Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-25
WEALTH BENUMBS RELIGION
Effect Of Rich Possessions on Trinity
Church, New York.
EXHIBIT OF PR1NCELY PAY ROLL
An Indictment Against n Church Cor
poration, but Not Against Re
Iision-ReuuIts of Lively
Agitation.

Agitation.
Trinity church corporation Of e York
City. the richest single division OF a re-
ngious body in the Unitod States. II not in
the world. Is a source Of frequent discus
sion and criticism in the public prints.
Abuses of the rich resources OF the cor
p%oration is the provocation locally. intensi-
fled by acts of trustees which are re-
garded, rightly or wrongly, as a defiance
OF public sentiment. The nature Of the
case against Trinity is detailed by Ray
stannard Baker in the current American
Magazine, and a glance at some Of the
evidence offered in support Of an "indict-
ment Of the richest church In America"
will be found enlightening:
Like MANY of the great trusts and cor
porations, Trinity has become inordinately
wealthy. No church in the world, perhaps.
has so much property and such a varied
and costly equipment. The value of its
property is beyond $50. O0O,O 900. OF this about
two-t thirds is distinctly church property,
untaxed: for Trinity parish not only owns
the magnificent church which stands in the
midst Of the spacious and beautiful land
enormously valuable) old church yard at
the head Of wall street, but IT owns and
conducts nine other churches, some Of them
nearly as large as Old Trinity itself. II
also owns a number of church houses,
schcol buildings. a hospital. and a ceme-
terry, all Of which are included in its list
OF untaxed church property. This vast
machinery OF service Is controlled by Trim
NY parish. a corporation similar to other
business corporations. except that the d.
rectors are known as vestrymen, the gem
eral manager as rector, and the stockhold-
ers as communicates. Like many other
corporations. Trinity has n large income
producing investment outside of its actual
operating plant. About one-third of its
property-to the value of over $16.0O0.00 (as-
sessed value. as given in the Trinity re-
port, S1S. $40, SOO)-is in rented lands and tene-
ments. In short. It Is a big business cor
poration: calling It a church does not
change its character.
An Early Grant.
One of the very first things that our fore
fathers did upon coming 20 America was
to set up churches: and one of the earliest
churches so set up in New York colony
was Trinity. 1t was established in 1877
2o years ago. 1t was fostered then. and II
has been encouraged since. exactly like
any other public service corporatlon-only
with a greater utkItt VI kthSAOSiNSs -
the early days Of railroading, for example,
the people were so eager to extend the
service Of transportation throughout the
country that they gave to railroad corpor-
ations vast grants of bonuses of land,
they presented them with free franchises
conveying special rights and privileges, and
they even exempted railroad property from
taxation.
In exactly the same way Trinity church
was built up. In 1897 n franchise was
granted to Trinity to build a church silt
nate in or near the street called Broad
way" and II was to be "for the use and
behoof OF the inhabitants from time to
time inhabitins or to inhabit within our
CITY OF New York, In communion of our
protestant church Of england" Eight years
later came the bonus or grant of land
then called the Queens farm. when cx-
tended plcturesquely along the HUDSON
river on the west side OF Manhattan Island
This tract, now densely covered WIT
human habitatlons. was then practicallS
uninhabited. Since then for over zoo years
that part OF the property used for churcE
or educational purposes has not been taxed
II has been calculated that the RENTED
taxes on Trinity church property for tn
last 200 years-the free gift OF the people
Of New York regardless of c~reed-woulC
amount to far more than the present tota
value of the property Of Trinity.
The original grant had been made, as
have shown, 70 all 'of the inhabitants o
our said city Of New York" in communion
with the church of England. Natural!
othcr churches than Trinity thought the!
should have a share of the property; bu
Trinity would not release its grip. And II
1914, the vestrymen of Trinity succeeds
in getting a law passed by the New Yorl
legislature which at one stroke limited IN
control Of the property to OF IN
congregation Of Trinity church, or of an
of the chapels belonging to Trinity cor
poration." This was the first step In
long process of centralizing and narrowinI
the control Of the property.
Changin Policies.
After 1914 the policy of the great churcI
began to change. Instead Of serving a
the inhabitants II devoted less and less o
It's income to the building up of outsid
churches and spent more and more on 1t
own services. Instead of helping a chape
10 become independent and self-governinP
IL established chepels and kept absolut
control Of them. In 1914 1t had only tw
dependent ehapels-st Paufs and 81
Johns: today It has nine.
One of the most remarkable condition
brought out in the Hughes investigation
OF the life insurance companies was tn
fact that their boards Of directors wer
practically sel%f-perpetuating bodies. Homin
ally they were elected by the policyholder
and stockholders. but as q matter OF fac
few policy holders were ever present, an
the elections were controlled absolutel
by the men In power.
Such is the case with Trinity corporation
Though there are many hundreds of con
municants entitled to vote at the Trinit
election, comparatively few ever attend
At one election the twenty-five member
OF the vestry were elected with a total {
twenty-three votes. The vestry has beer 1
effect a self-perpetuating body. controlnA
an enormously valuable property. maxim