The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-04-21
COOLIDGE BOARD
USED TO SHIELD
TRUST FRAUDS
Textile BGrOnS Sell
Fake "SiIk"
BY LAWRENCE TODD

~ WASHINGTON, April 1e.--con1-
FnlssIoners Humphrey, Van Fleet and
2 Hunt of the federal commission have
putvoted Commissioners Thompson
and Nugent on the issue of punish
Ing Wholesale frauds which amount
TO theft, when the offenders are busl-
hess concerns which deliberately mis-
brand their products and thereby in
duce consumers to pay for something
they do not get. This majority in the
commission Is the Coolidge republican
element.
The minority has just issued an
other protest against the immortality
of the Humphrey Coolidge idea of let
ting the big thieves go free, on their
word of honor that henceforth they
will be good.
Sell Fake "SiIk"
Recently Thompson protested az
ainst similar leniency toward firm
which had sold fake "wax" candles to
catholic and other churches. Now the
dissenting opinion deals with the dis
missal of complaint against the NAL
1inson silk" concern, which adver-
tises enticingly and at generous rates
IN the big magazines. Mallinson and
company have entered into an agree
ment, approved by Humphrey and his
two associates, that the terms on
which the complaint against them is
dropped shall be kept secret.
Thompson and Nugent show that
Mallinson and Co. have been making
textiles in their factories in Astoria
and Brooklyn, New York; in Trenton,
Patterson and West Hoboken, N. j.,
and in Allentown and Erie, Pa, and
linsons Silk de Luxe" and under
other names indicating them to be
silk, when in fact they are only part
silk and part wool or other materials.
When complaints had been issued by
the commission against them, Vice
President Rose of the Mallinson con-
Germ assured the Representatives of
the commission, last July, that until
April, 1924, it had never dawed upon
him that they were doing anything
wrong, or anything different from the
rest of the trade.
The fact was that as long ago as
1917 the commission issued certain
rulings which were published to the
whole trade, warning manufacturers
against continuing these frauds on
consumers. Year by year the fight
against misbranding of textiles and
hosiery was continued. Any pretense
70 lack of knowledge that this concern
was violating the rules laid down by
Che commission was absurd
Big Firms Escape
Meanwhile, formal orders to cease
and desist," which have the effect of
q public condemnation, have been
made by the commission against
smaller firms in the near-silk indus
try. Thompson and Nugent declare
that in view of the proof that the
Mallinson company knew twas violat-
ing the rules and cheating it's GUS
toners, it should not now be given
favorable discrimination as against
1t smaller competitors. They protest
that suppression of the complaint by
the majority deprives the public of
means of protecting itself from further
fraud. BY their method of stating the
case in a dissenting opinion, the
minority have in this instance baked
the scheme of total suppression.
When Humphrey, the corporation
lobbyist, was nominated and confirm
ed as a member of the federal commits
sion some months ago, the Federated
Press noted that henceforth the COM
mission would be used to protect the
bandits of the commercial world from
drastic punishment.