The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-12
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
The Rockefeller Gift,
o tho Editor Of Tho journal.

WISH 10 express my hearty apprecia-
ton of the ethically sensible position TAX
en- by L GU n l on the American
Board Rockefeller case. It is an encour-
aging sign Of the times that a number
Of newspapers In this country 1--WE call
them secular sometimes) can be counted
upon to take a. high position upon great
moral questions, to speak for the nations
conscience. In regard to this particular
affair, I could name dozen Of these Jour-
nails that have the distinction Of leading
a part of the church itself upon its own
ground OF ethics Instead of shilly-shally-
ing and resorting to casuistry to defend
wrong step, they have stood for a
morally illuminating and bracing view Of
the whole subject.
From a downright business considera-
ton alone, the action Of the board seems
public opinion? Especially when that
opinion Is based in passion for right
eousness? The board can afford to lose
many such gifts rather than to lose the
confidence of the American people that it
stands for the highest things in life and
duty. If there is any one thing thorough
ly understood by the people in this coun-
try, it is that Rockefeller's money has
been gained by vicious and perfectly
pitiless system Of dealing. Tho evidence
Of this is as clear, explicit and complete
as ever was given In any case in this
world. The people know that this is so.
and the members Of that board know it
IS 80, and the people, know that the men,
bers Of that board know it is so, and their
inevitable conclusion must be that the
American Board. for the sake of Rookie
feller's money. has winked at the meth
DDS by which it was made.
It Is perfectly fair to state that every
man who votes to accept that $100,0
condemns himself to silence regarding
Rookefeller's business methods. For
| surely no one on that board would be such
an migrate as to take Rockefeller's money
and then turn round and condemn the
| man for the way he made it. A very or
binary, decent kind Of self respect and Of
| honor would save any one from such in
| gratitude as that. The members Of the
board may juggle with the question as
| much as they please, but the fact is that
thousands will believe, and justly 50, that
their action is equivalent to condoning
Rockefeller's system.
| To argue that the board cannot be
supposed to hunt down the pedigree Of
every dollar it receives us far from the
point. The pedigree Of these particular
dollars is so well known that a wayfaring
man, tho he be a fool, need not err in
regard to them. This Is a time when the
board does not have to do any hunting;
| and to bring forward the argument that
| IL REJECTS fSOCk01eueT 3 1I!OIcy IL u1uSC
go probing into the business methods Of
every one who offers it a dollar is to
give an Illustration of a very poor logic.
A horse dealer is not obliged to ask every
man who wants to sell him a horse
whether he stole it; nor is he required
to advertise to find out whether it was
stolen; but If he knows it was stolen, his
duty is plain.
This is a. time when recklessness about
ino 10 iYf0
everywhere. Revelation upon revelation
is made to us Of men In places Of trust
and honor selling themselves to the high
est bidder and betraying those whom they
have sworn to serve. Legislators arc
known to sell their votes, jurors to &C.
cept bribes, and councilnen to use their
positions to fill their own Golfers. Boss
| Tweed conducted his vast system Of graft
upon the theory which he believed with
all his might that every man has his price
He was wrong, as he learned at last tt
his utter surprise and confusion. All mer
; do not have their price, but many mer
,, do. At this very hour we need, not a let.
ting down of the public conscience as tt
. methods Of money-getting, but the for
nation Of a sound public opinion on the
subject Of the sensitizing of the public
conscience. At this very hour right.
minded men everywhere need to set their
faces like flint against loose views Of
money making In the struggle to gel
right on this subject, we are entitled tt
expect that the church will help, and not
. hinder. We have a right to ask that mer
!, who profess to speak for Jesus Of Nazar.
eth shall not by word or act give encour.
agenent to the notion that 1t does moi
, matter how man got his money, II only
he is willing to divide it with the church
I can think of few things more bel1ttline
to the church of Christ and demoral1zine
to right thinking than the idea that the
, church is justified in receiving money fol
holy purposes which 1T knows was dis
honestly gained. Money always has come
and always will come from the poor an6
from the rich-money honestly made
without any need Of touching money tha
calls for disinfectant.
Aprila6. - George D. Black,
Yellow Springs, Ohio