The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-06
TOM DIXON
LAST NIGHT
He Made a Red Hot Glowing
War Speech.
he FAVORS ANNEXATION
AND BELIEVES THE DESTINY OF
AMERICA IS TO KEEP ALL
TERRITORY CONQUERED.
he FAVORS ANNEXATION
AND BELIEVES THE DESTINY or,
CANNOT TAKE DOWN THE FLAG
Neither Man nor Devil can Take Down TIN
American flag from Any Place Over
Which il Waves.

WHICH IL VdVCss
Tom Dixon spent yesterday in Raj
eigh. Everybody calls him Tom
Dixon" just as they did when just
twenty-one years old he came down to
Raleigh as member of the Legislature
from Cleveland county. He was as
thin then as now, and wore his HAIR
just as longperhaps little longer. lie
parted his hair on the side then; now
he parts it in tht. middle. That's about
the only difference between the Tom
Dixon then and the Tom Dixon now.
He was always a noted fellow. he
was born with ideas that would not let
him run in ruts. As Il boy. he waSn't
satisfied to spin his top like other boys
He had to lash it To make it go Il diff
ferent way out to spin faster. At Wake
Forest College it was long debated
whether he would go to the top or 81
to the deyil-not that he was bad or
vicious. but he had something in him
that made students and faculty know
he could do nothing commonplace, and
could not be mediocre. He won
medals at college, not because he did not
have strong competitors, but because aais
genius was simply overtowering. The
other boys were just mot in it" as slang
now goes.
He was licensed to practice law and
was beginning to succeed in the good
town of Shelby when he got religion
MS the old fashioned saying has it. He
couldn't join the church quietly and go
about his new life in the ordinary man
ner. He wasn't built that way. He
was deeply convicted" powerfully con
yerted," and s.sensibly called" to preach
the gospel. He could have no half way
measures. If he was to practice law
and go into politics, he was ready to 20
in with his whole heart and win. If
he was to be a Christian. he must make
q full surrender of temporal duties, and
go into the ministry. He announced his
intention of preaching in a characteristic
letter insisting that a man could not be
a politician and Christian, but he af
forwards explained that by saying that
he didn't think it possible for him.
The Second Baptist church. Raleigh.
soon called him from his first charge
at Goldsboro. While at Goldsboro. he
woke up the town. lyon just can't saw
lumber while Tom Dixon is preaching
y
saying that when Tom Dixon preached
you could think of nothing else but
his preaching From Goldsboro. the elo-
quent young preacher came to Raleigh
He revolutionized the church. changed
its name to the Tabernacle. and every
Sunday afternoon the church was pack
ed to hear him. He shot M into the
heavens like n meteor. At the Baptist
State convention he preached wonder
full sermon. but some of the brethren
said it was not orthodox. That didn't
trouble Tom a bit. He believed in it and
that was enough.
Raleigh was not long to keep him.
Already he had his eyes on New York.
He accepted call to Boston. won sue
cess there, and later went to his proper
field in New York. He fits New York
and New York fits him.
From the first this brilliant young
preacher has been in the first ranks OF
advocates of the freedom Of Cuba and
his church in New York has been the
rallying ground for patriots who believe
in Cuban independence. He believes in
America taking and holding all the
islands it needs. and if necessary 10
take Madrid itself. Speaking on ''The
History of Manila" in preface to
sermon. he said:
at was an overwhelming answer TO
the American snob and croaker. We
have a group of loud-mouthed toadies
to foreign ideas who have wearied our
ears with sneers ut everything American
during the past decade. TO hear them.
we had no navy, no commanders. no
guns that would shoot no ships that
would foat and no arinor that could
stand the first crash of a genuine foreign
built shell. Manila is the answer. Let
the toady who has been eating the bread
of Democracy and fawning at the feet
OF titled fools now migrate to Madrid
where his spirit will he appreciated
rms IS only the first skirmsh The fu-
lure VIII send every warship that flies
the Spanish flag to the bottom of the
sea. in spite Of the chatter Of the few
drlveling idiots who edit our Harper's
Weeklies and gravely continue to warn
MS that "all war is crime and barbarism.,
We will continue to add the names of
distinguished Criminals to the roll If
immortality among whom are Washing
ron. Lafayette, Grant, Farrlgut and
Dewey.
And we vii continue to love war
rior above all other heroes in spite tf
me moral idiot who cries for peace at
any-prlce. and can not distinguish right
from wrong. We love warrior not
because he kills. but because his busi-
ness is to die for his country and his
fellow-man. We don't rejoice over the
number Of Spaniards killed and woun.l-
ed at Manila. The secret of our national
exhultation is found in n larger thought.
The shrek of the shells from our ships
sang the battle-cry Of freedom in one
OF the fouiest slave-pens of the Orient.
we are teaching the music Of human
liberty to ears and hearts that never
heard it before!
That battle makes the founding of
world empire Of the common people a
certainty. Washngton's farewell ad-
dress has been overworked nv modern
pharisees. hypocrites and traitors. That