Middletown transcript., 1896-10-24
The Loss to Them Will
Be Many Millions if
Bryan Is Elected.
4 BLOW TO THEIR WORK
The Great Shrinkage That
Would Come to Their Vast
Property Used For Be-
nevolent Purposes.

only hurt bankers and the rich, whom he
calls "goldbugs."
There is another class of "goldbugs'' Of
whom Mr.. Bryan has nothing to say who
will suffer disaster II the free coinage tick
ct Is elected, and they are the churches
and their pastors.
The salaries of pastors, especially those
who are engaged in missionary work, are
fixed, not to insure luxury to the preacher
and his family, but upon basis of mere
existence, and the sums thus paid many
preachers and missionaries In the Protes-
tant church only enable them to supply the
absolute necessities of life.
II free silver prevails, the cost of living
will probably be double what it Is now.
All commodities necessary to keep life in
the human body will largely increase in
cost. At the same time church Investments
will depreciate, and, with contributions
falling off, 1t will not be possible for the
church to increase the salaries of preachers
and missionaries to correspond with the
increased demands made upon them by
the free silver prices.
Not alone, therefore, will the 'tgoldbug''
banker suffer from the depreciation of val
ues which the success of Bryan and his
ticket will bring upon the country. The
poor generally will feel the panic that will
surely come 1000 times more than the
rich and well to do. But no one or no class
will suffer greater distress, even to want
and poverty, than the preacher and mis-
sionary, whose lives are always self deny
ing to wonderful degree.
The Methodist Church.
Let us, for example, take the effect up
az 1f %I
pal church. The invested funds in the
United States in Methodist church prop
erty are $109, ,2S4, ,066 and In church par
sonages SIG, S4S, 495, q total of s126, 1884,
561. In the shrinkage of values which
will come If the silver party Is successful
next November in establishing its So cent
dollar basis the loss to the Methodist
church in these two investments alone
would be over s63, 600, ,000
The net capital of the Methodist Book
concern is 50, S96, 952. The mission of the
Methodist Book concern is not to make
money, but to print religious literature
and send 1t to every part of the earth, to
shape thought and mold character after
the divine pattern. Its profits are paid to
the annual conferences for the benefit of
needy preachers. 1t has passed safely the
financial panics of the last 30 years, and
its credit has been equal to any emergen-
cy But If the free silver fallacy prevails,
the shrinkage In the value of the invested
capital of this, the largest religious pub
fishing house In the world, will amount
to 81, sos, 476, and its work will be para
lyzed, If it is not thrown into bankruptcy.
According to the report in the Metho-
dist Year Book for 1896 the contributions
from that church in 1895 to missions
church extension, hospitals, homes for
aged, women's home and foreign missions
freedmen's aid, educational and endow-
ments, etc., were $40, ,059, 479.
Under free coinage the shrinkage from
these various charitable funds would be
over $40, 1000, 000 This vast sum of over
$50, 600, 900 was raised by contributions
from church members, the average being
about $40 to each member. II this grand
missionary and charitable work Is kept up,
each contributor will be called upon, under
free coinage administration, to give $40
yearly instead of $40.
The Baptist Churches.
The Baptist church. as well as all other
religious denominations, would feel this
shrinkage If the Bryan ticket should win.
The invested funds of the American
Baptist organization for ministerial re-
lief, educational institutions, home and
foreign missions, etc., in 1895 were s22,-
$50, ,629 In the shrinkage of values If the
free coinage party is successful, the loss to
the Baptist church would be over 81 ,000,-
600.
The annual contributions Of the Bap-
lists of the United States for local expenses
Of churches for missions and for other re-
Ngious and philanthropic purposes are
reckoned at about SIS, 900, 900. If, as free
silver men claim, the prices of commodities |
will rise If they are successful in etecttng
their ticket, it will require about double |
this sum, or $50, ,008, 600, as endowments |
or contributions for church and charitable |
institutions As the membership In the
Baptist church Is about 5000, 900, this |
about IS per annum for each |
member, and, as under free coinage the an
nual contributions for all purposes would |
have to be double what they are now, to |
keep up the same work and endowments |
1t would be necessary for each member to |
give annually $40 where he now gives S.. |
The Episcopal Church.
The Protestant Episcopal church of the |
United States has invested as endowments |
or trust funds for the support of the epis- |
copate, for tho support of widows and or |
phans Of ciergylnen, for church building, |
for the support of the aged and infirm cler-
gy, missions etc, about s44, 600, GEO. The
total endowments for church and charita-
BILE institutions in 1895 probably amount
ed to $50, ,000, 600, so in the shrinkage of
values under free coinage the loss to the
Protestant Episcopal church would ba /
$25, 600, 600. The total income In this
church represents about s35 per annum
for each communicate, and under free coin
age, to produce the same results, Ii would |
require over $40 per year for each coinmu-
hicant.
The Congregational Church.
In the Congregational church the re-
ceipts in 1895 by contribution for mission
Rry and educational work and various be-
societies were about -, 900, 900.
The value of church property in that de-
Nomination is about $45, 600, 600, and the
invested funds from charitable contribu-
lions are about $4,000, 900. The local ex-
penditures, In 1896, such as salaries Of pas
tors and general expenses were about ST.
900, 600. Thus the total values In the Con-
gregational church reach a sum total OF
about $67, 200, 600, and the shrinkage OF I,
values under Bryan and free coinage
would be $28, ,60o. 900. The yearly contri-
buttons from. zach member Of the Consre-
gationai church. now amount to about
$50, and to accomplish the same beneyo-
lent work, If free coinage is adopted, this
contribution would have to be doubled.
Enormous Church Values.
According to the United States census
Of 1890 the invested values in church ,
property reached the enormous aggregate
II e670, 600, 900 This was freely given by
Dur church people for the public use and
the public good This vast sum represents |
not all that Christian men and women ,
nave consecrated to religious objects, but
,nly what they have contributed to buy
he ground and erect the buildings de- 1
'oted to worship. All churches win suffer
like under free coinage
What d there among men to compare
With the church In its power to educate, i i
llevate and civilixe mankindf And yet, u !
Bryan u elected, its benedcent aims, IL !.
plans and it, impartial distribu- e
ion Of blessings win be paralyzed, and IL
u IT. activitiee ana interests viii Is % I
f4