The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1900-04-12
SALTWATER, MINNESOTA, THURSDAY APRIL IT, 1900

Our commercial existence, remark
able though it be, is to an appreciable
extent dominated by men of question
able methods, and whom we, as mat
ter of courtesy, usually refer to as
being shrewd. Just as we admire the
pugilist's magnificent physique, how
ever much we may abhor his brute
proclivities, so too do we admire our
so-called Napoleons of finance. even
though we know that in vast number
of instances they would disgrace the
walls even of our model institution.
Andrew Carnegie is quoted as hav-
ing said, "Men who become great
millionaires, cooperating as they must
with others, must secure and hold the
implicit confidence of their associates
bear reputation as being in all things
fair, liberal, honest and considerate:
their word must be better than their
bond, and their desire to do the honor
able thing better even than their word
or bond" And yet, this same Carnegie
is at present engaged in legal con-
troversy with his erstwhile business
associate, the adductions of which pro-
claim him to have been not only the
exact opposite of the above, but per-
son who despoiled his fellowmen, while
masquerading under the cloak of pub
lie benefactor; and what is true of
Andrew Carnegie is unfortunately true
of many others.
We are told that trusts are great
benefit to humanity, and on every hand
we have evidence of their cOnsidera-
tion. For instance, the Standard Oil
Co. not only permits its representatives
to receive appointment to act as our
Consular agents, but incidentally it
declares dividend of seventeen mill
ion dollars in addition to its regular
quarterly dividend of three million,
and Immediately insults our intelli-
gence by declaring itself our benefac-
tor and claims to furnish us with it's
product at a minimum rate of cost.
Truly, this is munifcence.
Again. Our current magazines have
recently contained matter as dishonest
and misleading as its editor intended it
should be. Over the signature of one
whose name is supposed to be synony-
nous with honesty and integrity, has
appeared an advertisement proclaim
ing in display type, can Extraordinary
Offer, Free. A Trip To Paris" Of
course there are numerous persons who
would be very pleased to avail them
selves of such an offer, 1 doubt not
there are some in my immediate pres
ence who would be delighted to do so,
but close scrutiny of the smaller and
less discernable printed matter soon
enlightens us. John Wanamaker does
not offer us free trip to Paris, but he
does do what is of far greater import
to himself, he agrees, when we have
transmitted specified sum to his cof-
fers, to forward us certain publica-
tion the subject matter of which is
descriptive of all that at first glance
his advertisement purported to place
at our disposal; and this is what we are
pleased to term Commercial Honesty"
Think you any prominent merchant
of decade ago would have stopped to
such methods? Decidedly not. Even
the honest printer of that age would
have refused to prostitute his art in
any such cause. Can you imagine
good old DR.. Franklin lending his aid
to promote such questionable tactics ?
I am sure not. To the contrary feel
certain the prospective advertiser
would soon have found himself in
close proximity with the toe of the
justly indignant doctors boot; and it
was characteristic of Ben Franklin to
do a thing we'll if he considered it
worth doing at all.
We have recently seen one man de-
prived of his elected rights, by body
of men, goodly number of whom, if
measured by even conservative moral
standard, would be found wholly un-
worthy to adjust even the latchet Of
Brigham II. Roberts shoe, and yet we
rise "en-masse" and applaud what we
call their mobility of character"