The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-11-17
TIPS A SERIOUS EVIL
EFFORTS IN ENGLAND TO AsoL.
ISL SECRET MISSIONS.

80 'NSai RCROIlCu "
nave Been Scandalized by ReveIa.
uons-An IntolerabIe InfIiction.
evidence multiplies daily of the
seriousness of the evil which it is now
sought to combat by legislation in the
shape of bill, penalizing the giving
VI accepting of secret commissions.
MOI only all branches of trade, but the
learned professions as well, have been
scahdalized by the revelations of the
past lew days. 1t is, however one of
ehose evils which are based upon de-
.ec'iVe moral sense and are so I'M
lFersal that the difficulties of coping
win them by legislation are almost
lHSuperaDle. Lord Russell of Killo-
wen, mas introduced in the House of
s-oiuS MS Dill making it criminal of.
Iense 10 give or receive secret COM
missions. The offenSe is classed as
nlisueameanor, with a maximum pun
l ,'si OF two years at hard labor.
ne most interesting part of Lord
russell speech was that devoted to
recalling the various shifts resorted
TO in covering secret commissions
which he had met in his experience as
commercial lawyer and judge.
a number Of witnesses drew atten.
ton to the prevalence of bribery in
the case of buyers for large houses
and cooperative companies: also in
the calico trade, the publishing trade
and the printing trade Lord Russell
SAID he had a letter from the repre-
sentative of large firm of dealers
IN INK, color and varnishes, who said
that the managers of certain news.
paper IN the provinces allowed their
machine overSeer to order inks, with
the result that his firm had to pay this
man IS per drum so as to get the
orders. When the price fell so as to
make that commission too heavy the
overseer suggested that they should
send smaller drums, as the drums
were not weighed on delivery. An
other machine overseer who was
leaving one place to go to another, de-
manded CO from his firm, otherwise
he would not recommend their inks at
his new place.
In another case a foreman levied
commission of one penny pound, or
about % per cent, on the ink supplied
by the firm. From this man a COM
munication was received to the effect
that he would not be able to use as
much ink as formerly, because a gas
engine had been put in in place of a
boiler and there was no furnace in
which he could get rid of the ink.
The writer of this letter added that
. toll
depended, except in cases where men
looked after their own business, not
upon the excellence of the things nor
their price, but upon the amount of
the brides that were given. He had
in his possession original demands
from overseers for Christmas boxes
which were to be sent to them private
ly, and in some of these cases sums
amounting to G25 had been paid.
The report also stated that the prac-
ice prevailed in the brewing trade,
brides being given to buffers, major
domos, coachmen, game-keepers and
even gardeners.
A case had come before the courts
in which a company had been form
ed for the sale, in part, of some kind
of medicated wine in which 1t was
shown that founders shares were dis
tributed among doctors upon the
terms that the doctors were to puff
the wines.
Lord Russell quoted from the last
report of the committee of the Lon
don Chamber of Commerce appointed
to inquire as to the extent Of secret
found
it proved that engineers received fees
or payments from builders. 1t was al
so proved that chemists paid doctors
commissions of 25 or even so per cent,
on the prices charged for medicine
supplied by prescriptions to patients;
that doctors handed to the sorrowing
widow an undertaker's card and re-
ceived a percentage of 10 to 20 per
cent. on the funeral charges, though
he should be sorry to believe that
these practices were general among
medical men.
Then the report went on to give il
Illustrations relating to the cutlery
trade. in which it was stated this mis-
chievous practice had done great
deal of harm. The system of levying
blackmail went right through some
houses to the boy who took in the
manufacturers card to the buyer, and
civility and attention had to be paid
for by the unfortunate traveller. One
witness said he had lost scores Of
orders through refusing to bride.
It can not be said that the prospects
of Lord Russelfs bills passing this
session or next are particularly bright.
The Lord Chancellor pointed out that
a previous bill collapsed because 1t
appeared that a gentleman who gave
a porter a SiXpence on railway plat
form rendered himself liable to two
years Imprisonment. It was secret
commission, because 1t was bride to
the company's servant to do some
thing for a third party. Possibly an
act may bring the more fragrant cases
inside the criminal law and the whole
system be discouraged by publicity, as
it is in the secrecy that the vice lies.
Mrs Victoria Woodruff Martin, as
an American woman long resident In
England, gives her experience of the
effect of secret commissions on do
nestle arrangements. She mentions
the case of a woman who had reason
to be dissatisfied with her chef and
engaged country girl for the jost.
For some weeks after the girl was
mistress of the kitchen the account
books kept a reasonable level. Then
they gradually increased, until the
employer felt herself compelled to
point out the steady swelling of the
figures. The girl burst into tears and
told her story of how the butchers