Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1915-07-30
THE SQUARE DEAL.

THERE is no truer proverb than
n that Honesty is the best policy"
We are not going to enter into an
argument as to whether or not it is
an evidence of moral weakness to
permit policy to guide you in ethical
problems, but merely wish to empha-
size the fact that from a purely bus
mess standpoint it pays to be honest.
The man who has once lost the conf
dence and respect Of his fellow-men
in his dealings, is forever handicapped
in all his business operations. No
far-sighted business man can afford to
be anything but scrupulously honest.
But in our associations in life, we
meet up with people of varying de-
grees of honesty. Each man has his
own code of ethics. Some men are
satisfied so long as they stay out of
the clutches of the law--so long as
their transactions are such that their
dishonest practices either are not dis
covered, or in their nature are not
liable to prosecution, but who, never
theless are INSCRIPTIONS and are al
ways on the alert for an opportunity
to "gouge" their fellow man. Others
are jealous of their reputation, and
will only stoop to dishonest practices
when they feel certain within them
selves that they will not be found out.
Then there are the rigidly honest and
upright persons, whose incentive to
honesty is the ever present voice of
conscience and feeling of self-respect,
usually reinforced by an abiding
faith in "the all-seeing eye. And
last, there is the criminal class, who
with no moral rectitude, with no re-
gard for self-respect or the respect of
others, and with that venturesome
nature that stops at nothing to secure
luxury and immunity from labor, is
hunted from place TO place, confined
behind prison bars or executed for
some graver crime committed Incl
dentally to their dishonest practices
But no matter to which of the three
dishonest classes a man may belong
if he is in any degree dishonest il
sooner or later becomes known and
thereafter he suffers in business way
for his lack of rectitude. Paying
ones debts is not conclusive evidence
OF honesty. Many good paymasters
are dishonest at heart and never lose
an opportunity Of adding to their in.
come by questionable or dishonest
practices. On the other hand there
are many men who, because of power
ty or misfortune, are unable to pay
their bills promptly, though ever sc
anxious to do so, and are therefore
branded as dishonest.
The merchant who gives shor
weight OF measure, inevitably suffer.
from the reputation that is thus es
tablished The man who accepts NOR
than his rightful amount of change
and thinks to profit by the inexperi
ence of some clerk, is dishonest anC
will be thought infinitely less Of thar
if he should report and return it. Th'
fruit vendor who arranges his bes
fruit on the surface, gives shor
weight or sells wormy fruit and il
other ways aims to defraud his custo
mers ultimately suffers the loss O
his trade, and the respect Of thos'
people who were once his customers
The man who deceives you on horsl
trade, by misrepresenting his ami
NAL, is thoroughly dishonest, anc
soon loses the respect of the commun
ity and opportunities for profitable
employment. Invariably, liar il
dishonest and cannot hold the conf
dence and respect Of his associates
while the petty thief is universally de
spised.
But the most pitiable spectacle o
all is the man who, while dishonest t
the core, faneies that he is so shrewt
that it is not known by his fellow
men, and poses as an example o
morality and uprightness in the com
munity Every town has examples o
this class.
There is no getting away from tn
fact that dishonesty brings its pun
ishment, and honesty its reward.