The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-07-23
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
Orttiomer Eaton Points OuH An
other 8aneful Result OF
free'Silver.

other 8aneful Result OF
Free'Silver.
Dr. Homer Eaton, treasurer CT the
missionary society of the Methodist
Episcopal charch'said yesterday that
"a free silver coinage law wouid para
lyze the foreign mission work of the
society.
.AsNNe will kRwe to call in half, of our
menif the democratic platfoom~wlns"
he, SAID. "The effect of free silver
cannot be anything but disaster.
'Thoselpeople at Chicago have gone
wild over this idea. There are nnany
.good,and sincere Christians afAong
themaand | have no doubt OF Aaelr
sincerity in their'deiuslon. When an
EASTERN, banker oorrmerchant talks to
them they look @m'@llat he says with
suspicion. His motives apParoEtly
are allapercenary. III do not speak
as a banker, as a politician or AN
,easternnan and L,say that tine free
coinage of silver means ruin tor dhe
forcigmmissionary work of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church.
'"Onr society is rGn on a regular
banking principle tG)ul missionary
board makes appropriations uke
money is here under my control.
When. a bishop goes out into fass ter
ritory mesg ive,him a beck of blank
drafts ,onem yself as treasurer at the
society. The bishops dill those out
to the amounts of their appropriations
and cash them at banksSnll over the
world. The banks always receive
them and after careful compassion
with the appropriation dor posnoie,
errors thsy arc hononed swhen Gaey'
are preseatedAat this office. The COM,
mercial world, civilized and heatlen,
is on gold lbasis. We have reason
to know that For instance, China
is a silver country and Us running
nominally on a,Silver basis. But 1t Is
most mediterranean ON othe cur
rency question,that there nc not a
single hank liz all China that Will
touch one of oair,brafts or give 1t a
moments consideration uGaess the
sword gold is stamped across the
tfsce of it. We eaanot get money
from any of those banks unsass we
promise to pay them back in gold.
We have no choics NJ the matter. 1t
is mo gold, no advance on the drafts. ;
We can't get along without those
drafts and so, finally andconclusiVely,
we must have gold.
CASH is in China, so ntns' everywhere
lin Asia, Afraca and Europe, wherever
our missionaries are stationed. Wee
are not like the big 'dommerciSl
houses, our dealings are mot confined
to particular parts OF the world
specifically adopted to one or another
brasch of trade. We don't care at
all whether the people ofthe countries
into which we go have things to bny
or to sell. The teaching of Christi
anity s not following any SUCH re-
stricted plan of op Grafton; it goes lit
orally everywhere; now under the
present gold standard of the United
States we have no difficulty in meeting
these demands for gold payment.
We can give them all the gold they
want and as fast as they want it. The
money in our treasury is every bit Of
it as good as gold. Practically speak
ing it is gold for we can turn 1t into
gold when we wish. That being the
case everywhere is plain sailing; we
get the full unity of every cent that J:
subscribed to our missionary fund
There is no loss for exchange ex
cent the cost of transportation of the
money.
With the silver standard in thu
country we would be terribly GRIP
Med. We would have to buy golt
to meet our drafts. We would have
to spend needed money to pay pre-
miums on gold; money that is nov
being used ii legitimate church work
# would cut us way down. AT leas
half of our foreign workers woult
have to be called in on the day tn
people of this country declared 70
y-three-cent dollars. Every dolla
that is then given to the cause o
Christian work abroad would b.
worth lust its commercial value a
silver. They do not care in Chin'
whether it is worn dollars worth o
goods in the United States or not
fit isn't worth gold dollar they d.
not want it.
"To sum up in figures Gu
society disbursed last year ST.. 237.S45
&, Of this amount S624.e77.9
,art m the foreign countries. Unde