The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-12-03

block, it is, nevertheless, interesting to
note the extent to which this spirit of
feoling the buyer pervades commercial
life. Out of one hundred manufac-
tured food products recently subjected
to official analysis in the great state of
Ohio, only eighty-seven were found to
be adulterated, and no one but a fool
or knave dare assert that this is an
exception and not the rule; still it is
undoubted, and wholly indisputable,
that standards of commercial morality
were never SO superlatively high as at
this present time. wide magazines.)
One may well ask: Is the pursuit of
the almighty dollar entirely inconsist-
ent with business morality, and is the
conscience quite demoraiized by the
pursuit of business?
According to Eugene A. Philbin, fol-
mer district attorney of New York,
an out Of town merchant consigned a
lot of silverware- to prominent and
supposedly reputable firm in the trade,
with the request that the lot be sold.
After selecting from the consignment
number of pieces of an original de-
signsfOr their own use, the remainder
of the lot was offered for sale, bid
was received and telegraphed to the
owner, who accepted it without know
ing anything about the coEsignees con-
verting the few pieces to themselves.
A member of the firm related this Incl
dent to Mr.. Philbin without blush, as
evidence of the firms business astute-
ness, the immortality involved in the
transaction never having suggested it.
self to him, apparently. Mr.. Philbin
quotes the merchants own defense as
follows: "Had not the consigner of the
goods accepted with satisfaction the
price offered for the lot, and authorized
the delivery upon such termsp What,
then, as wrong in the firm taking the
articles, altho they received compensa-
tion for their services
AS the story appears under the head
ing, "Some Thieves Have Met" Mr..
Philbin's opinion of the transaction is
obvious, and he is moved to say of the
incident, by way of comment, that
neither the immortality nor the crimin-
ality of such an act is appreciable to
"the mind of the average man in busi-
ness;" and his theory finds corrobor-
ant in the case of Eppinger Bros. of
San Francisco. which merits notice
for. multiplicity of reasons, not
the least noteworthy being the fact
that it very materially refutes the fall
lacious theory that honesty is necessary
to success in business. AS grain brok-
ers and exporters the firm of Eppinger
Bros, composed of supposedly reputa-
BILE persons, occupied for more than a
quarter of century prominent posi-
ton in commercial circles of the Paci-
fic coast. Commercial agencies rated
them high, and that they were consid-
cred a good risk by financiers is evi-
denced by the fact that on individual
lots of grain, loans, each to the maxi
mum of collateral value, were negotiat-
ed from four or five distinct concerns.
Subsequent to their recent failure for
one and half million dollars, and a
partial expose of their methods, judi
cial inquisition has disclosed a condi-
tion of affairs little short of incredi-
BILE. The senior partner has testified,
under oath, that for twelve years last
past they had not dared take an inven.
tory or attempt to balance their books
Investigations carried on at their yari-
Gus warehouses establish the fact that
of 10000 tons of wheat supposed to exist
as collateral security for various loans
less than 1000 tons were to be found
and it of an inferior grade. Their dock
scales were subject to manipulation by
means of a cable attachment extend.
ing underneath the platform; smaller
scales, whereon were weighed indiyid-
sual lots of grain purchased from farm.
ers, were manipulated by way of small
pitch-coated pieces of metal held in the
hand of the operator, and attached to
the weights as occasion required. One
remarkable feature, deserving of spe.
cial consideration, is the fact that each
and the several of their chief employ.
ees, together with many filling minor
positions, consciously aided and abetted
the firms nefarious operations. am