The San Francisco call., 1896-10-13
Views Of DR.. Homer Eaton,
National Methodist
Treasurer.
WARNS SINCERE CHURcHMEN.
Explains How Free Silver Would
Strike Death to the Cause in
Foreign Fields.

DR.. Homer Eaton, treasurer of the Mis-
pal church and a member of the firm of
Eaton & Main of the great Methodist
book concern of New York, now on visit
at the Occidental, declares that the free
coinage OF silver would mean death to the
foreign missionary work of the Methodist
church.
"Our society,"" said he yesterday, "dis-
bursed last year 81. 237, ,S45 81. Of that
amount 1924, 977 SO went into foreign mis-
sions. Under a silver basis half of that
would have been utterly lost to US.
1--WE will have to call in half of our men
if the Chicago platform wins. The effect
of free coinage cannot be anything but a
disaster. Those people at the Chicago
convention have gone wild over this idea.
There are many good Methodists and sim
cere Christians among them, and / have
no doubt of their sincerity in their delu-
sion. When an Eastern banker or mer-
chant talks to them they look on what he
says with suspicion. His motives appar-
emily are all mercenary. l do not speak
as banker, as politician or an Eastern
man, and l say that the free coinage of
silver means ruin for the foreign mission
airy work of the Methodist Episcopal
church.
sour society is run on regular bank
ing principle. Our missionary board
makes appropriations. The money is
under my co ntrol. Drafts on myself as
treasurer of the society are sent out to pay
the approp riations to our foreign mission
ary work, and these drafts are cSshed by
banks all over the world, and they are al
ways honored when presented at my Office
for payment. The commercial world,
civilized and heather, is practically on a
gold basis. We have reason to know that
For instance, China is silver country
and is running nominally on a silver
basis. But it is most notable comment
on the currency question that there is not
a single bank in all China that will touch
one of our drafts or give it a moments s
consideration unless the word gold is
stamped across the face of it. We cannot
get money from any of those banks unless
we promise to pay them back in gold. We
have no choice in the matter. 1t is no
gold, no advance on the drafts We can't
get along without those drafts, and so,
finally and conclusively, we must have
gold.
ssAs it is in China, so 1t is everywhere
in Asia, Africa and Europe. wherever our
llkeNthe big commercial houses; our deal
ings are not confined to particular parts
of the world specifically adapted to one or
another branch of trade. We don't care
at all whether the people of the countries
into which we go have things to buy or to
sell. The teaching of Christianity is not
following any such restricted plan of
operation; it goes literally everywhere.
Now, under the present gold standard of
the United States we have no difficulty in
We can give them all the gold they want
in our treasury is every bit of it as good
for we can turn it into gold whenever we
plain sailing. We get the full utility of
sionary fund. There is no loss for ex-
change.
with silver standard in this country
we would be terribly crippled. We would
have to buy gold to meet our drafts, and
gold could only be secured by paying a
high premium. We would have to spend
needed money to pay these premiums on
gold. money that is now being used in
legitimate church work. 1t would cut us
way down. At least half of our foreign
workers would have to be called in on the
day the people of this country declared for
hfty-three- cent dollars. Every dollar that
is given to the cause of Christian work
abroad would be worth just its com mercial
value as silver. They do not care in China
whether it is worth a dollars worth OF
goods in the United States or not; if it