The morning journal-courier., 1908-04-28

lions which nave been bidders for fur rishng to the city Iron and steel. This report shows tha. there have been ox- tensive combinations formed among the various corporations which have business with the city of Boston, in- cludng, for instance, a carefully plan ned combination embracing practically all the firms and corporations engaged in structural steel work In New Eng land. This combination included sub stantially all the local concerns. and many of the largest corporations in the United states. engaged in manufactur- Ing or furnishing structural steel for use in any part of New England. it af- fected the states the cities and towns. the railroads and street railways, and generally all persons having occasion to use iron or steel for any purpose in that section of the country. As re- gards the city of Boston, the combIna- ton resulted in parceling out the work by collusive bids, plainly dishonest, and supported by false afIirmations In it's conclusion. the commission recom- mends as follows;
 Comment on the moral meaning of these methods and transactions would seem super1uous; but as they were de- tended at the public hearings of the commission and asserted to be common and entirely proper incidents of busl- ness life, and as these practices have been freely resorted to by some of the largest industrial corporations that the world has eyer known. the commission ! deems it proper to record its own opin- ion.
 The commission dislikes to believe that these practices are. as alleged, es- tahlished by the general custom of the business community; and this defense itself, if unchallenged. amounts to a grave accusation against the honesty of present business methods.
 To answer an invitation for public or private work by sending in what nur- ports to be genuine bids, but what in reality are collusive figures purposely made higher than the bid which is known will be submitted by one of the supposed competitors is an act of plain dishonesty
 To support these msrepresentatIons by false atfrmations in writing that the bids are submitted in good faith, and without fraud, collusion, at con- nection with any other bidder, Is a positive and deliberate fraud: the sue ccssfu bidder in the competition Is guilty of obtaining money by false pre- lenses; and the others have made themselves parties to conspiracy clearly unlawful at the common law, Where, as in the case of the Boston Agreement, a number of the most | important manufacturers and dealers
 In structural steel in this country, in- cluding the American Bridge company, one of the constituent members of the l United States Steel corporation. have combined together for the purpose of raising prices by means of collusiye ] bids and false representations their conduct is not only repugnant to com mon honesty, but is plainly obnoxious to the federal statute known as the Sherman or antitrust law.
 The commission believes that an ex- ample should be made of these men, and that the members of the Boston l Agreement" or at least all those who, in october and November, 1905, enter l cd in the fraudulent competitions for the Cove street draw span and the Brookline street bridge, should be brought before 8 federal grand jury l for violation of the act of congress of 1 July 2, 1890. The three years lmi- tation for participation in these trans actions has not yet elapsed, and the 1 evidence obtained by the commission is so complete that there should be no difficulty in the government se- curing a conviction in this case.
 1 have submitted this report to the l department of justice for through in- vostigation and for action if action shall prove practicable.
 Surely such state of affairs as that above set forth emphasizes the need of further federal legislation, not merely because of the material bene- i fits such legislation will secure, but 1 above all because this federal action should be part, and a large part, of l the campaign to Waken our people as l a whole to q lively and effective con 1 domnation of the low standard of morality implied in such conduct on the part of great business concerns l The first duty of every man Is to pro vide livelihood for himself and fo1 those dependent upon him, it Is from every standpoint desirable that each O. our citizens should endsavor by hard work and honorable methods tc secure for him and his such compet- once as will carry with 1t the oppor. tunity to enjoy in reasonable fashion the comforts and retnements of life and, furthermore, the man of great business ability who obtains fortune in upright fashion inevitably in 80 do. ing confers q benefit upon the com munity as q whole and is entitled tc reward, to respect, and to admiration
 But among the many kinds of evil social industrial, and political, which it is our duty as nation sternly tc combat, there is none al the same timt more base and more dangerous thar the greed which treats the plain ant simple rules of honesty with cynca contempt If they interfere with makini q profit, and as a nation we can no
 be held guiltless if we condone suel action, The man who breaches ha
 tired of wealth honestly acquired, whc inculcates envy and jealousy and sian derous i'll will toward those of his fel
 lows who by thrift, energy and indus
 try have become men of means, is {
 menace to the community. But hi
 counterpart in evil Is to be found il that particular kind of multimillion