The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-01

have been charged with attempting to
establish or exercise monopoly: on
tho other hand, II we had attempted
to foster competition and to make 1t
certain we were in nowise disposed to
restrict competition by entering into
agreements that we should not COM
pete, we would have been In danger
Of violating another provision Of the
Sherman law which Is opposed to re.
straint OF trade.
Therefore. as you know and as has
frequently been referred to, 1t 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
~ re attempted. by, the policy Of CO.
{. So. we could properly, our competi-
t.. 3ef, -sist them at all times. rather
h1,.,n.s. than csmpt to diminish their
our own; d. yet at the same time
we have endeavored to influence. 30
iar 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
Il know that some Of you from
ttMs to time have personally criticised
the attitude Of some Of the officials
OF the United States Steel corporation.
You have urged from your standpoint
ana from your viewpoint that our &C.
ton ana attitude were calculated to
puild up our competitors, and you
nave been more or less disappointed at
umes, because we were not quite WILL
ing to favor your desire to extend your
capacity as much as you thought the
trade demanded and so as to permit
you 70 increase your capacity In pro-
portion ana In comparison with your
competitors. I do not hesitate to say
tnat personally have been very much
disturbed by this attitude on your part,
because ! 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 30 that the stockholders
could have no reason to complain Of
you TOT 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 ct different times by telling you
that 1t seemed to me there were great.
broad. quasi-public. questions involved
which we could not ignore. I think
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 IL
we should be left to our own decisions,
without interference from any source,
we could ana would conduct our at
iaifs In such q way as to make 1t cer-
tain our company and companies were
all the time Of real substantial benent
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
to me to be more or less uncertain
and indefinite. and we are left to de-
clde IN accordance with our best judg-
ment and our ideas Of right and wrong
w!snSue rnsoGS any assistance from public
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
anrmative action; with reference to
We have heretofore for a long term
of years endeavored to keep fully ,ad-,
vised with reference to public senti-
ment and with reference to public SEN
timent and with reference to the con-
illusions and desires Of those who are
IN authority in the matters in which
the government IL interested and over
which 1t 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-
form to what seemed to US to be the
desire Of the representatives Of the
positions in any department Of. the
government.
Whiie ! have never had any init.
nation from any government official
that our action in regard to what we
have termed cooperation was object
ed to. and. on the contrary, have un-
derstood from those sources that our
action acae, .,in has "a been approved. yet we
al investigating committees we have
been somewhat criticized.
And &c portions Of the public
press, acting on the information de-
yeloped in these Investigations, have
intimated that we might be exceeding
the limits Of propriety. Therefore, Il
mas seemed to some Of us that pend
tions by the great public, perhaps the
better way for US fs to place and keep
ourselves In the attitude Of being per-
fectly willing to listen to any suRxes-
tions from governmental sources as to
what we ought to do or ought not to,
ana yet at the same time, so far al
practicaole, at least refrain from TAX
Ing any action which has been criti-
cized by any Of the representatives
OF the congress or the nress to whici,
! have referred.
Competition Disturbs Him.
This attitude on our part has. as
you know. placed very grave respon-
sioiiity upon you gentlemen. You are
confronted with a competition in your
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 suoordinates have been insisting
from year to year that you were very
much Handicapped. that you were sac.
rthcing your business and were receiv.
ing very much less profits by a disposi-
tton to cooperate than you would
receive II 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 m. the total volume Of trade; that,
after all, what your customers most
desire 10 stability Of trade, knoWl-
edge on their part that they are at
all times paying only reason able prices
and are purchasing with the expecta-
ton that their competitors in tftcir
respective lines shall not be ablc to
secure lower prices in the conipara-
lively near future. But you are now in.
voived IN this competition. without