The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-03-15
OF TIL; ROCKEFELLER
FOUNDATION.

Ia most quarters thG aNfAOUilcc-
maj application has been made
+, congress fer a charter TO enable
-. t~r,sfees TO use the manln1oth ior-
~ NJ. Rockefeller for purposes
ose;e+ina causes and individuals
,aame5 worthy, has been received
with approval. Even the Pope has
.,b1at his CONGRATULATIONS and APPROX
- from Rome. But, beneath the ma
;,rjiv voice OF approval. comes from
<noughtful men questions that should
,iqo oause. They call Tor serious con-
Starvation. IS philanthropy 20 be syTi-
.1jratad? Are there dangers in his
.ecr6crfnl ana strange new corpora
ta.r2 2fnnev, whether tainted or not,
.a9 relieve suffering, but If q gigantic
Twin. trust could dominate the
s.hoo1s und charities OF America.
,,or1d not more cvi, than good result
from the Nockefeuer gifts?
The allie and conservative SPRING
4.ra PepuhIican discusses this cues
Hon from .Il ~standpoints and presents
@,n.a considerations that ought TO
have weight The editorial Is so
-tyor.e THAI it is printed III full below:
Tie Menace OF The Rockefeller
Foundation.
TT announcement OF Mr.. Rookie
fa}l9r.s 10 leave his immense
fortune IN TIE form Of a perpetual
trust fund for the benefit Of humanity
has thus far excited slight protest,
and il may be sajl that. at first
thought. criticism az Il colossal phiIan-
throny such as he has conceived.
seems unEraciouS. i not m~aievolcnt>
Tn imagination is easily c~aptiEate8
nv a ~grandi0se scheme of human be
nev0lence whose scope shah know
neither time nor space and whose
u~su5ruct shah b. enjoyed by countless;
generations. Yet when one considers
tho question IN its re;1oter social and
moral aspects. il becomes clear thai
tho8e enormous philanthropIc fouEda-
tons rUw being established ny the
richest men OF the TIME call for the
s""y"~cat scrutiny.
II i gratifying 10 lind ii'lt the
IUiIcd States Senate committee, which
= charged with the responsibility Of
reporting on the a~dNiSahility or grant
ing tHe charter which Mr. Rockefeller
desires, has asked for mare informal
tic2 concerning his plan for the post
m0rCem disposition OF his fortune.
Tho more fact that MIR Rockefeller
VIII probably Ie3Ne at least $500 00,-
Gn0 az the endowment OF the proposed
fnulGation Is alone sufficient 70 COM
pei H. most careful consideration Of
The questions involved. il does Dot
concern us how this fortune was &C
Quiral. The ethics OF the accumulation
becomes AZ academic issue when the
problem % its final G~istTibutioa arises
:. ta- Ir...,L,l <n.r, " co f,T IS
the Federal government, or amy 81 the
Sfate governments, must exercise pow
er "r assume reSp0ESibility in settling
thai pr0pICn1, there is need OF WGr!-
hess n avoiding errors which would
haFras postcrity Is much as n phil
'nthfopieS contemplated would pro-
n,ojr iUs w~en-being.
The motives of MT. Rockefeller.
like those Of Mr.. Carnegie. are doubt
fss "f the best. They are overwhelm-
20 With the burden Of the problem Of
III wise distribution o. theta enor-
nous wealth. and realizing their per
.olal jnCapaCity TO distribute such for
tunes 10 n best advantage within the
InH"d OF their IVY lives, they natur-
ally resort 10 the creation of corpora
tons which shall BE- perpetual foun-
'aln2 ~ circumference IN the iond. III
tho dark ages the Church would have
hec1 made the recipient of their rich
- since II was the one great e!e"mHS-
EhaFy agency Of Christcndon. The vast
H5tat'9 Of the medieval uonasterics
ana tn princes Of the church were az
c1nnIated in no small degree O
The he4u"aLs OF men and wornc who
Jaw ~ the ccclcSiastical power Of
'hose times he sole promise Of an
~toFa0cIng civilization. How it came
about ultimately that the religious
''"ef1 81 the Middle Ages owned al
most hall the soil OF England and eve
more tran half the soil OF other Eu-
'"ptan countries, and how these con.
'iHoh2 led 10 economic and social rev
r'ulon, often accompanied by con
Hal4ton and violence, IN the later
''nturlCe, IS familiar to the most cas-
't' feaders Of history. And these
IhoIFfn foundations, similar III urigi-
"ai motive aad spirit. however vari.
AM III form, il is 10 exaggeration tt
<8z' may easily become as obnoxious
10 bfSICT4fr AZ tho rs.nra-4I1 cvsC+ ~