Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-07-03
THE ROGUE'S GALLERY
OF BUSINESS.

There was time when business
is business" was the excuse for
most any practice by the "sharp"
or the so-called Smart" business
man. But business methods have
changed and are changing. The prac
tees of yesterday, are not counter
anced today.
Following is an editorial we clip
from the Americas Rotary Messen-
ger, Luther HarreIl, editor. 1t is an
excerpt from an address delivered
recently by Merle Sidener at the In
ternatlonal Rotary convention:
First let's look at the sneak
thief in business. Here is his iden-
LITIGATION card. 1t indicates that he
picks out Of all available pockets
while crowding his victims with the
'buslness-is-business' fallacy. The
space for the identifying photo
graph is left blank on this card.
And if, perehance the face of the
offender which comes to- YOUR
mind is the face you see in the mir.
ror when you shave-take the mat
ter seriously and try to reform
INN, lnefficiency in business, slow
turnover, high cost of production
and selling, failure to use modern
methods-these, are the practices
of the sneak thief.
THE next offender is the forg-
er who disposes of merchandise
by means of forged trade names.
here again the space for the
photograph is left bIank-you sun
ply the picture! The manufacturer
.or distributor who misbrands or
mlslabels merchandise is guilty. af
business forgery. The aduIteration
of commodities, the substituting of
the products of one manufacturer
for another by imitation-these are
merely steps in business forgery.
Here is the embezZler who en-
beetles money held in trust Inv
means of exorbitant or concealed
profits. Following him is the buro-
lar who burglarizes the business Of
competitors through various tricks
.o1 unfair competition. The out
standing offenses under this classi-
1icatlon IS commercial bribery -
the paying of commissions in
money or other things of value to
employees Of customers for the mn
pose OF influencing their buving
power, bonuses to jobbers and re-
tan statesmen, false and misleadiDg
adVefusng-eVen white lies in ad-
Vertslng are phases of business
burglary And finally there is the
yegg-who blows up the ranu+a-
ton of competitors by false renorte
ana destroys good will. The MAX
ing OF false statements concern
ing competitors and their prod
ucts Is the best weapon Of tho
yegg. The whisper of doubt abont
the financial standing of businhes
mouse may do unending DAMAGE
Rotary International has rec
ognlzed, its opportunity to inspire
forward looking constructive busi-
ness men to take a positive stand
against these business practices
winch corrupt the commercial bodv
OF the nation.
Rotary International gave the
world a great inspirational doc
trine when it formulated the Code
OF Ethics. But Rotary international
made a constructive contribution
to business as an institution when
| it devised a practical way of trans
| forming those principles into &C
ton. The movement under the
leadership of the Business Methods
Committee of Rotary International
promises to WELD such uplifting in
fluence on business practice in the
next fifty years that no man dares
prophesy as to the service that
will be rendered to humanity"