The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-07
The Rev. Thos. Dixon,s Opinion.

The Rev. Thos. Dixon's Opinion.
The Rev. Thomas Dixon, a sensational
preacher in New York, in a sermon at the
Grand Opera House in that city on sun
day, said that 1t was his opinion that the
senator or representative in Congress who
voted against the annexation Of Hawaii
was guilty Of treason. In connection with
that opinion he said: In Washington
to-day there is a group of men who have
been sent there by the people. They are
supposed to be the honor men Of their re-
spective portions Of the country, but in
some Of these men we again have the pic
ture of the disconsolate old SOutherner.
They are cherishing the past, a criminal
past. These are the men who stand be-
tween our gallant admiral at Manila and
perhaps the lives and safety OF our noble
sailors"
Il is impossible to have patience with
such man as the Rev. Mr.. Dixon. Il is
difficult to believe that he has any patriot
ISM or regard for the truth. His ambition
is to set himself noticed in the newspa-
pers, and thus bring about an increase in
the plate collections at his Sunday serv-
ices. The part he plays in the pulpit is
about like that which the yellow journals
play in the field of journalism.
Why should he Southern man, say
that the Souths past is a criminal
paste" What object could he have had in
making such a baseless statement. unless
it was to advertise himself-to get himself
talked about and thus use the pulpit to
fll his pocket?
The Southern men who are opposing the
annexation Of Hawaii are doing so consci-
entiously They believe that ii would be
an unwise step for this country to ac-
quire territory thousands of miles away
from its shores. The annexation of Ha-
wall means the adoption of a policy to-
tally different from that which has been
followed since the foundation of the re-
public-a policy which the fathers of the
republic tried TO make impossible when
they framed the constitution.
1t has always been the policy of the
United States TO keep free from entang-
ling alliances with foreign governments
to have nothing to do with the balance of
power question, the eastern question and
various other questions which compel the
Old World Powers to maintain great ar
mics and navies at an enormous expense
and the Southern congressman whom the
Rev. Mr. Dixon tries to beHtte believe in
that policy. They think that if the United
States should abandon that policy they
would be adrift upon the wide sea of I'M
certainty, and would be forced eventually
TO take sides on every question which
cause Europe unrest That would mean
a big standing army and powerful navy
If we should annex Hawaii we would
not stop there. We would, in all probable
ity, take permanent possession of the
Philippines and demand our share Of
China in the event of the division of that
empire. The congressman whom the Rev
Mr., Dixon would brand as traitors believe
that the United States can become far
greater by developing the resources they
have within their present limits, than by
grabbing territory thousands of miles dis
tant and containing populations which
could not understand our institutions and
couldn't be assimilated.
These men are not traitors. They are
patriotic citizens anxious to do what is
best for their country. but the Rev. Mr..
Dixon! What is he? What is to be
thought of a man who, to gain a little
brief notoriety, endeavors to smirch the
good name Of the public men from the sec
ton of country in which he was born, and
who strives to excite contempt for the
part which that section has played in the
nations affairs? Is his opinion about any
body or anything valuable? We do not
think it is.