Response to Liberal Propositions.
By James White
Our several State Conferences have, by unanimous vote, assumed the responsibility of the payment of all debts to this Office for the REVIEW AND HERALD, the Health Reformer, and the Youth’s Instructor. This will be regarded by all as very liberal, and showing a general interest in the cause. But the plan upon which our publishing work is conducted, makes such action on the part of our people simply appear reciprocal, rather than in the light of disinterested benevolence. If our publishing was carried on by one man, or by a firm, who should realize profits from it, any action on the part of our Conferences to be responsible for the payment of our periodicals would be regarded as misplaced benevolence. But the entire property of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association belongs to our people, and not to one man, or any set of men. And those who labor at our publishing house, from the little girl who folds papers to the editors, receive moderate wages. No one connected with the work has received, during the past three years, more than twelve dollars per week. And as prices in general come down, the wages of those connected with the publishing work will also come down. We have asked the brethren in the several States to take an interest in our periodicals in the following particulars:— - To see that they do not go to unworthy persons who neglect to pay for them.
- To see that the worthy poor do receive them, and to take a general interest in a much wider circulation of them.
- To see that those who are able to pay for them, do pay for them, or in case they do not pay, have them discontinued.
- That each Conference become responsible for the payment of all sums due from subscribers within the limits of the Conference, the Association deducting one-fourth on all periodicals sent to the worthy poor, and on all sums due from unworthy persons, who may refuse to pay.
The Association proposes in turn to furnish to the President of each Conference, with proper restrictions, full lists of subscribers for our three periodicals, from time to time, as it may be necessary, and leave it to his judgment, and that of those associated with him in office, who, and how many, should have our periodicals free. It will be left to them to decide, and not the Trustees of the Publishing Association, what names shall be retained upon our lists, and what shall be stricken off. All appeals and requests that our periodicals may be sent free, or at part price, may be referred to the presidents of the several Conferences for their decision. It is, therefore, left to each Conference through its officers to say how many copies of our publications it will pay for, the Association deducting one fourth. In behalf of the Trustees of the S. D. A. Publishing Association, we express sincere and grateful thanks to the several State Conferences for their liberal resolutions touching this important subject, and would here also express ardent desire that the united action of the people of all our Conferences, and the managers of our publishing interests, may very soon place all our periodicals on the strict and prompt pay-in-advance plan. JAMES WHITE.
Pres’t S. D. A. P. A.