Section 6 of the poem opens with Whitman saying “Now if a thousand perfect men were to appear it would not amaze me.” Do you think the poet meant this literally? If not, what does he mean?

I do not think the poet meant this literally, but instead sarcasitaily as in reality there is no possible way for one thousand men to simply appear let alone "perfect men".

the most ethic and honorable thing for the newspaper to do are:

be completely transparent in reporting about the company’s attempt to trade favors.

contact other construction companies to tell them about the situation.

these two options are the most ethic because both promote the market fair course, by telling the other competitors about the company attempt to get ahead in the market by trading favors, the market is guaranteed equality and justice in the trading of goods and services.