The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-21
THE SCANDAL AMONG THE METHO
DISTS.


From the ". Y. Nation.
An investigation with open doors into the
alleged frauds in the Methodist Book Concern
has at last been commenced and is now pend
ing. When it is remembered that the first
public mention of these frauds was made in
September, 1869, and that ever since that
time not only the reputation of the Methodist
body but of religion has been suffering
seriously from the stories about them it must
be admitted that the delay in examining them
has been a most remarkable phenomenon.
The main fact of the case is that DR.. Lana
han, the assistant agent or superintendent in
charge of the Concern, declared, year aud
half ago, that he had discovered serious waste
and even dishonesty in its management. AS
soon as he made this charge, there ought to
have been an immediate and thorough inves-
tigation, and the persons touched by it
ought as honorable men and good
Christians, to have clamored for
the investigation and refused all
.postponement. So far from this, how
ever, nearly everybody connected with the
concern seems to have had his mind occupied
not with the question whether there had
really been fraud and mismanagement, but
whether DR.. Lanahan could not be induced
to stop the scandal caused by his mention of
it and prevent the decline in the business of
the Concern. On DIR. Lanahans refusing to
retract his charges he was relegated to the
character of a culprit, and, comieally enough,
it is he and not the persons whom he ac-
cused who is now on his trial. In fact, the
''credit" about which many of the brethren
seem to have been most concerned all along
is not the credit of the Church as a spiritual
institution, but the credit of the Church as
a moneyed corporation, with bills to meet,
bonds to put on the market, and goods to
SELL
We are not going to enter into a history of
| the affair, or make more than q passing
| reference to the two or three sham or at least
| abortive Investigations which have been at
tempted during the past year, and every one
| of which has resulted in confirming the i'm
preston that whether or not there had been
! fraud in the management of the Book Con-
| Germ, there had been something wrong in it
that called for examination, and that even if
DIR. Lanahan was libeller there was some
! foundation OF color for his libels which
needed clearing up. We shall express no
opinion either as to the truth or falsehood of
his statements This is now at last
under investigation, and, what is more
important than all, public investigation; and
though we hold the foIIn of inquiry to be
radically wrong and to reveal most extraor-
dinary misapprehensiOn on the part of many
leading men in the Methodist denomination
| as to the exact relations of the Church to the
community at large, it will, nevertheless, in
all probability bring out the truth, which is
the main point. When an officer of an insti-
tuition managing what may fairly be called
trust funds, brings charge of malfeasanoe
against any of his associates, the proceeding
which usage and common sense prescribe
is to put the person whom he accuses in-
stantly on his defense, and to call on the ac-
cuser for his proofs. This is the course pur-
sued in courts of law and in all inquiries of a
judicial nature conducted by laymen. The
charge of libel or of perjury against the pro-
secutor follows the trial of the accused but
never precedes it. If a man, having had his
watch stolen, goes to swear complaint
against somebody whom on gooa grounds he
suspects of stealing it, the magistrate does
not at once make the prosecutor give bail
to appear and stand his trial on a charge
of SANDER and defamation, and declare
that the truth will come out in that way as
well as in any other. If he did, there would