The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1918-03-09
PROFITEER|NG AND
PREJUDICE HUNTERS
'Pay-triOts" the Object of Govern
ment stigation--A Among Them
CaIlahan'S Varnish Corporation

'N'' ''''NSN'SNe'N" -ThHViS iHOm
CaIIahan's Varnish Corporation
Washington, Feb, 25. (Press Dis
patch )-Complaints charging unfair
trade practices We're issued today by
the Federal Trade Commission
against 3S manufacturing firms as
the result of long and intensive in
vestigation which has revealed "a
very serious and unhealthy condition
in certain lines of industry" -
Practically identical complaints
were issued against the LOUIS
VILE VARNISH COMPANY,
Louisville, Ky.," and numerous others
in various parts of the country.
The Louisville Varnish Com
pany's president is Col. P. H. Cal
lahan, late chairman of the Knights
Of Columbus Religious Prejudice
Commission and now chairman oil
its War Activities work in military
camps.
The MENACE calls attention to
this company as one of a huge
combine alleged to exist for the pur-
pose of sitting small competitors,
only because of the great publicity
given Col. Callahan and his work
as patriotic" Of course all good
Americans are patriotic at this time
and no one is entitled to more adyer-
tising because of his activities than
Col. Callahan. lie is one Of the
few employers in the U. S. who,
like Henry Ford, actually divide
their profits with their employees, a
fact that is announced with a great
flourish of trumpets every year
when dividends are declared.
As soon as war was declared, Col.
Callahan wired the president that
he would gladly raise company or
regiment at his own expense if per-
mitted, and he gracefully signed the
vote of thanks to Secretary of War
Baker after Mr.. Baker rescinded
his remarkable military order limit
ing war recreation work to Knights
of Columbus as supposedly repre-
senting Catholics and the Y. NJ. C.
A. as the alleged representative Of
Protestants.
But while seeking for causes of
prejudice" Col. Callahan's Var
nish Company seems to have in
Cured the prejudice" of the gov
ernment. The Federal Trade Com
mission charges these Varnish Com
panieS with attempting to stife
competition by Systematically and
on a large scale" making. "secret
payments" to employees for the pur-
pose of influencing them to influence
their companies to buy from the
members of the combine.
In plain words, bribing employees
to cast competitive bids to the winds
and turn down everybody save d
member of the combine.
The Varnish Companies, of course,
are pooh-poohing the matter and
explaining that it is all a dragnet
affair Just to see what can be found
out with no real guilt on their part.
Manager I. +. Mcclure of the
Louisville Varnish Company is re-
ported by Louisville paper as ex-
planning that the National Paint,
Oil and Vafnish Association 1.-THE
Varnish Trust), at its annual meet
ing in Chicago in November,
adopted a resolution which was
signed by and agreed to by ALL.
THE LEADING PAINT, OH.
AND VARNISH MANUFAC-
TURERS IN THE COUNTRY,
agreeing to STOP ALL UNFAIR
TRADE PRACTICES"
This is pretty good confession
of what has been done by the
patriots" connected with the Var
nish business, We hope their good
resolution will be kept.
Profteering is not considered es-
pecially good patriotism just now.
Movements like the Religious
Prejudice Commission" designed to
suppress papers like THE MENACE
seem to have a singularly rocky
road as soon as the men behind
them are shown up.
There was also one Joseph Pelle-
tier who is SO free from Religious
Prejudice that lie refused to co-op-
crate with a duly elected public Off
cial because of that officials we'll
known attitude toward Roman re-
lgioT-politics.
Verify the old tale about those
who live in glass houses. throwing
stones and the fellow who insisted
on picking a mote out of his neigh
boTs eye when he was blinded by the
beam in his own, is coming home to
roost with the late prejudice hun
ters. ........
How many papists are going to