St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-01-25

an English gentleman of the John Bull
stamp, who was the big cOrneI-maker
of the town, and withal member of
the church. | did not know one soul
in the house from another. At dinner
the deacon said, "Your random shot hit
a big bird this morning, and we are
glad of it," Before evening, received
Il note of about eight pages, gotten up
in good style, in which said bird under
took to enlighten my ignorant mind on
the mysteries of ''selling long" and
''selling Short" and affirmed that one
was sin, and the othel (his method)
was legitimate business transaction.
Then he said had done him and his
family a great injustice in denOuncing
his business before the church. And,
quoting chapter and verse from Paul,
he added, "You had better hereafter
stick to theology, and not meddle with
business, of which, from the nature OF
the case, you know nothing" The re-
ceipt of this letter so fri9 ened me that
| doubt if | have gotten over it yet,
and it makes me cautious as to what |
say about dishonesty at this time. |
never found the man yet who did not
praise honesty above all virtues. Some
men make II virtue of having no other,
and mean to go to heaven Oh that ticket.
If you want to stir up such mans S
wrath, just hint that some of his trans
actions are not quite on the square. If
we only could just get things rightly
named it would be great help Ill
preaching OH the commandments. |
have little hope of doing it myself, and,
if, in cropping around among these un-
named transactions, | should miscall
something, please do not write me Il
letter, but set it down to my ignorance
of what is business.
FAIR DEALING VERSUS CHEATING IN
TRADE.
| We have word in our language
cheating. 1t means taking IL mans
property, or money, in exchange for
something, the value of which he is
ignorant of, and which is not an equiv
alent. Now, there are people who think
all trade is cheating. ''Why, what is
the business of tradesman but to buy
as low and sell us high as possible To
get an article when it is way down, and
part with it when it is way up?" | do
not look at it in that light. Trade is
one of the most useful occupations.
The man who transfers and delivers
goods to consumers gives an equivalent
to the community foI fair profit, and,
| do not see how he can buy and sell on
any other basis than prices current" )"
which the law OF supply and demand,
if not intertered with, will keep Ordina-
rily within small range of variation.
The merchant in buying takes the risk
of the ups aud downs of the market. If
he hits it right three times out of five
he does we'll. He cheats nobody if he
sells his goods, when the market ad-
, vances, for more than an ordinary profit.
His gain offsets losses sure to occur.
lie gives the buyer what is then an
equivalent ior his money. So much foI
honest trade. But such is not the plan
of operation with many who set out to
get their living by this occupation.
They do not propose To cam their bread
and give the world an equivalent in
active service for what they get. This
is the fundamental maxim of honesty
to live in the world and 90 out of il
leaving no one poorer for what one has
used. A man without moral sense is
ab initiO, il fraud. Profits mean to such
,, men whatever they can get 10y sharp
practice. They believe themselves to
he sharp, and they propose to get all
> blltN tdII WI SlNl III
any really productive labor. They eX-
= pect to take advantage of men less sharp
r than themselves, to filch what is posi-
bic, and this they call trade. | should
call it stealing if | dared to. If on,
! gets richer by this operation somebody
else gets poorer. Starting off with this
idea, there is no sort of fraud snch Il
man will not practice if he thinks il
! will pay, and dares to do it. False
l weights and measures misrepresenta-
= tions of the quality of goods lies ot
depreciation i'll buying and lies of praise
! in selling; taking advantage of Il Gus.
+ toner's Ignorance of the value of III
a article to ask an exorhitant price sell
- ing saw dust for cinnamon and chcorN
for coffee, and other mixtures marked
q pure. BY such means these men take
, advantage of the ignorant, credulous
and poor, to pocket their money in ex-
change for goods which are not goods
but bads. demonstrate with such per,
n sons, and they will tell you: Business
+ is business if ii man does not know
the worth of his money that is his look
out, not mine. | live by my wits
q There is nothing such man would
f sooner resent than the imputation o.
a dishonesty, ''does just as he agrees
= pays his debts, what more can you ask
. Trade is trade" am disposed to name
p this sort OF trade, getting possession o
I another man's property without his con,
sent. Let such transactions prevail
and society will become a den O
l thieves.
UNDUE METHODS OF ENHANCING
f PROFITS.
ii. | want to knock on another o.
s these wheels of trade. Here is a maj
: who gets up IA conspiracy TO buy the
market bare of some necessary article
. 10y creating an artificial scarcity, anC
y sells out at starvation prices, what sor
of il transaction is that? The man vii
; make good thing if his stratagem doe.
not miscarry. But has he given al
equivalent for the money he received
To be sure he has not exactly cheated
any one. He has only been speculat
u ing, created panic, and taken advan
IL tage OF it to enrich himself at the pub
o lie expense 1t is sharp practice, ant
d when | strike this wheel with my ham
C mer, it rings to my ear very much like
|. swindling. Stocks of all sorts-railroad
t mining, telegraph, express, etc, are
If property. To buy and sell them is "A.
d honest business as any other for augh
e l can see. But when men combine t,
il send these values kiting up and down
c without regard to their real value, thai
S they may load and unload at the op
o perfume moment, and 80 make inordi
!. nate gains, what is it? Manifestly the
o stock neither gains OF loses any rea
IS value by these oscillations, and if on,
lyne- Il