The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-03-10
Average Honesty.

''Is the average man thief in in
elination. and does he lack only oppor-
tunity to become thief in faet?' The
thoughtless and startling and brutality
uncharitable question was lately asked
by a Milwaukee man whom no one re :
CARDS as either brutal or uncharitable.
And he sought to justify his query by
citing the recently-reported wholesale
stealing by street car conductors in
Chicago.
As most newspaper readers will re-
call, the Chicago companies or some
of them, on January l introduced a
system of coupon tickets. which we re
sold to patrons % for 81. Conductors
were instructed to use the bell-punch
in tallying a ticket precisely as when a
cash fare of 5 cents was paid. There
by conductors who kept the cash fares
and turned in their equivalent in
tickets, were enabled to pocket 10
cents on every dollar handled So
much was stolen on almost the first
day after the introduction of the cou-
pom system, that the shortage was ap-
parent, the trick of the dishonest con-
ductors was discovered and the coupon
system was straightway abandoned.
And upon this incident, exaggerated
in the published reports no doubt.
as most incidents of its sensational
character are exaggerated, is raised
the assumption not only that all Chica-
90 street-car conductors, but that all
street-car conductors everywhere are
thieves. And not street-car conductors
only. but the "avarage man"-accord-
ing to the query quoted above--s set
down as a thief at heart needing only
opportunity to become a thief in
practice.
The Wisconsin wants 10 use the occa-
sion to protest that this sort of gener-
alization, far too often publicly in
dulged in, is unworthy of decent men
Or decent newspapers. 1t is a conclu-
son. as the college professor would
say, based upon an wholly insufficie Mt
premise. 1t is grossly and cruelty I'M
just to most of those whom it affects.
The man who asked the question set
down above did not believe what
his words imply; and therein is
the mischief. The matter of the aver
age honesty of men is serious; it is not
matter for badinage or cynicism. To
speak slightiugly of all men as being
bad at heart is to unduly familiarize
those with whom we talk with an idea
of current and popular badness; and
thence the step to personal and actual
badness is more easily taken.
Reverting to the incident of those
Chicago conductors: There was dis
honesty of thieving to such an extent
that it was at once revealed in the cash
returns at the Office. But it is to be
borne in mind that there are several
thousand street-car conductors in Chi
cago; and if only one in twenty or one
in fifty pilfered, the aggregate of steal
ings would be very material. The
Wisconsin suspects there are no more
thieves proportionatelv among the
street car conductors of Chicago or any
city, than among any other class of
citizens.
There is one temptation to dishones-
ty that besets street-car employees more
than men of other vocations, and which
may properly enough be cited for the
lesson it suggests: Among all employees
who have the handling of money not
their own, the street-car men are prob
ably most inadequately paid consider
ing the amount OF work they do. 1t is
not impossible that their insufficient
pay now and then tempts some of them
to thefts of which they would not other
wise be guilty. OF course personal
need in no sense justifies dishonesty;
still, that was a shrewd business man
who said, Il can't afford to pay my
help so little that they must needs
steal 10 live"
1t is also true no doubt, that men de-
ficient in moral strength, believing
themselves inadequately recompensed
for the service they perform, are some
times tempted to steal from a motive
of spite or revenge when, lacking such
motive, they might easily resist tempta-
ton though the opportunity to steal
presented itself. Men very often steal
and do various unlawful and wicked
things from other prompting than that
of mere natural depravity.
The Wisconsin, prefers to believe in
the average goodness rather than the
average badness of men. 1t believes
that many morally weak men are saved
to life usefulness through being trust
ed; while many others are sent to
the devil through being suspected with
out cause. 1t believes in putting con-
fidence in men until they have shown
themselves unworthy, rather than in
distrusting them until they have proved
themselves genuine.
Finally il does not believe in exag-
gerating the record of wickedness in
the world; and it protests that the
fact that twenty or forty Chicago street.
car conductors have stolen five dollars
or ten dollars each, does not warrant
the implication that all men or many
men would do likewise if they could.
If you can't speak good of your
brother man keep still. If you can t
think good of him. think of something
else. -MiiUGukee Wisconsin,,
THE CAPRlCES OF FORTUNE.