The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-04-28

HrLnS ana corporations engaged IN
structural steel work in New England.
This combination included substan-
tally all the local concerns and many
of the largest corporations in tho
United States engaged In manufactur-
ing or furnishing structural steel for
use in any part OF New England, II
affected the states, the cities and
towns, the nilroads and street rail.
ways and generally all persons having
occasion to use iron or steel for any
purpose in that section Of the country.
AS regards the city Of Boston. the
combination resulted in parcellng out
the work by collusive bids, plainly dis
honest and supported by false afflrma-
tons, In its conclusion the commits
sion recommends as follows
The commission believes that an ex-
ample should be made of these men
and that the members OF the Boston
agreement" or at least all those who
in October and November, 1905, enter
ed in the fraudulent competitions for
the Cove street draw span and the
Brookline street bridge should be
brought before a federal grand jury
for violation of the act of congress Of
July 2, 1890. The three years limita-
ton for participation In these transac-
tons has not yet elapsed. and the evil
dence obtained by the commission rs so
complete that there should be no diff
Guilty in the governments securing n
conviction In this case To this end |
have submitted this report to the de-
partment of justice for thorough inyes-
tigation and for action, If action shall
prove practicable.
Surely such a state Of affairs as that
above set forth emphasizes the need
of further federal legislation not mere
ly because of the material benefits
such legislation will secure, but, above
all, because this federal action should
be part, and large part, of the cam
paign TO waken our people as whole
to lively and effective condemnation
of the low standard Of morality inn
piled in such conduct on the part of
great business concerns. The first
duty Of every man il to provide live
lihood for himself ana for those de-
pendent 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 competence as will
carry with it the opportunity to enjoy
in reasonable fashion the comforts
and refnements OF, life, and further
more the man Of great business abili-
~ who obtains a fortune ia upright
fashion inevitably in so doing confers
benefit upon the community as a
whole and is entitled to reward, to re-
spect and to admiration.
Moral Meaning Of Methods.
Comment on the moral meaning of
these methods and transactions would
seem superfiuous, but as they were de-
Tended at the public hearings Of the
commission and asserted to be common
and entirely proper incidents Of bust
ness life, and as these practices have
been freely resorted TO by some Of the
largest Industrial corporations that the
world has ever known, the commission
deems 1t proper to record its own opin.
ion
The "5oston Agreement"
The commission dislikes to believe
that these practices are, as alleged, es-
tablIshed by the general custom Of the
business community, and this defense
itself if unchallenged amounts to
grave accusation against the honesty
of present business methods. To an
swer an invitation for public or pri-
vate work by sending in what purports
to be genuine bids, but what in reality
are collusive figures purposely made
higher than the bid which is known
win be submitted by one OF the sup
posed competitors, is an act of plain
dishonesty.
10 support these Misrepresentation
By false affirmations in writing that
the bids are submitted in good faith
and without fraud collision or con-
neetion with any other bidder Is a posi-
tive and deliberate fraud, the success
ful bidder in the competition is guilty
OF obtaining money by false pretenses
and the others have made themselves
parties to a conspiracy clearly unlaw-
full Mt the common law Whore, as in
the case Of the Boston agreement"
q number of the most important manu-
facturers and dealers in structural steel
In this country. including the Amer
lean Bridge company one of the con-
stituent members of the United States
Steel corporation, have combined to-
gether for the purpose Of raising
prices by means of collusive bids and
false representations. their conduct is
not only repugnant to common honesty,
but is plainly obnoxious to the federal
statute known as the sherman or anti
trust law
Contempt For Honesty.
But among the many kinds Of evil,
social, industrial and political, which is
our duty as nation sternly to combat
there is none at the same time more
base and more dangerous than the
greed which treats the plain and sim
pie rules Of honesty with cynical con
tempt If they interfere with making a
profit. and as a nation we cannot be
held guiitiess IL we condone such ac-
ton The man who breaches hatred
Of wealth honestly acquired, who in
culcates. envy and Jealousy and Sian