The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-09-30
COMMERCIAL MORALITY.

uObIbb W hnOW Whub 40 Wiz ohApiohSC v
tween legitimate commerce and specula.
tion7 We confess we are not able to draw |
the precise border line which separates the
one from the other, inasmuch as nearly all
commerce is venture, speculation. A
merchant who buys certain amount OF
-four or wood, Of calico or quinlne, Of bar
iron or OF buggies, does 80 with view to |
make profit on the purchase. If he be-
steady, regular and uniform, he will buy
first so much as will suffice TO supply the
regular demand with a duly estimated
percentage of probable increase or decrease.
This mey be designated regular, Legitimate
trade. On the other hand, the individual, lie
he in regu ar business or not, who sees or
thinks he sees causes In esse or in pose
that will enhance or depreciate prices gov
erns himself accordingly in Investments,
may be denominated a Spectator. How
far one may go in this direction to be con-
sidered outside Of legitimate traffic
is difficult matter to determine.
The proposition Is akin to that OF ACHLLIs
and the hare. Given: The hare ,0O0 feet
start ofACHmLEs, who runsten times as fast.
ACHILLES will never overlake the hare. Be-
cause the hare shall have made 100 feet ad.
vance when ACHILLES has made the eco
feet and when the latter shall have made
up the 100 feet, the hare will have made 10
feet, and when he shall have made up these
10 feet the hare will still be foot In adj
vance, and so on ad inGnitum. Bat there 3
ono point on which we can apeak
adyiaedly and positively, and that Is
that no man has right to
cheat or deceive his iellow.man in n trade.
0loourso IL will be conceded that to sell
piece OF goods as silk, when II is only cot
ton, receiving the higher prizes Of silk for IL,
is morally wrong as well as illegally 10.
But there are other things equally wrong
morally and equally Illegal. For in
stance, selling silk ns silk, with Just little
undlscernible debasement as for example,
In the ribbon trade there Is practice CAL
ed depending" that is, making the first
few yards good and the rest, which is coll
ed up, Of inferior texture. This is wrong.
So, too. is putting what are termed "tasl-
erS' on the top of key OF butter,
this being the pure article whilst the hid
den portion is only oleomargerine. So too
OF falsely packing cotton, the putting Of
glucose In sugar, a lot OF common gypsum
in the pure bone fertilizers" the adul.
teratIon OF coffee with cheap ohicory and
tho like. All these are frauds practiced to
increase profit beyond legitimate percent
ages, OF equal guilt IL the buying or sell
ing Of articles by false weightsand meaureg,
or deception by means ofialso lights and
shade, or the deluding of purchasers by
false trade marks, by samples that are net
correctly representative, or by false
wrappers. All these arc wicked and ncia-
rous villaines effected by lying. OF a
kind also Is the shameful watering ui
stocks. Fraud is the Same the world over,
whether committed In direct aud on
grand scale, or indirectly and VI the smaller
sort A man viii resent iusmnter u
another calls him liar or thief. und vet
be Whouy aware that lac o"uy a'o''er".e
his goods. lie will bereaiy to Eight IL oae
calls him athiei, yet by speeds OF uude.
''o'eu ShaNeiy nc 10 hontly ul'poHl'E ms
patrons ana IneAds OIL lneF nl'"'''
by subtle ana complex i"rms
wherein no assumes 'haI u','o.
uro is Impossible or even improbable
otcqnal quit too Is that merchant Nt"
encourages nus employees 10 c'n'l't "t'' q
In h'a interest," NOT p'fhhpa ulr''.F N1,
by indicating To iA'm lh't ANY i'"'c'n
SOIL G'oda, oui I. taxes slfeNl person to
run up pages o' smart AtFuni.' Slcom'
mon have these l.uo ir.uda become in sn
many direction tAnl some people nave
the ellron'e'y 10 .r-''y alm', lh.'r parties
patton IN them, ANA justly their eouduc.
by saying ll'y c'a'd mob tuc'
coed IN huhunl without th,m.
as their c'mp'l''o1 SOB tho example
rms however 10 mere excuse, no Ju'uuca-
ton whatever Now' the moro material
question IL now Is all lhls rouolo TO be ar
rested, or even lcssoned' Weoan conceive
o' no legislative enactment wh'oh shrtWd
rasNl oannot drive a horse aud wa on
VI ough' II necessary to "a trade The only
remedy would seem to be To u health.o
ana better purified public sentiment.
when the operating STIMULUS In a eommu
hliy' or IN AN age, Is the accumulation OF
wealth. Tor the things oI parade and cN-
lernal show, insieado OF actual requirements,
obtains as aru'e, we cannot look for much
progress When Mrs. JoSts must have
Two horses aud carriage beca use her
ne'ghbor, Mus SMITH, has q pony and
ph~'oni when MIS- BRowN must wear
Sl,OO solitaire ear drops because MRs RoA
iNSON has q 5000 cluster, when Mn, SpOJp.
ENpf1E must have palatial residence,
WIN "VPuo''u "'u "oo''n carpets anu