Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1911-11-03
Gary Forecast the Defense
OF the United Steel Trust

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Sherman law which is opposed to re-
straint of trade.
Therefore, as you know and as has
frequently been referred to, it has
been our disposition to conduct our
selves In such way that we might be
considered as occupying position be-
tween these two extremes; and we
have attempted. by the policy of CO.
tors, to assist them at all times, rather
than to attempt to diminish their
business for the purpose of increasing
our own; and yet at the same time
we have endeavored to influence, so
far as we could proprly, our competi-
tors, just as much against the undue
decrease of prices; and we have en-
deavored to satisfy our customers that
we were treating them fairly and
properly.
And then. above all. we have very
fully and frequently published not
only our acts but our intentions.
Il Know that some of you from
tin-s to time have personally criticised
the attitude of some of the officials
OF the United States Steel corporation.
You have urged from your standpoint
and from your viewpoint that our ac-
tlon and attitude were calculated to
bulld up our competitors, and you
nave been more or less disappointed at
t1mes, because we were not quite will
ing to favor your desire to extend your
capacity as much as you tn ught the
trade demanded and SO rs to permit
you to increase your capacity in pro-
portion and in comparison with your
competitors. do not hesitate to say
that personally have been very much
disturbed by this attitude on your part,
because l recognized not only your
Keen insight into the situation, but
your loyalty to the interests you repre-
sented and your disposition to take
care Of them so that the stockholders
you for not being able to protect and
promote your business to the extent
your competitors were doing.
Recognizes Public Concern.
But have attempted to satisfy
you at different times by telling you
that It seemed to me there were great,
broad. quasi-public questions involved
probably you now fully realize that
our course was the only proper and
safe one.
Now we have approached the time
When We are more or less in doubt as
to what we ought to do, what is the
safe thing to do as well as what is the
right thing to do. I believe that if
we should be left to our own decisions.
without interference from any source,
we could and would conduct our af-
fairs In such way as to make it GER
tain our company and companies were
all the time of real substantial benefit
to everyone who might be interested
IN our management; and of injury to
no one. But the attitude of the pub
Tic, certainly of public officials, seems
70 me to be more or less Uncertain
and indefinite, and we are left to. de-
eide In accordance with our best judg-
ment and our ideas of right and wrong
without any assistance from public
officials.
1T has seemed to some of us that
under the present circumstances, and
in view of what has taken place and
been published, it might be unwise for
us at the present time to take any
afhrmat1ve action with reference to
maintaining the equilibrium of trade,
We have heretofore for a long term
of years endeavored to keep fully ad-
V1sed with reference to public senti-
ment and with reference to public SEN
timent and with reference to the con-
clusions and desires of those who are
in authority in the matters in which
the government Is interested and over
which it has Jurisdiction.
Ready to Change Attitude.
And when we have found in any
way that we were antagonizing public
sentiment or the public officials we
nave endeavored to change our con-
duct and our attitude so as to con-
dorm aorino TO what seemed to us to be the
desire OF the representatives of the
government or of those occupying high
positions in any department Of the
government.
While have never had any init.
nation from any government official
that our action in regard to what we
nave termed cooperation was object
ed to, and, on the contrary, have un-
derstood from those sources that our
action has been approved, yet we
hnoW that by some Of the congression-
al investigating committees we have
been somewhat criticized.
AND sc e portions of the public
press, acting on the information de-
veloped in these Investigations have
,ntimated that we might be exceeding
the limits of propriety. Therefore, it
as seemed to some of us that, pend
.ng the consideration of these ques-
tlons by the great public, perhaps the
better way for US is to place and keen
ourselves in the attitude of being per-
fectly willing to listen to any sugges-
lions from governmental sources as to
what we ought to do or ought not to,
and yet at the same time, so far as
practicable, at least refrain from taxi
ing any action which has been criti-
clzed by any of the representatives
Of the congress or the press to which
1 have referred.
Competition Disturbs Him.
Thls attitude on our part has, as
you know, placed very grave respon-
sibility upon you gentlemen, You are
cnnfrnnfQ1 n
lines of industry that ought not to
exist, and you have found probably
by experience during the last few
months that Notwithstanding some of
your subo1dinates have been insisting
from year to year that you were very
much handicapped, that you were sac
rificing your business and were receiv-
ing very much less profits by disposi-
ton to cooperate than you would
receive if lou had the opportunity of
going into an unrestricted and COM
petitive field, yet, as a matter of fact
| and of practice when you get into that
| condition you find there is no increase
in the total volume Of trade; that,
after all, what your customers most
desire is a stability of trade, knowl-
edge on their part that they are at
all times paying only reasonable prices
and are purchasing with the expecta-
| ton that their competitors in THEIR
respective lines shall not be able to
secure lower prices in the compare
lively near future. But you are now in
volved in this competition, without
your fault; and there seems to be no
| much to our regret
! II know it is for the best interests
of our competitors as we'll as our
selves and of our customers, to avoid
unreasonable and destructive compe-