal power dynamics of the Gilded Age, showing how titans of industry navigated the era of 'trust-busting.' Mellen's pragmatic support for a president who threatened his own business interests underscores the complexities of 20th-century political alliances.
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