The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-07-04
By CHARLES CAREY
"=AUTHOR OF=--
"A Woman to VIM" "Tbe Van Suyden Sapphires," Etc

I trade does know of such thing. it's
up to them TO do the worrying. not
me"
Then. you do admit there is such a
com bina tion?' pressed the awyer.
| old Corlett laid down his cue and
! faced him. Look here he grinned,
/ suppose you tell me before we do any
more talking, just whom YOU are repre-
why. you of course"
"Oh. all right then. I didn't know
| from the way YOU were going after me,
/ but what you might have accepted serv-
/ ice on the other side and he laughed
heartily at his little joke.
/ But Robert was in no mood for mirth.
NO." he said. a shade impatientiy, I
am speaking as your attorney. Mr.. Cor
/ lett. and that. too, in al. seriousness.
The Government is very much in ear
nest IL this investigation, and If they
should find sufficient grounds for
prosecution, there is no telling where 1t
may end"
The old man sobered down somewhat
| at the others tone and manner.
Wei. TO tell you the truth, Bob he
said. and quite COnfidentialIy between
ourselves. do believe as much as any
/ body else that there is Il pooling ar
rangement or secret agreement of some
| kind between the different houses in our
| trade. b!It 1 am not myset a party TO
/ It, nor do / actually know any more Of
! its scope and nature than the rest OF
| the world"
yet CorIett & Co. act as enc with the
/ other concerns broke in Robert. You
maintain the same scale Of prices you
have
"Corlett d Co.. averred the old. nan
| with dignity, sets its own scale Of
! prices. and establishes its own line of
| policy II other concerns choose TO fol-
low our lead, that is their business not
1T is only the fact that they all do
co. he concluded, and With such re-
marka BILE unanimity that makes me
| - % q n FAR d
ing of some kind among Them
You cOutt nd them exclaimed Bob,
that the similarity OF price variation
ana those other circumstances which
/ have brought the business under sus-
piciOn are not matters OF consultation
and agreement between you and The
sult OF a concerted action on the Tart
of the others to take tIeir cue from
ycu2"
Exactly" assented the old man.
/ ITS this way, you see, my boy. Cor
lett & Co. have the bulk OF the bust
ness-the cream, 1 might say-and the
other houses have fcundi that they
can't get II away from US, no matter
how hard they may try
But there is stu a considerable de-
r1and to be met-the skim milk-which
we either don't want, or are unable TO
handle-and the other houses in sup
plying this have found il to their ad-
vantage not TO light over Z, but TO get
together and trail in after US. To ac-
Z
have what they call a 'gentlemen's
agreement among themselves, and
rs this merely a Surmise on your
part" interposed Graham, '-or do you
know IL to be a faCt2'
We'll" the millionaire confessed IN
willingly, Il can't say thai 1 positively
know IT. but have eveIY reason TO
believe II true, because wien the thing
was first gotten up they tiled to get me
to join hands with them"
Tried 10 get YOU into this gentle
mans agreement"
olq fellow. 1t was a tOss-up that 1
didn't do It, too.
That was in SO, Bob he explained.
and In those days, you must under
stand. such things Were all the 20.
! What is now considered a crime was
/ then mere matter Of ordinary bust
, ness. Everybody was organizing and
among US marine paint manufacturers
that we ought to do the same thing
At last a committee came to me to
ask me If I would go into a compact
Tor the betterm6ut Of trade conditions
and, naturally, I SAID yes You see. I
wasn't particularly interested on my
own account. but I was willing TO help
the others out, and Warwick. who was
Win me then, was crazy for the scheme
SO we had a meeting" he went on
and We agreed on a maximum and
minimum scale OF prices and a lot OF
stun Of that sort; but finally one fell
loW-it was Montgomery, Of the Dew
[ drop pany'-brought up the question
Of what we should do TO any competi-
tors VINO might start in opposition 10
US.
There I baked. ] said that CorIett
& Company had always regarded the