Is Honesty the Best Policy?

Observer, Volume XIV, Issue 784, 13 January 1894, Page 2

Is Honesty the Best Policy?

We used to write (in a big round hand) in our copy-books at school 'Honesty is the Best Policy,' and our pastors and masters and Sunday-school teachers lost no opportunity of trying to impress upon us the truth of the words. But is honesty the best policy ? Morally speaking, of course, the question admits of but one answer. But in a worldly sense, as we all know, it is not always the honest man that fares the best. The well-dressed, glib-tongued scamp who floats bogus companies, the ' confidential adviser ' who abuses his trust, the rascal who robs the widow and the orphan and grows fat on the spoil, is thought infinitety more of (until he is found out) than the humble worker with hand or brain whose one ambition is to make his way unaided and pay twenty shillings in the pound.

Such a man as this latter, I take it, is Michael William O'Keefe, of the Thames. Four years ago O'Keefe waß at Waiorongomai, where, unhappily, he was compelled, as the result of bad times, to ' file.' He paid one shilling and threepence-half-penny in the pound. A. few days ago this most unusual type of bankrupt voluntarily placed enough money in the hands of the Official Assignee to pay all his creditors to the last farthing. I don't know what thiß man's financial position may be at the present time. He may have dropped into a fortune, for aught I know to the contrary. It is possible but very improbable. The chances are, indeed, that so far from this being the case, he has had to toil hard and scrape money together in order to pay his debts and wipe off old scores.

In aoting thus honorably Michael William O'Keefe compares very favourably indeed with certain men I oould mention,

infinitely his superiors— in social status and importance— men living here in Auckland on the fat of the land, ' society ' men, and with more money than they well know what to do with. Men who, years ago, availed themselves of the protection of the Bankruptcy Court and paid next-to-nothing in the pound, but who, when Fortune smiled upon them once again, found it convenient to. forget former liabilities, and to ignore claims which the flight of years had not weakened or invalidated. Michael O'Keefe is only a poor working miner, I believe, but he has set men in this city of Au cklan who doubtless would consider themselves his • betters ' a lesson which they might with great advantage take to heart.