The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-02-03
COMMERCE AND TRADE
CuAiMERCIAL

DALLAS, Feb The great desideratum In
tho world of barter and trade Is sicadness. Di-
vested of eAtrane. us snd intfvehihs influences,
we may say tina The price OF wheat orcOtton IN
Bangkok, in Siam, should be Just the same as IN
New York less the expenses OF carriage and
handling II is so with gold, which Is but the
representative of stuff and property, and why
should IL not be the case with the articles repre-
scented 10y metal? In former times, before the
steam era, large margins were nouceable ana
the posted merchant could make immense profits
on his superior knowledge OF the respective
values of the WORLDS productions IN different
portions of the globe. This margin was feat:
iully reduced when land-telegraphism flashed
information simultaneously over continent
and 1t did seem when electricity tunneled the
seas and put cape Town In connection with New
York aud london that the day Of sneeu:
lation upon Ignorance was closed
In endless night. Yet such is
not the case on the contrary. spectators
use the vely knowledge OF what the honest pro-
Queer and trader should avail himself, Ihefe
are more corners now than In The days OF Stage
coaches and ten cont postage. simply for the
reason that active shIewd men avail themselves
OF the superior facilities for information, aud
profit by their knowledge Narrowed down to
naked truth the only legitimate earnings are
those which come from fair exchange OF pro.
ducts or labor and intelligent manipulation Of
tangible property. In Il restricted but logical
sense, the profit man may make by buying
some thing for less than Its value and selling II
for more than 1t Is worth Il not exactly legiu
mate We know this Is not received mercantile
ethics, nor do we believe II could ever be made
the established rule We only alude to II as
the furIhest possible limit 10 which high
morality could press the operations OF traders.
But this much can certainly be SAID. mat the
nearer the w0rl" approaches to simple and legi-
innate profit both TO seller and buyer the
nearer will we be- to that Utopian era when
both parties 10 a barter shall make money.
And yet 1t in possible to approximate that con-
diuon of affairs. Pubic sentiment Is being
aroused on the subject aud the expression is be.
Ing often heard, that II was time that the big
fish had stopped swallowing the little ones.
Mammoth capital should not be allowed TO
stamp fictitious values on products, and the
honest trader has right to demand that the
laws of supply and demand should be the gov
erning principle of dealing But how eau this
be effected? say the interested. We answer that
caunot DO done in breath, but we do believe
that regular combinations and leagues can
eventually achieyethe object, Money Is power
ful, but not ull-powertul. Let the Exchange
boards all over the land frown upon all such ~
,pdeavor to create fevered ana artificial mar.
Ret by monopoly or otherwise let them be ex-
GUIDED rom brotherhood, aud published as
Wild and dangerous spectators; let no one pre- |
de over q board who is not elected as fair and
teady man OF business. of fixed pr,nci |
lies and correct ideas of trade; bow down |
10 longer to tho successful gambler, |
,dt encourage and elevate those whose career |
n life has been characterized by prudence and |
llscreet observance of the natural ethics of |
nans relations one with tho other. This would |
,e high mission for exchange boards to ac- |
omplsh but the end, II attained, would be so |
desirable and the consequences SO beneficial |
hat wOrlus gratitude would evince the grand |
ur of the revolution.