The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-10-06
PLAIN TALK.
A New York Baptist Minister
Calls Mccall a Thief
FROM HIS PULPIT.
The Preacher Taking for His Text, the
Commandment, "Thou Shalt Not
Steal" Said the Insurance Man
Had Violated That Com.
mand by his Act.

mand by his Act.
The New York American says Johr
A. MCCALL, president of the New
York Life Insurance Company, wa,
scathingly assailed FROM the pulpit O.
the Riverside Baptist Church Sunday
by It's pastor, the Rev. DR.. A. Lin
coin Moore.
AZ demand was made for the i'm
mediate resignation OF Mr.. Mccall
ands DR.. Moore declared with passion
ate earnestness that the head OF the
New York Life had grossly violated
the commandment Thou shalt rot
stesl' In taking vast sums OF the
policy. holders money from the treas.
ury of the company and contributing
these funds for partisan polite. j
purposes.
DR.. Moore took as his text Exodus
Xxx Us: Thou shalt not steal" His
entire sermon was devoted to drawing
the distinction between honesty and
dishonesty. His unexpected attack
upon the president OF the New York
Life created sensation in the crowd.
cd church auditorium.
We all recognize" said the divine
impfessively, the rights OF property,
be that property great or small--t the
Widows mite or the fortune Of the
greatest millionaire. This brings us
to the forgotten commandment, 'thCu
shalt not steal"
If you would always call stealing
Of nd a l,i
would be less stealing and fewer
thieves. Ii an Office boy steals 800
from the cilice In which he is employ.
ed, he Is prosecuted and sent to jail;
but IL the president OF the same COM
pany fllnches few hundreds Of thous
ands or millions Of dollars from the
corporations fulds, he Is hailed as a
Napoleon Of finance and men will be
found to become apolOgistS for his
acticra
ts'Thous shalt
not IL" sAou.u ue branded In let
ters fire in the Office of every bank,
and life insurance company Of the
land and in the heart of every man
who handles other peoples money
and property"
DR.. Moore then electrified his hear.
ers by his scathing invective against
President Mccall, OF the New York
Life. In doing so he quoted largely
from an open letter that he mailed to
Mr.. Mccall on Saturday.
Il have read the testimony OF John
A. Mccall, president cf the New
York Life Insurance Company, said
DR.. Moore, and from reading that
testimony have concluded that he
has arrogaLed to himself the power
Ind right to use the investors money
st his own discretion, unmindful Of
the fact that the money so used be.
longs to others.
Upon what ethical grounds does
this man base his right?" cried the
minister Serving In liduciary Ca
pacity, as q tIu,toG and not the own.
or, the testimony Of Mr.. Mccall, with
It's unblushlng confession Of misap-
propriation, Misrepresentation, mis-
management and possible speculation,
reveals his manifest moral unh Jness
for the responsible position that he
holds, an Office which he has dlScredi
ted and betrayed Onoe Is u sacred
trust, and to betray that trust Is the
worst because the meanest kind OF
stealing.
The actions Of John A. Mccall
are l,9rant violations OF the first
principles Of honesty and are utterly
lndefGsible In law, ethics and business.
II unhcsitatingly allitm that bis
action In taking vast sums Of the poll.
cy holders money from the treasury
OF the company without authority
other than his own, and d0voting
those sums to partisan political pur.
Oses, wasa gross violation OF the
commandment, Thou SHALT Not
Steal"
THAT money was stolen just as
surely as If he had placed his hand
In the policy holders pockets and ill
ched it from them"
The minister then quoted the fol-
lowing verse. which is embodied in
his letter to President McCan:
"In vain men call old notions fudge
And bend the conscience to their
dealing;
The Eighth Commandment viii not
bulge
And stealing will continue stealing
That money Wrongfully taken sc
'rumor says, was undoubtedly employ.
ed other directly or Indirectly In
prostitutlng the ballot and debsuch
ing American citizenship, continued
Dr. Moro, as he pounded his pulpit
with emphatic earnestness.
AIS a., =
tive OF wrongdolng, and the moral in.
lluencc Of such men as Mccall and
those associated with him IN the man.
agement, or rather mlsmanagement
OF the New York Life Insurance Com.
pany, will inevitably result In q dead,
ly harvest OF wrongdo!ng throughout
our land With many, premium
will be placed upon dishonesty, and
with others, business integrity viii
become an empty name.
i am convinced that the testimony
OF MIR. Mccall has proved his mora
uniitness fer the responsible ollice OF
president Of the New York Life, ant
from this pulpit / demand that lie re
sign. That resination will be In tht
interests Of the company in particular
and OF morality In general.
am s. small policy holder Of tho
New York Life, and 1t Is my profound
belief that John A. Mccall ought tt
be compelled to restore the funds hi
has removed from the Golfers OF tht
company, or he ought to be arrested
! and incarcerated,