The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-03-30
RockefeIIer's Rejected Gift.

been known to the people for num-
Der of years as popular writer upon
sociology and economics. He is one
of the very few ministers In active
pastoral work, who has been able to
understand the few fundamental prin-
ciples upon which society rests and in
consequence, his writings have been
of different character from what gen
orally emanates from the pulpit when
the ministers get stirred up over the
commercial degeneration of the pres
ent times. The same proposition that
the regents and authorities of the Ne
braska State University had to face,
has ben presented to the congregations
al church in a proposition from Rookie
feller to donate to the foreign mission
airy society of that body $4,000. Rev.
Mr. GLADDEN. replied to that offer in
his sermon last Sunday in the follow
ing way:
The money proffered 10 our board
of missions comes out of a colossal
estate whose foundations were laid in
the most relentless rapacity known to
modern commercial history. The sue
cess of this business from the begin
ming until now has been largely due
to unlawful and outrageous manipula-
lions of railway rates. The United
% nj 30, IN,
a strenuous attempt to ferret out and
punish this injustice And the people
of the United States have a tremen-
dOus battle on their hands with the
corporate greed which has intrenched
itself in this stronghold and has
learned to use the railways for the
oppression and spoliation of the peo-
pie. And now, on the eve of this bat
tie, they are asked to accept a gift
of money from the man who more COM
pletely than, any other represents the
system they are summoned to fight.
/ hope they are not mean enough to
take his money and then turn around
and fight him. ! hope they are not SO
faithless to their obligations as to take
his money and shut their mouths or
become his apologists. We do not
want this mans money. To accept it
will be to work the contempt of mil
lions Of honest men; to reject it will
strengthen our churches in the affec-
ton and respect of millions vino are
inclined to doubt whether the churches
love God more than mammon.
Our missions will be richer and
stronger without it than with it; and
we shall lose nothing by our loyalty
to the things unseen and eternal.
Rockefeller as the head of the Oil
trust, as manager of string of banks
that can largely control the finances
of the country, as the owner of con-
trolling interest in large number Of
railroads upon the management of
which the fortunes of whole states,
cities and millions of human beings
depends, must be fought if civiliza-
ton is to endure. He must be foughtif
a sense of uprightness, fair dealing
and honesty is to be maintained. From
the moral. side, from the commercial
side, from the political side, war must
be waged upon him. The man who
will reach out his hand to receive gift
from Rockefeller and then fight him,
is a greater moral incubus than Rookie
Teller himself. The man who receives
aims and then assaults the donor, is as
vile as a man can get to be. To re-
ceiye Rockefeller's money under the
condition that his robberies and eXtor-
tons shall be condoned and never op-
posed is just as great an infamy.
No organization and no man can re-
ceive gifts from Rockefeller without
committing the crime Of accepting
stolen property and going into collu-
sion with the greatest thief of all
Gods ages.
&$<$>$SS$
Don't Hama Them.