The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-03-21

makeup, an abnormality that has out
grown the moral law. We recognize
no tie Of kinship, no bond Of friend
or fellowship nor parent, relative, or
brother in our application of the law
of strenuousness. We know only
one law; the survival Of the sharpest.
This Interpretation which we have
given to the American gospel Of the
strenuousnes life has been productive
of still more lamentable defcien-
cies in our commercial relations and
activities.
Any one who understands the Ian
guage of our commercial life, and the
peculiar idiom of the moral grammar
cannot fail to see how invariably the
accent is placed upon policy" as the
gospel by which its exponents regu-
late their actions and relations. Mod
ern commercialism is based on a
double standard Of morality, the CEN
trail idea of which is derived from the
double meaning of its creed-"Honesty
is the best policy"
In business, policy" Is the ruling
passion. A man is honest In business
because it is "the best policy" Sue
cess-the altar upon which the modern
business man sacrifices his best ener-
gies, can best be attained by rigidly
adheripg to the gospel policy. He is
honest not because he is under the
sway of moral laws, but because 1t is
policy for him to be So He knows
that continued dishonesty will be
rewarded by defeat and ruin. By the
means a double standard of morality
has been set up, which has added to
the already existing deficiencies in our
modern commercialism.
Some one once we'll said: ut Is
an universal form of dishonesty to
try to get goods below their value"
and when you do that you undertake
to cheat. The man who wants to get a
thing without giving a fair equiva-
lent wants to be dishonest. If you
attempt to beat a man down, and to
get his goods for less than fair price,
you are attempting to commit bur-
glary as much as though you broke
into his house to take the things with
out paying for them. There is cheat
ing On both sides of the counter, and,
generally less behind 1t than before
it.
II cannot be otherwise. The bus
mess man asks the oracle Of success
but one question:: will it pay?"
which is only another way of inquir-
ing-"is it policy to do this or that?'
Let me point out to you some of the
baneful results this double standard of
commercial morality has most gener-
ously yielded. The first and l believe
| the saddest of all demoraliZing eff
feet it has produced is the creation of
the universal suspicion that every
man is dishonest 1t is altogether a
natural result, that when honesty is
only policy" it should create sus-
picion, distrust and dishonesty. 1t
has destroyed mutual confidence and
esteem-the only impregnable rock
upon which society can exist as a
morally potential agency. But under
the influence of our modern creed, we
have come to regard every man with
suspicion, as a potential if not an ac-
tual thief. We do not trust our
neighbors; we do not trust our en-
ployes; we do not trust our friends
what paradoX-we do not trust our
selves. On the train, in the street car,
in the store, in the factory-the cash
| ieta hA OF Eaqnq n n L
on the clerks. These are an insult
to our employees and reflection on our
nobility as men. Small wonder then
that you cannot open paper in these
days without reading about Cassie
Chadwicks and corruption about ques-
tionable proceedings, etc, etc. Sus-
picion dogs the feet of every man be-
cause every man is believed to be dis
honest, or honest only through pol
icy, which is the same thing.
This double-dealing creed Of hon
esty and policy which men have har-
messed to the vehicle of commercial
expediency, has made of its votaries
Jamus-faced beings, who have two
sets of morals; one for private and one
for public liIe. They have business
morality and private morality; one
for church and one for the store
Men who maintain a high standard
of morality in the home, who frown
with evident displeasure upon any
thing that bears the imprint of the
questionable in private life, think
nothing of gambling in stocks, of us.
ing questionable means to attain COM
mercial success.
AS a matter of fact, few business
men have anything to do with the
Almighty six days Of the week, be-
cause they are busy with the Almighty
dollar. They have been taught to re-
member the Sabbath day and keep IL
holy" They are strict, liberal con-