The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-28

steel for any purpose in that section
OF the country. AS regards the city
of Boston. the combination resulted in
bids, plainly dishonest, and supported
by false afflrmations. In It's conclu-
sion, the commission recommends as
follows:
Comment on the moral meaning OF these
methods and transactions would seem su-
perhuous: but as they were defended at
tho public hearings OF the commission ana
Incidents of business life. and as these
practices have been freely resorted to by
some OF the largest industrial corporations
mission deems 1t proper to record Its own
| opinion.
The commission dislkes to believe that
these practices are. as alleged. established
by the general custom of the business COM
munity; and this defense itself. II unchal-
lensed. amounts to grave accusation
against the honesty OF present business
methods.
To answer an invitation for public or
private work by. sending in what purports
are colusive figures purposey made higher
than the bid which is known will be sub
mitted by one OF the supposed competitors.
Is an act of plain dishonesty.
To support these misrepresentation by
false affirmations in writing that the bids
are submitted in good faith, and without
other bidder. is positive and deliberate
fraud; the successful bidder in the compe-
ton Is guilty of obtaining money by false
pretenses; and the others have made thenl-
! selves parties to a conspiracy clearly UNI
| lawful at the common law.
| Where. as in the case of the Boston
Agreement. number of the most import.
ant manufacturers and dealers in structu-
raj steel in this country. including ,ns
s,laen, rass ,, one Of the som
Corporation. have combined together for
the purpose of raising prices by means OF
| coliusivc bids and false Representations
| INF "a 0,,4l
mon honesty. but is plainly obnoxious ia
| the Federal statute known as the Sherman
| or antitrust law. -
me commission believes that an example
should be made Of these. men. and that the
members OF the Boston Agreement" or at
least all those who, In October and Novems
ter. isos, entered in the fraudulent compe.
.,tions 1or the Cove Street draw span and
tie ti.e 3 Hrookline Street Bridge, should BE-
Drought before Federal grand fury fo-
y ion OF the act OF Congress Of Julysf3
! isyo. The three years Limitation for par.
eIapss .oh IN IN these transactions has not yet
h bs Is so complies that there should
ing q conviction In this case -
~ nave submitted this report To III,
D estira OF Justice for thorough in.
sSsii and for action II action
shail prove practicable. -
Awaken Public Conscfence.
Surely such a state of affairs as that
| above set forth emphasizes the nen;i
or further Federal legislation. not
ts s;,ch pefause Ct the material bene-
/, above all. because this Federal action.
| should be part, and a large part. of the
v WhoIs 81 e ,,o Wak zen our people
nation of the low standard Of moral
/ implied in such conduct on the part for
grea Io business concerns. The first duty
OF o. every cry, man Is to. provide aIivelihood
upon him; It Is from every standpoint
! ussirapie that each of our citizens
should :, endeavor by hard work and
and his such competence as will carry
withit the opportunity to enjoy in rea-
ssonable fashion the comforts and re-
man man OF great business ability who OBJ
tains fortune In upright fashion IN
! eYitably in SO doing confers benefit
upon the community as whole and is
to admiration. But among the many
Kinds of evil, social, Industrial aud no.
| iiticai. which It is our duty as n nation
sternly to combat, there Is none ut tho
same time more base and more dnngees
GUS than the greed which treats the
plain and simple rules of honesty with
cynical contempt II they interfere with
/ making II profit; and as nation we
| cannot be held gu:ltless If we condone
such action. The man who breaches
| hatred Of wealth honestly acquired.
| slanderous i'll Will toward those OF his
| fellows who by thrift energy and ms
! dustry have become men of means, is
| a menace TO the community. But his
counterpart In evil is to be found in
/ that particular kind of multi-milliou-
| alre who is almost the least enviable,
! and is certainly one of the least admir-
| able, of all our citizens: man OF
| whom It has been we'll said that his
| face has grown hardsan cruel while
\ his body has grown soft; whose son Is
! a fool and his daughter a. foreign prin-
cess, whose nominal pleasures are at
| best those of a tasteless and eXtrava-
\ giant luxury, and whose real delight,
| whose real lifework. is the accumula-
istion and use of power In Its most sor-
ibid and least elevating form. In tina
l chaos of an absolutely unrestricted
Icommercial ndlvidualism under mod
! ern conditions, this Is type that be-
| comes prominent as inevitab bly, as the
/ marauder baron became prominent N
i the physical chaos OF the dark ages.
4 We are striving forllegislation to min.
i imze the abuses which give this type
4 Its lourishing prominence partly for
! the sake of what can be accomplished
I by the legislation itself. and partly
4 because the legislation marks our par
! tlcipation In n great and stern moral
/ movement to bring our ideals and our
| conduct into measure BILE accord. @ss
THEODORE FROOSEVELT.-s
! The White House, April 81, 1908.
49,
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