The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-01
THE GIFT CAUSES
A BIG SENSATION
Prominent Men Of Mission Board
Agree Acceptance of the Gift for
Miss ions and Made Signed
Statement to That Effect.

New York, March Sill. H. Rogers,
vice presid mt and director of the Stand
ard Oil & 1pany. today made a state
rent as the conduct of the Standard
Oil comps which evidently was prompt
ed by the hticism of the prudential COM
mittee OF ne American board of foreign
missions " accepting a gift of 100000
from John ID. Rockefeller.
Mr.. Roc lrs said:
4"Nfinistei say queer things. Dr. Wash
ington G adden says that everybody
knows tina John d. Rockefeller has OBJ
tanned his money dishonesty With as
much reasSn | could say that everybody
knows that DIR. GLADDEN. would not trust
the Ten commandments for ten days with
the deacons of his church because they
would surely break some of them and
bend the rest.
slavery int certain sections of the Uni
ted States was legal until President Lir--
coins emancipation proclamation. Re-
bates on railroads were just as legal un-
til the passage of the interstate COM
merce commission act After an exhaus-
tive examination by the industrial COM
mission. avhdrize by Congress June IS,
1898, in seview of evidence, the commits
sion reLSrted as follows.
Company Was Exonerated.
II has beeb charged as a matter of
general belief ibn the part of almost all
the opponents lof the Standard Oil COM
many that these determinations in various
forms have been continually received, even
up to date On the other hand these
charges have been denied In toto, and
most emphaticallr by every representa-
tive of the Standard Oil company, with
reference to all cases excepting one, which
they claim was a mistake, the amount OF
freight due being promptly paid on as
covery of the error. The Standard vi
csnpany not merely challenged the oppo-
nnnts TO bring forth proof of any case
but produced many letters from ieading
officials of railroads to show that the
eompany had in no case received any Ia
vors or asked for them.
Considered Matter at Length.
II became known here today that prior
to the final action by the prudential
committee Of the American Board or
Commissioners of Foreign missions In ac-
cepting the 100000 gift rendered py John
ID Rockefeller, a number OF prominent
members of the board at meeting held
I'm this city considered the matter at
length AS result the parties TO the
conference issued a statement, IN Whlch
they declare that they did not consider
that the acceptance of the gift would
ce,rpromise the board in any way, Among
those who signed the statement were
Pey l. w Cooper, secretary OF the
American Missionary association; Lucleh
c Warner chairman OF the international
Y M. c. A.; Rev. A. III. Richards, sec
retary of the international congrega-
tional conferences; Rev. Edward L. IN
gersol. secretary of the American biple
societv: William H. Ward, editor or the
New York Independent; Rev. j. j. Mer-
rill nresident of Fisk university. Nash
yille Tenn; Rev Frank X. Sanders,
dean Of Yale university divinity school;
Rev. DR.. Lyman Abbott, Rev. Charles II.
Jefferson, pastor of the Broadway taper-
nacle. and Rev. Henry M. Hubbeii OF
Greenwich, Connecticut.
The statement issued as a result OF the
meeting was as follows:
Would Establish Bad Precedent.
..The prudential committee Of the
American board has been requested 10
refuse a certain gift for its missionary
work on the ground that the giver is the
president of a corporation, whose busi-
ness methods are extensively crltlcizeo
by the church and the public.
"comnliance with his request would
nut unon the board-which is a corporate
trust, created for the definite purpose OF
maintaining missionaries in the foreign
lands-the very grave responsibility OF
refusing money which has been gwen
for the development of the work entrust-
cd to its career in aid of particular OBJ
iects for which it is trustee
..It would also establish the precedent
of subjecting individual gifts to scru-
tiny not heretofore regarded as practica-
bic for a mission board to exercise.
I'VE don't. therefore, consider that the
acceptance Of this gift compromises the
board In any way, and we cannot recon-
mend any departure from the long estao-
;ished usage of the board in receiving
with thankfulness funds intrusted to Its
care for the prosecution Of its important
work"