The Connecticut labor news., 1924-08-23
BARNES, OPEN-SHOP MOSES, IN TROUBLE
 WITH U. s. BOARD
Sold Too Much Sand, Chaff and Straw in Wheat Sent to Europe.
 Must Answer Now.

Washington, Aug. 23-Ju1ius Barnes, president Chamber of Commerce of the | United States, chief oracle of business
 morality-after Judge Gary and James M Emery-wherever men of sub
 stance" gather around an expensive din
 ner board, is in trouble
 It isn't because he is the last faith
 full follower of Herbert Hoover once
 prominent in American politics and
 price-fxing nor because he is respon-
 sible for the mysterious conditions un-
 der which the million-dollar American
 plan headquarters of the chamber, op-
 posite the white house, is being erected
 by an all-union force of building me chanics.
 Barnes is embarrassed by this billet doux from the federal trade commits sion:
 "The commission has issued cita- ton directed to Barnes Ames Co.,, New York City, and subsidiary the Barnes Irwin Co.,, of Philadelphia, exporters of wheat. Theplaint> alleges that the re- spondents have shipped to foreign customers what of an inferior quality than that specified, such wheat con taining quantities of chaff, straw, weed seeds, soil, sand and other foreign sub stances.
 According to the citation, the re- spondents alleged acts have the capacity and tendency to injure and damage gen erally the reputation and business per sons of the United States competing with respondents in export trade, and to bring into disrepute in foreign coun tries the respondents competitors.
 "Under the law, whenever the com mission has reason to believe that an unfair method of competition has been used against the public interest, 1t must issue its complaint. However, the ques ton whether or not such method has been used Is not passed upon by the commission until after respondents have had 30 days in which to answer and the issue has been tried out"
 This incident is the more distressing to Barnes because the country Is in greater need of his moral leadership at this moment-the start of the preslden- tial campaign-than ever before. To Barnes the solid investing and speculat ing and banking and manufacturing and railroading lobbyists of the United States have been looking for the signal to come out spontaneously for Ameri- ID1 In Barnes they have looked and listened for the symbol and slogan that should elect Coolidge and shatter La Toilette and utterly annihilate Foster and red radicalism.
 To have 1t charged by the federal trade commission, in broad daylight that the Barnes grain companies have been defrauding foreign grain-buyers, sand, weed seeds and straw in stead of good wheat, just when prices were forcing the poor of Europe to go back to war bread, IS a bad break It public confidence, It spells the whole effect of the moral face which Barnes was about to turn in re- bnke upon the workingclass candidates.
 However, there remains way out. | Barnes can retire to golf club, or take l a trip to the Yosemite and let James | NJ. Emery, lobbyist for the National Association of Manufacturers and chief | defendant in the lobby expose of 1913, take the center of the patriotic stage, Emery's nerve is steady as a rock. His salary is generous. If invited he will issue the rallying call against "mob gov