Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-10
LIES IN BUSINESS.
Badly Managed Competition a Con-
slant Source of Temptation.
AN ILLUSTRATION IN HATCHETs.
Moral Code Put Out by q Union Of EN-
ployers for Its Own Good
EFFECT OF UyCHRIsTIAN METHODS
twarrTEN FOR THE pIsPAToH.l
PAPER NO. 2.

|
began last week discussion of the pos
sib11ity of doing business on Christian
principles. This discussion started from a
letter of inquiry that 1 wrote to certain
business men of Pittsburg Last week I
quoted at length from some Of the answers
to that letter. The answers were curiously
different. Some said yes, and some no.
Various interviews last week with business
men interested in the discussion revealed
the same diversity. One working man has
written me long and suggestive letter OF
which may make use He says no.
I have read with interest code of ethics.
which one of my correspondents gave me in
place of a written answer to my letter.
This document is the report of a committee
appointed by union of employers of a
certain kind of labor. It was compiled
from papers read at meetings of local
branches of this union held in most of the
large cities of this country. 1t is valuable
as embodying the judgment of thousands of
experienced men as to the best methods of
conducting business. This code of ethics
reads like a commentary on the Sermon on
the Mount.
Code to Be Commended.
"We must use every effort, so the code
begins, ''to develop moral and intellectual
manhood We should firmly resolve to
test every transaction by the standard of
truth and justice. Take advantage of no
mans ignorance. See that employees are
truthful and straightforward, and do not
misrepresent nor overcharge the confiding.
We must be as honorable in every partic-
ular as we would have our competitors.
| 'When young competitor enters the
ranks welcome him as a new soldier to the
| field, and help him to any information and
assistance which will enable him to over
come the difficulties we had so much diff
Guilty in surmounting. 1t should be duty
and pleasure to impart to our less exper-
| fenced competitors the knowledge we
| possess, so long as we are satisfied that the
| information generously given will be hon.
| orably used. In the conduct of our. estab-
| lishments it should be our constant endeavor
| to elevate the moral character of our work.
| men who are engaged with US. While it
! should be our firm and unalterable deter
| mination not to be dictated to by labor
| organizations when their demands are
unfair, or which substitute the will of
prejudiced majority for the conservative
teachings of common sense and justice, we
should be slow to condem the action taken
by our employees, as it is possible that the
influences controlling them may be more
than they can resist"
Not for Currying Public Favor.
This cede of ethics, it should be remem-
bered, was not set forth for the information
of the public to gain good opinion, but pre-
pared and circulated among this company
of p1r1lO n a StataDPnf of ho
ideals in which they all agreed for the
transaction of their business. I cannot
imagine anything more Christian.
Nevertheless, this code begins with
statement of the evils of competition. Side
by side with the beautiful ideal is set
glimpse of most unsatisfactory present con-
ditions. We are taught the nine evils, the
nine deadly sins, that accompany competi-
tion in the industrial world as at present
constituted. The first is "moral Weakness
the bidder not having the courage to ask an
honest price for his work. The second is
"mortifcation and chagrin," modification
when we miss the order, and chagrin when
upon getting it we find we must lose money
on it. The third evil is "envy, jealousy
and hatred of our neighbor." The fourth
evil is inadequate compensation for all
kinds of work. The fifth is corruption
and generalization of the customer" who
PLAYS US one against another, to our loss
financial, and to his loss spiritual
The Ideal and the Real.
Sixthly, there comes constant "tempta-
tion to dishonesty" we get the order on
low bid and put in poor work to keep on
the right side of the books The seventh
evil is Gloss of reputation, p" the poor work
coming to the light. ''Loss of self-respect"
is eighth in the list of competitive bidding.
Here is what the code says under that head
"For, although the Ignorance of the Gus
toner may enable the sharp bidder to i'm
pose upon him goods or work which are not
up to the standard agreed upon, the bidder,
who does know better, cannot quiet the still,
small voice of conscience, which is continu-
ally reminding him that, although he bears
q fair reputation in the community, he
knows himself to be like a whited
sepulchre" Finally, the whole bad bust
ness winds up in poor credit, bankruptcy
and ruin"
1t appears, then, that there is some dis
tance between the ideal and the real; be-
tween present conditions, and, at least in
that particular branch of industry, and the |
would like them to be- For this code bears |
very recent date; and my friend who |
called my attention to it informed me that |
before its introduction here IN Pittsbrrg |
the competing representatives, of that kind |
of labor were in bitter and unceasing |
wrangle, trying every day Commercially |
to cut each others throats.
Possible to Do Right and Succeed
Another business man, who did me the |
favor to show ME in detail the entire work
ing of his great establishment, told me that
the endeavor to keep up such a local union
OF the representatives OF his branch of trade
here in this city had proved failure Ac-
cordingly, answering my own first question
from the information which have gath
cred, it is perfectly possible for the head of
any business to conduct it in an absolutely |
Christian way and to be successful The
most Christian men 1 know are successful
business men. And yet great deal of
business might be great deal more Chris
tian than 1t is. The world of business is
not the kingdom of heaven yet.
Probably there is more temptation to-day
to set sin between buying and selling than
ever before, on account of this fierce, un-
ceasing and unsparing competition. It is
competition that makes man take in more
orders than he can fill, and make promises
that he cannot keep. He tells you that it
will be done on Tuesday, and he knows that
it will not be finished under two weeks.
That is lie. And when you go to find the
reason for the delay, he gives reason,
probably lying reason. This is a small
matter;tyet lie is never small matter.