Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-09-17
HURTS EVERYBODY.
Prominent Morgantown Man
Talks on the Keener Esca-
pade.

He thinks that the Present loss is not
the only one that the Town Will Snf.
fer-The loss Of confidence in each
Other by business Men will hurt af-
fairs for long Time-A terrible
State of Affairs--Due Punishment
Should be Melted out to the Guilty
Man.
A prominent citizen of Morgan
town who is thoroughly in touch
with the business affairs of the town
and who is well versed in the law has
given us an interview for publiea
ton. Everyone who reads it will
see the justice of the propositions
advanced and feel the weight of the
criticism offered on the recent sensa-
tional developments which have
caused us so much excitement. He
thinks that the man who has caused
it all and betrayed his best friends
should be justly dealt with and that
the proper place for him is behind
the bars.
When asked about the affair be
said:
The Keener escapade furnishes a
lesson that is important to this
whole community.
When a man has obtained the
confidence of a community in his
business integrity, thrift and sol
4eney, and deliberately banks upon
that confidence to detraud his
neighbors, he does more damage than
is represented in the peeuniary
losses of the few individuals who
happen to be his victims He I'M
settles the faith of the whole bust
ness population in each other.
The business of a community de-
ponds almost as much upon the
mutual confidence of it's business
men in each other as it does upon a
circulating medium in the form of
money. Whatever tends to impair
or destroy that mutual faith strikes
at the very foundation of its bust
ness prosperity.
1t is very easy for man who has
once obtained credit and character
In a community to also obtain
dishonorable business advantage.
For, as we have said, almost every
business transaction involves, to a
greater or less extent, mutual
faith of the parties in the integrity
OF each other, and man who has
deliberately determined to betray
that confidence and sacrifice his
business standing as the price of
mean advantage, has an open and
easy road for his first exploit.
The Keener escapade is fine il
lustration. He had been a thrifty
business man. He was regarded as
having not only business honesty,
but property with which to back his
liabilities. The community had not
been mistaken, perhaps, in this es-
innate of him. But he had deliber-
ately purposed in his own mind that
he would sell his business charac-
ter, sell his place among his fellow
men, sell his self respect and sell
his soul fora few thousand dollars
and he did it. 1t was easy Any
craven wretch that is willing to pay
the price can do that
But, as we have said. it is not
only the comparatively few individ-
uals who Keener selected as his vic
tins, that are injured, but the
whole business community has re-
ceived shock from which it will
not recover Immediately. Business
confidence has been shaken. Men
are looking in each others faces
and saying, ''who is safe?' Suspi-
cion is lurking everywhere The
most incorruptible men are put in a
class with the uncertain and every
body suffers alike 1t is disaster
that damages business and injuries
the whole community.
The one duty, therefore, resting
upon the people of this town is to
see that the law is indicated and
that an example Of perfdy like this
shall not go UNPUBLISHED and thus in
vite repetition. There was never a
clearer case of obtaining money and
goods under false pretense. and
there is no jury which could be Sc
iected from among the virtuous pop
lation of this county SO dull as to
be deluded into any other verdict.
The iron bars of the penitentiary