Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-13
THE PUBLISHING HoUsy.


Indebtedness-St-L Louis P6rties Erxs
ious 90 Sell Ouf-Can the Church A 4.
ford TO Buy7
From the Louisville Coatrier-Journars
report OF the aeti5n taken by tho Metbodis.
General CoIifefeilcs; IN Monday, ws take
the following with regard to the rrsut1istifly
interest Of the Church:
"The Committee on Books and Periodi-
Gals presented report No. Of said commit
tee, which was read.
al. F. johnson said that he was not pre-
pared to cote the report Unless he had
some information on the subject. Fii5
Publishing House at Nashville is already
largely involved, and he did not think thar
it shOlila fHrther involve ITSELF
"Dr. Leftwich said that it was not pro-
posed to involve the Publishing House in
any way. 1t provided against the involve
ment Of the Publishing House. There was
no intention to embarrsss Ii, and there
reed Ne no apprehension on this foi1t; u
simply opened the way Tor negotiation.
abr. Evans said that lie supposed the OBJ
ject of the report was to get, the, sense Of
the General CcnseFencS Is 20 EliSth5r Il
was desirable to own the property Of the
Southwestern Book and Publishing Com
pany, and Ia e a department. of the Pub
Listing House in 81. Touie, Dkcsided Il Vas
in accordance with the financial interests of
the Church. 1t would not entangle us at
all, but was simply a declaration to the
Book Agent and committee that it was de-
sirahIe to own that property, and that they
should purchase il when they were able 20
do 81.
Nv. c. johnson said that he felt it his
duty 10, state that it was not the design Of
the COMMITTEES 10 exhfess en- Oislnlcn Dc 10
the establishment of branch Publishing
House. That was not determined by the
report, which simply referred to negotia-
tions for the purchase Of the property, not
to the retaining any Of il fer publishing
RMK Peterson asked if It Ro,iid not
authorize the Agent to negotiate on that
subject.
"Mr. johnson replied that il would.
'Dr. Rush said that it would be remem-
bered that a proposition looking to this end
had been presented by the southwestern
Book and Publishing COMPANY tlirou h
Gov. Polk. Tie oily object Of the report
Is to authorize the Agent of the Publishing
House, together with the Book Committee,
10 negotiate, if in their judgment during the
next four years it should be to their interest
to purchase the property. Ii did lot re-
Quire that it should be held in st. Louis,
hut enly prepared them to act and negstiate
" they found it TO the Interest OF the Church:
j. T. Heard said he should like to know
where this proposal originated--inS st. Louis
or on the other side of the river. He did
not see why they should wish TO transfer
the property. If il was money-making they
ought to keep it, and if not, We did not
want il.
s'Mr. Barton said that he was not prepar-
ea TO vote on the resolutidn. IT he undeT-
stood the question correctly it was whether
or not We should enlarge our publishing in
tereSts, and as there was no profit accru
ing TO the present managers the question
resolved itself simply intothis, as to wheth-
er We should enlarge our publishing inter-
ests under circumstances unlavorable to
those who already had In charge the. estsb-
lishment by the purchase of which that in
terest was to be enlarged. Commercial
men were already looking with anxiety to
the one hundred thousand dollar debt at
Nashville, and he was afraid of the conse-
quences to the Church of such a measure
as this. We were not prepared for it.
There was no complaint Of the want of IA
eilities for publishing at Nashville, aid he
did not see that there was any necessity for
giving any such authority, nor did he think
il expedient.
-. NJ. Sharpe said that they seemed TO
be begging the question. He hoped that
the brethren would talk without prejudice.
They had nothing to do with isAeEes the
proposition came. To them, as business
rrhafh hal ~ f-rar9a
this or the other side of the river. He con-
ceived that this had nothing to do with the
question, and the report did not cOntem-
plate enlargement Of the publishing in
tereStS, but rather a concentration upon the
Publishing House, by making Nashville
the nucleus, and having nothing TO CON-
pete With 1t. Again, it mattered not whe=
Their it paid the parties now holding it or
not. The question was, could it pay us.
Put under the wing of the Publishing
House and carried on by the Church, it
might be made to pay; and though the
purchase of it might increase our liabili-
ties, it would largely increase our assets.
Let it be entrusted to the wisdom of the
agent and the wisdom of the Managing
Committee.
II. F. johnson offered the following
amendment.
provided, that the Book Agent and Pub
fishing Committee shall not have authority
to cOnsummate the transfer, but shall re-
port their action TO the next General Con-
ference.
"Dr. Winfield moved to lay the motion
on the table. Carried.
IS. BobO said that he regretted that his
judgment was in conflict with the prevail
ing sentiment of the Conference. So far
as his experience went, if anything could
not succeed as a private enterprise 1t could
never succeed as public. Private enter
priseS were always more successful than
public. He had remarked that whenever
the body of the Church took any measure
in hand it generally went to seed. SOwith
the State-in nine cases out Of ten when 1t
took hold of commercial establishments
they ruined them and spent money. He
hoped that the Publishing House at Nash
vile would do much good, but if they were
going to spread it abroad and have one at
Baltimore, one at St. Louis, one at Charles
ton, and one at New Orleans, he could not
tell how soon all would be brought to ruin.
Nv. II. Fleming said that it was not pro
posed to establish a branch house at st.
Louis-that was not the design OF the re-
port. The proposition was simply to au-
thorize the Agent and Book Committee to
purchase the property if in their judgment
it was best for the interests Of the Church.
The conduct of the Book Agent had been
commended-they had said that he had
done wisely and well, and he thought they
might, with perfect safety, leave it in his
hands.
..Dr RedfOrd said that he did not see
anything in the report that could possibly
involve the Publishing House, but it was,
perhaps, proper to say that, If il were
adopted, he would have no hope Of carrying
out the spirit of the proposition. He did
not think the Publishing House should be
encountered, and such policy would en-
barrass it, and give 10 relief elsewhere.
"The following amendment was offered
by G.. l.. Vanderventer and A. II. Redford:
" provided, The Publishing Agent Cat
Nashville) and the Book Committee shall
not transfer the property referred to without
the consent'of the patronizing Conferences
'.Dr. Leftwich moved that the report and
amendment be recommitted to the Commit
tee on Books and Periodicals.
"A. A. Gilbert said that he could not see
the necessity of recommitting. DIR. Red
ford had said that there was scarcely any
probability that the pTOyisO could be carried
into effect, and if they took that, along
with the weighty fact that they should be
careful how they increased the debt, which