Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-06-23
MERCANTILE HONOR.
A Quality Which Stnl Has an Intrinsic
Value.

A Quality Which Stnl Has an Intrinsic
Value.
AT the recent meeting OF the National
Board of Trade, held in Washington,
the speakers very properly took a high
stand for mercantile honor and the JUS
tice which should govern the laws of
trade. This was right, From the days
of the merchant princes" Of Jerusalem,
of Tyre and Sidon, OF Rome and Car
thage, down to the colonial periods of
American history, the business of traffic
on sea and land has had its advantage
takers, its tiInc-seryers, its impostors
and its cheats. But it has also had its
men of enterprise who have always
yoked their speculations to the car of
honesty, and who would never consent to
make progress in any other way. In the
perilous times of the American Rcvolu-
ton tn ere was the merchant John Han
cock VIII oSe honorcd name stands out
in such bold letters on our Declaration
of Independence; there was that other
merchant, Bowdoin, brought up in the
very center OF the mercantile life of
Boston; there We're those contemporary
merchants, Rutledge, of New York, and
Morris, of Philadelphia.
In the even more pcrilous times Of
the late war of the Rebellion. the mcr-
chants of Que country produced many
Of its best and most tr cd friends Some
of them poured out their moncy on its
behalf like water; and others, of the
rank and file, rushing from the count
ing-room and the store, laid down their
lives for the Nation in the forefront of
battle.
All honor, then, TO the patriotic mcr-
chants of America! rhc principles of
commercial honor, by which such men
are guided, are Il credit, not only to
their numerous and influential class,
but to the human race, There are, of
course, exceptions 10 every rule; but it
is an admitted axiom of ethics that all
such exceptions only strengthen the
rule. The very fact that Il rule is ex-
cepted to, proves no. only its existence.
but that the rule must be good where
the exceptions are bad.
You might as well object to Christian
ity because there was once n Judas Is
CARROT. or to patriotism because there
was Benedict Arnold, us to object TO
American commercial honor because
there have been, and still are. Scoun-
drcls and villains in Il franks of Ameri-
can merchants. As one swallow does
not make a summer, neither does one
scabby sheep undcryalue n whole llSck.
1t isa fact susceptible OF the cleaIost
proof that American commercial honor
is the p, er of any in the world, In these
days of magnetic telegraphs and fast
presses. the mi>decls of commercial
men are rapidly trumprtcd abroad, not
only rs legt mate matters of news. but
as sensations fitted to feed the cormoranl
nav of the greedy public; Il capacious
NAV, indeed, that, like the daughter OF
the h0rSe-lecch, is perpetuaily crying,
as it gorge, =? Il. Give givcn All
tie while the mu,,cSt members OF com.
mcrcial society, acting on the scale of
the level and thu square, are passed by
unnoiictd; or, il they are commented
on in any way, a. ! kelly rs not il is TO
be judged as no better than they ought
10 be, IN fact rs tarrcd with the samu
brush that has smearcd some of their
vilaiEouS ne ghbors.
Inc duty OF the press in all such eases
is to keep constantly in view the invari-
able distinctions between right and
WronU. Tho pood man should he com-