The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-19
Greene Explains Provisions

bill will pass the House by a two-thirds
majority
Greene Explains Provisions
Jerome D. Greene of New York, us,
tee in many of Mr.. Rockefeller's enter
prises, is taking active part in the cam
paign for the passage of the bill as the
oil mans authorized agent.
"Ie this measure goes through, it will
make Washington an important center for
| many movements which aim at bettering
conditions of life for the race declared
| Mr.. Greene.
Under the terms of the foundation bill
in its present form, the use of the gift is
absolutely subject to control by Congress
| az every point.
| Mr.. Rockefeller desires federal incor-
poration for this foundation, partly as a
mater of sentiment. for he made his
| money by doing business on a national
scale, and he wants his biggest gift to the
people to take on a national character
| also. He also believes that control by lie
people of the whole country Is safer and
better than control in the interests of any
one section.
| "He does not have to obtain a federal
| charter for his foundation. Under the
| laws of almost any state, foundation
/ could be Incorporated or a trusteeship set
| up which would be much less restricted
| than is that established by the proposed
| bill.
"rhe object of the foundation is to pro-
| mote the well being and to advance the
| civilization of the world in the acquisi-
| tion and dissemination of knowledge in
| the prevention and relief of suffering
and in the promotion, by eleemosynary
and philanthropic means, of all the ele-
ments of human progress, subject to the
| Limitations which Congress at any time
| in the future may impose.
Left Purposely Indefinite
"rhe language is left purposely indefi-
mite in order that the foundation may re-
spond to the changing demands of the
| public as long as it remains in existence.
| The donor realizes that the power of de-
termning the special objects to which the
fund shall be devoted ought to be left for
all time with living men, who will always
be better able to judge of current neces-
sites than any man, no matter how far
sighted, could possibly be, who had died
long before. Hence there will be no dead
hand weighing upon the endowment OF
the Rockefeller foundation.
Under the provisions of the bill the
total amount of property to be held by the
foundation at any one time, whether alb
so!utely or In trust. must never exceed
the original gift of sl0O.OOo,OOO. exclusive of
increases in value oe property subsequent
to it's receipt
| Moreover the income of the property
must not be allowed to accumulate or > c
added to the principal, but must be cur
rently applied to the objects OF the cor
poration. However, as the foundation will
have an income of not more than $1,000 =
| 900 a year, and will have all humanity to
spend It upon, there will never be any
danger that the trustees will be at loss
tn find uses for the money.
1.-THE corporation is empowered to dis
tribute the principal of any property at
the end of SO years after its receipt, while
the whole foundation may be required 20
dissolve at the end of 100 years, If so di-
rected by Congress.
Can Be Altered By Congress
"As a final safeguard against the fund
! becoming too big, or being used in ways
: which might not turn out to the best
interest of the public welfare, it is pro-
vlded that the charter can be altered OF
!. repealed entirely at the pleasure of Con-
gress.
. MIR. Rockefeller himself is as keenly
anxious as anyone possibly can be to
make sure that the great sum which he is
about to give shall always be used for the
: purposes which he has in mind, and he
has employed the best advice that he
could obtain to ensure this result In the
pending measure.
Through the whole project of the foun-
dation there runs the principle of stimu.
lating rather than replacing self help anc
self reliance. This is a principle which
Mr.. Rockefeller has always followed IL
every one of his phianthropies Thus, the
work of the commission for the eradica.
ton of hookworm has been carried OF
exclusively through state agencies witt
the cooperation of hundreds of physi
clans, and has been made the occasion o1
permanently improving the local health
organizations. The promotion of improved
| tpn nrr md yif,er tn f11a ~
the general education board, which Mr.
| Rockefeller founded and endowed has
| been accomplished by showing through
few farms here and there how 100 neigh
boring farms could double or quadrupls
their products. The endowment of educa.
tcn has stimulated the sense of local re-
sponsibility in like manner, as is shown by
the fact that for about $S,0O0000 con.
tributed conditionally through the gen.
eral education board since 1905, abou
s4o,000,000 has been raised by the institu-
tions in fultillment of the boards condi