Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-04-10
The CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY
SHOULD REJECT MONEY.
Donations TO Churches and Cole &c $
From Such Sources Have De-
mOraliziny influence. y Strong
Petition Against the ROCke feIier
Gift is Being Circulated.


The papc,s nounced few days az,
that John >. tockfeller had given
large sum-somct times stated as 5000 0U(
and other times as 800, ,000-to the mis-
sonary board of the Congregations
church. And now comes the report tha
committee OF Congregational ministers
representing Boston and varions secion'
of New England, Lave forwarded to the
board protest against the acceptance
OF the gilt on the ground that "tht
Standard Oil company, of which Mr.
Rockefeller is at the head, stands befol,
the public under repeated and recen,
formidable indictments in specific terms
for methods which are morally iniquitous
ana socially destructive"
The petition goes on to say that "the
acceptance OF such gift involves the
constituents of the board in relation
implying honor toward the donor, and
subjects the board to the charge OF
ignoring the moral issue involved"
The sgners OF the petition conclude by
protesting against "any action by which
our church may even seem TO h" "orr
promised, and we implore the Offices vi
the board to decline the gift or return it
ii it has been accepted" Among the
signers OF the petition are Daniel E,an,,
Cambridge; Edw. F. Sanderson, Prov.
dence; Geo n. Gutterson, Dairy, N. II
N. Vanderpuyle. Marblehead, Mass. ;
Reuben Thomas, Brookline, Mass. Jas.
5. Williamson, Haverford, Mass.
The ministers are to be congratulated
upon their courage in thus protesting
against the acceptance of the gift. The
Standard Oil money is tainted. 1t has
been accumulated by methods which
violate the statutes OF the states as we'll
as the moral law. These methods can
not be defended and no church or COLI ,c
should soil its hands with money thus
secured. Not only has the Standard Oil
company itself been guilty of all the
crimes in the calendar, but the men and
institutions connected with it have been
shown to act upon the same principles
that characterize the burglar and the
highwayman. Mr.. Lawson is showing
up the dealings of Rogers, who is at the
present the Controlling spirit in the
Standard Oil. Only short time ago in
the Munroe Il Munroe failure the public
got an insight into the methods em-
ployed by vice president of the Nation
al City bank. Just now the state OF
Kansas is in life and death struggle
with the monopoly, and the government
is engaged in an investigation of it. Its
methods have been SO fully exposed that
no one can plead ignorance. No organi
zation can accept conspicuous donations
from Rockefeller without incurring an
obligation that can only be discharged
by silence in regard to the crimes and
misdemeanors of Rockefeller and his as
sociates in the oil trust.
The public is familiar with the de-
moralizng influence which the Rookie.
Teller donations have exerted on the
Chicago University, and there is evil
dence that other colleges have put them.
selves in the position OF suppliants at
the feet of the oil magnate. 1t is fortu-
nate that Rockefeller is stingy, for if he
was at all liberal, 1.-THE OF his plunder-
ings would suffice to subsidize large
number of colleges and associations if
they would accept his money.
If the Congregational society will re-
fuse the Rockefeller donation it will
doubtless be rewarded by more gener-
GUS contribution from the rank and file
OF the church., but whether or not it
finds pecuniary reward in doing right,
it owes it to the public not to tar itself
with the Rockefeller stick. If our
churches and colleges would refuse to
enter into a partnership with the trust
magnates and reject the offers that come
from them, these reflections would soon
cultivate public opinion that would be
felt by those who have been preying
upon society If trust magnate found
that he was stunned by those who are
at the head of religious and educational
institutions, and that his money was not
desired, it might have some influence in
restraining him, and it would be sure to
leave the colleges and churches more free
to fight the evils of private monopoly.
Snccaas to tho petitiOn Nav IL hava
weight with the board