Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-28
resorted to by some of the largest in
dustrial corporations that the world has

TcSOTlcu lO Dy SOIuc vi Tic 6Oot ihN
dustrial corporations that the world has
ever known the commission deems 1t
proper to record its own opinion.
THE commission dislikes to believe that
these practices are. as alleged. established
by the general custom of the business
community; and this defense itself, if I'M
| challenged, amounts to a grave accusa-
| ton against the honesty Of present bust
ness methods.
ITO answer an invitation for public or
private work by sending in what purports
to be genuine bids. for what in reality are
collusive figures purposely made higher
than the bid which Is known will be sub
mitted by. one of the supposed COMPETE
tors. is an act of plain dishonesty.
ITO support these Misrepresentation by
false aff1rmations in writing that the bids
are submitted In good faith and without
fraud, collision or connection with any
other bidder is a positive and deliberate
fraud; the successful bidder in the compe-
tition is guilty of obtaining money by
false pretenses: and the others have made
themselves parties to a conspiracy clearly
unlawful at the common law.
Where. as in the case OF the Boston
agreement a number of the most i'm
portant manufacturers and dealers in
structural steel in this country. including
the American Bridge Company, one Of
the constituent members of the United
| together for the purpose of raising prices
by means of collusive bids and false rep
reservations. their conduct Is not only
repugnant to common 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 agree
| ment. or at least all those who. In Oc-
tober and November. 1905 entered in the
| fraudulent competitions for the Cove
| street draw span and the Brookline street
| bridge should be brought before fed
eral grand jury for violation of the act
of Congress of July 2. 1880. The three
| transactions has not yet elapsed. and the
evidence obtained by the commission is
so complete that there should be no diml-
Guilty In the governments securing con-
yiction in this case" -
! I have Submitted this report to the De-
partment of Justice for thorough inves-
| tigation and for action. II action shall
prove practicable.
Campaign Of Awakening.
| Surely such state Of affairs as that
above set forth emphas izes the need OF
further federal legislation. not merely be-
cause of the material benefits such legis-
llation will secure, but above all because
this federal action should be part and a
large part, of the campaign to waken our
people as a whole to lively and effect
| i've condemnation Of the low standard OF
morality implied in such conduct on the
part of great business concerns.
| The first duty of every man is tip pro-
vide a livelihood for himself and for
those dependent upon him; 1t is from
every standpoint desirable that each OF
our citizens should endeavor by hard
work and honorable methods to secure for
him and his such a competence as will
carry with It the opportunity to enjoy
| in reasonable fashion the comforts and
Irefinemen:s of life: and. Furthermore. the
man of great business ability who obtains
| a fortune in upright fashion inevitably IN
/ munity as a whole and Is entitled to re-
ward to respect and to admiration. But
among the many kinds of evil, social. In
dustrial and political which 1t is our duty
las a nation sternly to combat. there is
none at the same time more base and
more dangerous than the greed which
treats the plain and simple rules of hon
/ esty with cynical contempt II they inter-
ton we cannot be held guiltless If we con-
done such action.
The man who breaches hatred of wealth
| honestly acquired. who inculcates envy
| ward those of his fellows who by thrift.
| energy and industry have become men
of means. Is a menace to the community.
But his counterpart In evil Is to be found
| in that particular KING OI
| afre who is almost the least enviable. and
| is certainly one of the least admirable. of
all our citizens; man of whom 1t has
| been well SAID that his face has grown
hard and cruel while his body has grown
| soft; whose son il fool and his daugh-
| ter~-a foreign princess; whose nominal
pleasures are at best those of taste
less and extravagant luxury. and whose
real delight. whose real life work, is the
| accumulation and use of power In its
most sordid and least elevating form. In
| the chaos of an absolutely Unrestricted
! commercial indiyfdualism under. modern
conditions, this is type that becomes
prominent as inevitably as the marauder
1 baron became prominent in the physical
| chaos Of the dark ages.
| We are striving for legislation to mini
mice the abuses which give this type its
| fiourishing prominence, partly for the sake
| of what can be accomplished by the legis-
lation itself. and partly because the legis-
lation marks our participation in a great
i and stern moral movement to bring our
ideals and our conduct into measurable
| accord. -
i THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
i The White House. April q. 1908.
Miss E. Elizabeth Dana, proprietor of
Miss Danass 4School.-ip Morristown. N. D..