"Principle Before Party"

 Samuel Milton "Golden Rule" Jones (1846 - 1904) was a Progressive Era Mayor of Toledo, Ohio from 1897 to until the time of his death in 1904. Jones was famous for his outspoken advocacy of the proverbial Ethic of reciprocity or "Golden Rule," hence his nickname. Jones was an influential advocate of municipal reform and oversaw implementation of a series of humane modifications of the city of Toledo's administration during his tenure as mayor.

 Based on his belief in the Golden Rule, Jones:

·         opened free kindergartens,

·         developed a park system,

·         established playgrounds for children,

·         established free public baths,

·         instituted an eight-hour day for city workers,

·         took away truncheons from the police,

·         refused to enforce blue laws

·         reformed the city government.

 In 1899, Jones was not renominated by the Republicans to run as mayor of Toledo. He ran as an independent instead under the slogan "Principle Before Party" winning a second term with 70 percent of the vote.

 The Golden Rule - The Ethic of Reciprocity

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, famous American entrepreneurs such as J.C. Penney, Samuel Jones and Arthur Nash made the Golden Rule an integral policy in their companies. Golden Rule and Business Ethics