Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-04-28
ARE SUCH LAWS NEEDED?

ARE SUCH LAWS NEEDEDq
President Says Yes. and Gives an Tx.
ample OF Sinuosity.
Allegations are often made to the eff
feet that there is no real need for these
laws looking to the more effective con-
troll of the great corporations, upon
the ground that they will do their
work well without such control. l cali
your attention to the accompanying
copy of report just submitted by.
Mr.. Nathan Matthews, chairman of
the finance commission, to the mayor
and city council OF Boston, relating to
certain evil practices Of various cor.
pOrations which have been bidders for
furnishing the city with iron and steel;
The report shows that there have been
extensive combina tons formed among
the various corporations which have
business with the city Of Boston, in
GLIDING, for instance, a carefully
planned combination embracing prdc.
tically all the firms and corporations
IN the United States engaged in manu-
featuring or furnishing structural steel
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 for
any purpose in that section Of the
country. AS regards the city Of Bos-
ton the combination resulted in par
ceiling out the work by collusive bids.
plainly dishonest and supported by
false affirmations.
| In its conclusion the commission
on the moral meaning Of these meth
DDS and transa ctions would seem
superfluous. but as they were defended
at the public hearings of the commits
sion and asserted to be common and
entirely proper incidents of business
life, and as these practices have been
freely resorted to by some of the
:%gest industrial corporations that the
i world has ever known, the commission
4 deems it proper to record its own opin.
| ion, The commission dislikes to be-
lieve that these practices are, as al
| legged, established by the general Gus
/ tom of the business community; and
| this defense itself, If unchallenged,
amounts tn grave accusation against
/ the honesty of present business meth.
4 DDS.
4 ITO answer an invitation for public
or private work by sending in what
purports to. be genuine bids, but what
in realty are collusive figures purpose
! ly made higher than the bid which is
known will be submitted by one Of
4 the supposed competitors, is an &C
of plain dishonesty. To support these
Interpretations by false af1irma
/ tons in writing that bids are sub
mitted in good faith and without
fraud, collision, or connection with
any other bidder, is positive ant
deliberate fraud. The successful bid
der in the competition is guilty of OBJ
tanning money by false pretenses; an6
the others have made themselves
parties to a conspiracy clearly unlaw
4 full at the common law.
i Where, as in the case of the Dos
ton agreement a number of the mos
important manufa cturers and dealers
in structural steel in this country, III
Guiding the American Bridge company
one of the constituent members of tn,
United States Steel Corporation, have
| combined together for the purpose O
raising prices by means of coilusiv'
bids and false representations thei
| conduct is not only repugnant to com
mon honesty, but is plainly obnoxiou
to the federal statute known as tn,
4 Sherman Or antitrust law
4 1.-The commission believes that al
example should be made of these men
and that the members of the .Bosto,
!. agreement or at least all those who
in October and November, 1905, Ell
n tered In the fraudulent competition
n for the Cove street draw span an
the Brookline street bridge, should b
brought before a federal grand jur,
for violation of the act Of congress o
July 2, 1890 The three years limita
tton for participation in these trans
! actions has not yet elapsed, and tn
8 evidence obtained by the commission
u is 50 complete that there should b
! no difficulty in the government secur
ing a conviction in this case.''
4 have submitted this report to tn
\ department of justice for thorough In
!. vestigation and for action. If action
shall prove practicable. Surely such
state of affairs as that above set fort
emphasizes the need Of further fedora
legislation, not merely because of til
material benefits such legislation Wi
secure, but above all because this fed
4 eral action should be part, and larg
part Of the campaign to waken on
/ people as whole to lively and eli
3 fective condemnation Of the low stand
!, ard Of morality implied in such cor
! duct on the part Of great business con
{ Germs. IA 81 9g.s 81.
II The first duty of every man is t
!, provide a livelihood for himself an,
Is for those dependent upon him.
y u