The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-13
THE TRUE SPIRIT OF COMMERCE.

The speeches of President Roosevelt and
former President Cleveland at the dedca-
ton of the Chamber of Commerce building
in New York contained some things worth
remembering. In this eminently commercial
age ii is well to be reminded occasionally
that the true spirit of commerce is some
thing very different from that of selfish
greed or consuming avarice. 1t must in
deed embrace the idea of gain as its main
object-a motive which comes pretty near
being the handspring of all activity and
progress in the business world-but Ii need
not exclude other considerations. 1t
should not exclude the consideration OF
fairness. justice and what is right be-
tween man and man. 1t should not en-
brace the ideas of oppression and extor-
ton, of monopoly and exaction, of robbing
the public or the poor by means of bust
ness devices which they cannot escape.
Even in commerce and trade there is room
for recognition of the golden rule. There
is an old-fashioned expression better un-
derstood in some other countries than it
is in this country-"live and let Lively
which is meant that no one should try
to get more than his share of wealth nor
begrudge to any other person his share.
President Roosevelt took high view Of
commercial ethics when he said:
There are very different kinds of success.
There Is the success that brings with ii the
scared soul-the success which is achieved
by wolfish greed and vulpine cunning-the
success which makes honest men uneasy
Is the other kind of success-the success
which comes as the reward of keen insight,
of sagacity, of resolution, of address, COM
bined with unfinching rectitude of be-
havior, public and private. The first kind
or success may, in sense-and a poor
sense at that-benefit the individual, but
II is always and necessarily curse to
the community, whereas, the man who
wins the second kind, as an incident of its
winning, becomes a beneficiary to the
whole commonwealth.
The distinction between commercial sue
cess won in ways honorable to oneself
and beneficial to the community and that
won by opposite methods is we'll drawn.
The definition of honorable success would
not exclude fair rivalry and legitimate
competition. but it would exclude robbing
the people by means of corners and mo-
nopolies manipulated for the purpose of
creating and maintaining artificial prices.
Again. referring to the clashing of in
terests in the commercial world and the
difficulty of solving the problems thus
generated, the President said:
No patent remedy can be devised for
| the solution of these grave problems in the
| Industrial world but we may rest assured
| that they can be solved at all only IL we
bring TO the solution certain old-time vir-
| tues, and IL We strive to keep out Of the
| solution some of the most familiar and
mankind has owed untold degradation and
suffering throughout the ages. Arrogance.
brutal indifference toward those who are
not well-to-do, the hard refusal to consider
the rights of others, the foolish refusal to
consider the limits of beneficent action,
the base appeal to the spirit of selfish
greed. whether it take the form of plumber
of the fortunate or of oppression of the
unfortunate-from these and from all kim
/ dred vices this Nation must be kept free
| If il is to remain in its present position in
| the forefront of the peoples OF mankind.
| Here again the President urged that the
spirit of justice and fair play be made
was plea for the recognition of the gold
| en- rule in the business and commercial
world.
SIR. Cleveland paid a deserved compli-
ment to business organizations generally
and the Chamber of Commerce in partic-
ular for trying to maintain high standards
of commercial ethics. and said:
| Commerce is born of enterprise: and en-
| terprise in this busy, hustling age is born
| of struggle and competition. But the
| struggle and competition need not be tc
| the death. Alertness and keenness in Sc
| curing business opportunities does not, by
| any means, import unmindfulness OF al
else save ruthfuiness and ravenous snatch.
| ing.
Here we have the same idea in different
form-the idea that legitimate business
competition must not go to the extent OF
ignoring or disregarding the rights Of
others. The idea that all is fair in bust
ness is condemned and that of ''live and
let live is enforced.
There is nothing new in these doctrines
but the spirit of modern commercialisn
finds too little place or use for them Hon
estly observed and applied they would fur
nish solution for most of the industrial
and economic problems of the day.
|
A REMARKABLE GROWTH.