The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-05
is THIS TRUE7

The Wall Street Journal, published in
the heart of the financial district in New
York, calls attention in vigorous Ian
guage to a condition of affairs which
should not be allowed to exist in a civ
iIized country. Editorially the Journal
says:
One Of the most striking features of our
industrial history in the past twelve
years has been the deterioration in the
quality of some products. It is admitted
that We cannot make a cement Of kind
equal TO that Obtainable not much more
than ten years ago, or II we can make
ii, at least we do not put Il on the mar
ket. Not only have prices OF commodl-
ties advanced but the average quality IN
stead of advancing has in too many cases
refrigerated. This is painfully the case
in all articles of clothing and especially
Of the grades used by people with strictly
limited income. Il is not however, Lne
case in those fOOdstuffs which have come
under the control Of the pure food laws.
Causes for such a movement are psy-
Geological and moral as well as econom-
ical. Whatever the advantages OF hlgn
protection may be certainly Senator DOLL
yer is right in his view that II tends 10
deteriOrate commercial morality II gives
in a more or less arbitrary fashion to one
interest something out OF the pocket OF
another in order to secure an Indirect
benefit to all This at least would be the
theory, but IL can easily be seen now
the direct beneficiaTies of such system,
protected by the law. would endeaNOr 10
take all they could get, and evade as far
as possible their reciprocal obligations.
When we talk about the ultimate con-
sumner we must remember that the pro-
Queer is always a consumer, ana that ne
uavs higher prices for an inferior article
with no better grace than the rest OF US.
Being human he tries to indemnify him
self as best he can. He wishes TO main
tain his own standard of comfort al least
He wants the raw materials for his man
ufacture as Cheaply as possible he mas
in fact to maintain margin between IN
come and expenditure, and TO DO TINS ne
is producing a mere reese blanCe 10 what
he was selling ten years ago, while az
the same time, as for instance IN the
case of the weighing frauds OF the Amerl-
can Sugar company, he may resort 70
Unfair means in dealing with MS neigh
There is a moral rot thus engendered
which must neCessa rtly spread II IS I'M
possible for the workman to assist in pro-
ducfng a Door and even fraudulent stuII
without losing self-respect. 1t is impossi-
bic for the employee IN the financial de-
partment to observe practices which ne
knows are indefensible ethlcaiy con-
stantlv used, without himself deteriorat-
ing. The result is that the evil spreads
with an ever widening influence, and al
that education or religion can do TO curb
IL will not plant the seeds OF nealtny
growth fast enough to choke the weeds
1t is a terribly high price 10 pay Tor
what our theory considers the correct
system Of stimulating commercial growth
The responsibility upon our rulers is a
terrible one. but the extent 70 Whlcn the
moral deterioration has made It's 1nflu-
ence felt is shown in the attitude OF the
United States senate itself. There IS not
the faintest pretense of principle on either
side except in a few honorable instances.
No broad and enlightened general policy
is laid down All that shapes itself out
of the most painful exhibition Of politics
at its worst seen in a generation Is that
caTlOus indifference to pubic opinion
which always marks the later stages OF
moral deterioration.
Ben Franklin sagely remarked GEN.
fury and a half ago that honesty is
the best policy" and the words became
an axiom. Somehow or other in this
commercial age we have lost sight Of
the fact that it pays in the long run TO
be honest, or that there are any bibli-
cal injunctions against dishonesty 1t
may be that Poor Richards" idea as
TO the policy of being honest is OBJ
so!ete. but the ten commandments are
still in full force and effect, have been
rediscovered by no less a parsonage
than former President Roosevelt. If
we can't be honest, let's be as honest as
we can.