The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-04-13
Methodist Episcopal Conference.
The Publishing HOrse at Nashville.

At the General Conference Of the Metho
dist Episcopal Church at New Orleans OF
the 9th, the report Of the book agent anC
/ publishing house of tbs church was read
| It showed that in 1858 the assets were 1853,
| 732, and the liabilities $100,s4 leaving
| balance in favor Of S35S $50; but that on,
/ item Of $4,000 had been overlooked. Enter.
| ing into particulars from that time onward
it shows how the liabilities had been re.
| duced, until in 1861 the sgent left Nash
vile and did not return till after the sur.
render of the Confederate States armies
After the agent left Nashville the building
was taken possession Of by the military.
and was libeled for confscation but it was
| subsequently ordered by The President to
be released on payment of costs. Yet il
was Transferred to the Freedmen's Bureau,
before the agent could regain possession oi
it. Everything on the premises was more
or less njured.
This report was referred 10 the Committee
on Books and Publications.
Two explanatory or supplementary re-
ports upon the subject, by the agent who
took charge of the building and property
during the absence of the agent who fur
nished the report above noticed, were then
laid before the conference, the time Of the
session being, on motion, prolonged for the
purpose.
These reports covered the period during
which the agent who furnished the previous
one was absent from. Nashville. Most Of
the debts due the Publishing House were
scattered in small amounts, many of them
disputed, and some ofthe debtors insolvent,
SO that on the whole, fully half Of the debts
charged were worthless. The publication
of a new Bible on a genealogical plan cost
$4,000. During the time Nashville was
under United states military rule, the agent
was arrested several times while he was
not quite confident that he could legally
claim 70 be the agent of the church, and
was the more embarrassed at seeing q reso-
luton passed by the bishops at the time
that the Office of publishing agent ought to
be discontinued. On consulting his lawyer,
however, he was advised that he was the le-
gal agent of the church, and he determined
to act accordingly in the effort to save the
property Of the church. In order to secure
the release of the building from military
occupation, he gave bonds in $4,000, con-
jointly with another, to meet any liabilities
TO which it might be adjudged. He thus
became government officer, in charge of
government property, which gave him a
great advantage. A regiment of soldiers
marched into Nashville one day, and took
possession of the building. On the com
manding general being appesled to, and the
circumstances explained to him, he coun-
termanded the order under which the
troops had taken possession of it, and they
reluctantly left it. The amount Of damage
they did during the day they were in it will
never be known. The building would have
been seized by the military again and
again, had It not fortunately been
protected in the manner Indicated
Requisitions were frequently made for
presses, type, etc, in the building for army
purposes, and they were of necessity COM
piled with. Receipts were generally given
for them, but not always. Some of the
things were returned, others were never
heard of. Appearances showed that at one
time or another II was the intention Of every
commanding officer Nashville had to seize
the property, and that all that prevented
this was the fact of the question of its dis
position having been thrown into the civil
courts. In January, 1864, it was ordered to
be seized for coutiscation. Subsequently,
the agent obtained permission TO store books
snd other property in the third story. In
the meantime the agent had removed many
valuables to the country. The authorities
retained possession till December, 1865
Early in 1868, Northern creditors sued the
agency, and within six months executions
were issued. To meet these peremptorv de-
mands the agent assumed the responsibility
of selling house belonging to the church,
and Of making sale Of other property at
very low figures, by which means he paid
S23,475. This left unpaid about $1,000. In
two cases the agency had been sued for
copyright; they were only STAYED of, and
are still pending. During October, 1865,
President johnson ordered thelibel for con
fiscstion to be Withdrawn on the payment
Of costa. These amounted to S5i4, with
two OF three hundred dollars expended in
various ways in the course Of the trouble,
and 500 for the fees Of the lawyer who was
considered to have charged very moderately
for the services rendered. The financial re
port was not yet ready for presentation
Memphis appeal.