Show destructive OF COMMON HONESTY we hope the heads of the bis coal companies and the men who guide the companies operating in wyoming an dUtah will be able to refute the charges made against them before commissioner B E dark of ahe interstate commerce commission hi salt lake they are accused of practicing fraul and in the practice ol 01 that fraud they are further accused of attempting to intimidate honest officials making use of all the machinery of the departments in washington to accomplish their purpose we hope they can prove themselves free from guilt for jt is a serious matter when men in high station become perjurers per jurers in order 10 gain an advantage advant oge in business and enrich their property holdings and when united states senators play the part of in to further tho fraudulent effort s of grea t corporations then the count rys manhood is in peril for the disregard tor honesty and justice has bachot lt powerful interests with far reaching and the example sets set s bound to creato disrespect for the law the big corporate interests must rely on the honesty of their employee plo yee ye we are told in athla investigation vesti gation the heads of theae companies have followed a systematic course of falsifying in order to steal coal lands and anything else of value within their reach how long will our young men remain honest with such exemplars held up to them aa success lights in the commercial world and how long can the beads of MS 1 expect honesty in I 1 rank and file f they continue to krnc I 1 uce every dishonest method that aloes biot promise to copen to them tho penitentiary doore wo prefer to believe the government official are overzealous over zealous in their labors and that tho crimes charged arc bu crimes in tho eyes of over suspicious officers of theuil theU iw but we confess there js much lobe explained away before we can look these startling statements as but fig ments of alie it ife about time the wealthy men of the country gave this question of honesty a little consideration they preach honesty to their clerks and now and then have an embezzler or absconder rush adlo the penitentiary but mony of them so right along breaking nearly overy law that Is intended to 1 make them conform 0 o fair play and fair dealing and they steal by rebates and rob by dalae witnesses A generation or two raised in such an atmosphere ot commercial rottenness will be capable of turning thieves to rob the thieves just as the common spaniards in cuba following the example of their superiors became dishonest and were corrupted |