The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-04-28

pOTa ions WlMrn nave been bI0lCrS f.
furnishing the city with iron and steei
The report shows that there have been
extensive combinations formed among
the various corporations which have
business with the city Of Boston. in
Guiding, for instance. a carefully
planned combination embrac cling prac
tirally nj the firms and corporations
in the United States engaged in mana
featuring or furnishing structural Stee'
for use in any part of New England
1t affected the states, the cities and
towns. the railroads and street rail
ways, and generally all persons hav.
ing occasion to use iron or steel fOl
any purpose in that section of thu
country. AS regards the city Of Bos-
ton the combination resulted in par
ceiling out the work by collusiye bids
plainly dishonest and supported by
false afirmatiOns.
In its conclusion the commissions
recommends as follows: comment
on the moral meaning of these meth
DDS and transactions would seem
suprrHuous but as they were dcfende /
sion and asserted to be common and
entirely proper incidents of business
life. ana as these practices have been
freely resortcd to by some Of the
largest Industrial corporations that th"
world has ever known, the commission
deems it proper TO rccOrd its own Cnin-
ion. The commits sion dislikcS to be
licvc that these practices are. as al
legged, established by the general Gus
tom Of the business community: and
tbs defense itself. If uuchallcngcd
amounts to grave accusation against
The honesty Of present business meth
DDS
TO answer an invitation for public
or private work by sending in what
purD0rtS 10 lie genuine bids. but what
in realty 2rp collusiye figures purpose
ly made higher than the bid which is
known viii he submitted by one Of
the supposed conn etitors. is an act
Of plain dishonesty. To sup OFT these
misrepresentation by false aflirmH
/ TONS in writing that bids are sub.
mitted in good faith and withou,
fral;d. collision, or connection with
any othc" bidder is a positive an
deliberate fraud. The successful bid
der in the competition is guilty of Oh.
tanning money by false pretCns~s: and
the others have made themselves
/ parties 70 q conspiracy clearly unlaw.
! fu ut the common law
! "Wherc 2s in the case Of the .Ros
| ton agreement number CT the mos
/ o1,- ~ Low.
/ in structural steel in this country. in
/ Guiding the American Bridge company
! one of TIE constitute nj members of the
J United States Steel Corporation. have
combined together for the purpose Of
raising prices by means OF coiIuSiv'
! bids and false representations theil
| conduct is not only rcpugnant to com
mon honesty. but is plainly obnoxiou.
to the federal statute known as the
| Sherman or antitrust law.
The commission believes that al
example should be made OF these men
and that the members Of the Boston
I agreement. or at least all those whb
in October and November. 1905. ell
| tered in the fraudulent competitions
| for the Cove street draw span AM
the Brookline street bridge. should bt
/ brought before a federal grand jur,
| for violation of the act Of con gTess o.
July >, 1890. The three years Hmita
ton for participation in these trans
actions has not yet elapsed, and tn
evidence obtained by the commission
is so complete that there should b.
no difficulty in the government secur