The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-16
Able Address by Rev.
j. T. Sunderland.
WHAT 1T MEANS TO AMERICA
PRINCIPLES MORE IMPORTANT
THAN COMMERCE.
At Present We Are World Power
for the Promotion of Human
Liberty and Mans
Rights.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
o0Q I2roa dwav

Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
9OS Broadway.
Rev. ]. T. Sunderland, pastor of the
First Unitarian Church, delivered an in
| teresting and instructive address to-day
! on Imperialism as a Peril to the Repub-
! lic." In the course of his remarks he said
What is imperialism? Two definitions
1 may be given. In the more specific and
! limited sense Imperialism is that form OF
| government which seeks to increase Its
/ power and dominion by the conquest Cor
purchase) and annexation of colonies.
ruled without their consent, as Spain
ruled Cuba and the Philippines. as Great
Britain rules India. as France rules = j.
! giers and Madagascar.
I'm the more general and inclusive
sense Imperialism is the rule of any peo-
pie by another without the consent Of the
| ruled. The essence of Imperialism is ruie
from without and not from within. It is
| government imposed upon q people by
! conquest or superior force, and not gov
eminent instituted and maintained itself
/ of its own free will, to secure its own de-
| sired ends.
''Thus we see that Imperialism, so far
! from being republicanism or having any"
! thing in common with republicanism, ii
! the exact opposite Of republication. IN
| its very nature II is the foe and destroyer
of republcanism. One can grow only az
! the other declines One can live only &C
| the other dies. If a republic anywhere
| adopts imperialistic principles or methods
/ just in so far as it does so 1t ceases 10
| be a republic. 1t passes from the rankr
/ of freedom to the ranks of tyranny. j.
| it shall happen to us in this country In
! connection with the exigencies that are
! now upon us as q nation that we snail
! adopt a colonial system or a policy OF
! national expansion which shall be in any
/ degree imperialistfc in character, that is
to say, which shall set out to rule any
! nation or people, large or small, without
! it's consent, or for ends or by methods not
! of its choosing, then, just in so far, we
/ shall Have given up~our republican meth
| DDS and principles.
! us ouln country ready for such a change.
! such a reversal of her past history? For
! one I do not believe 1t. The signs at pres
! ent looking in that direction l believe are
! temporary and passing. What are the ar
! guments used in favor Of Imperialism, or
! a national policy Of expansion by annex
! ing outlying colonies? The one that seems
/ to be urged much more than any other is
/ the necessity of trade. Trade, we are told,
! follows the flag. In order to get the trade
! of the Philippines we must own and r'ile
/ them. In order to secure a wide trade in
the world we must build up a colonial
MAY we dispense with justice for the
sake Of securing trade? May we turn our
+ back upon our republican principles IN or
der to get control of the subject peoples
hupon whom we may force our goods2 No,
to honorable men and Governnients-anG
especially to Republican Government
there is something higher than dollars
and cents: Justice is first honor is first;
government we stand before the world are
first. Dollars and cents are second, and
must be kept second.
fBut for one believe it is not true that
we need to own and govern other coun-
tries in order to secure trade. The coun-
try with which we have the largest trade
of any in the world is England. Is it be-
cause we own England? We have a vast
trade with Germany. Is It because our
flag floats over Germany? We have trade
amounting to $60,000,000 year with Asia.
But we do not own or govern an inch OF
land in Asia.
Philippines and the world in general, the
way to get 1t is not by entering upon
career Of military conquest and Imperial
istic rule of colonies, but by attending to
simple trade conditions. But there are
other arguments in support of an i'm
cessities of trade. One IS that it is time
for us as a nation to get out of our isola-
ton and become a world power. 1 could
inquire whether extending our commerce
over the world, as we are doing, is not
getting out of isolation? What is it to
become a world power? Is 1t to be all
grab or weaker people to conquer? Is
there no other way to become a world
power except by arms or physical force?
Is there no such thing as a world influ-
ence of a moral kind? Suppose we should
set out to become world power in the
direction Of peace and justices and en-
lightenmenti Would not that be worth
our while? Is there any one who doubts
that throughout all our national history
thus 1ar, we nave been the greatest ex-
listing world power for the promotion of
human liberty and the rights of man?
Is this nothing? Shall we relinquish this
to grasp 1T something lower?
There ere even those who tell us that
Dewey's victory shows that it is the wifi
of God that we shall hold and rule the
Philippines. 1t is the will of God If II is
right. Not otherwise / think few nee
pie fully realize what national policy If
imperialism and expansion into distant
parts of the earth involves. It involves a
very large increase in our standing army
Already we are asked to quadrJinIe lnIyr
military strength. raising the number Of
the $4,000 which we have had heretofoSe
1t is estimated that so, 900 Of these I'M mn
soldiers. will be wanted for service
abroad"
The speaker contended also that the
nature of the case will breed endless rings
and jobbery; the men sent abroad 70 az
minister the civil affairs of our colonies
will have to be selected by the political
methods commonly in vogue among I1s
and that means that offices viii be spoils
of party and spoilsmen will be too far
away from home to be watched Then
toe, an imperialistic policy will open the
way, at more points, than we can foresee
to diplomatic complications with otbeII
powers. In conclusion Rev. Sunderland
said:
nation means abandonment of the golden
rule as applying. to nations; abandonment
of the principles of the Declaration of
American Independence; abandonment of
the ideals of our forefathers OF. the revo-
luton abandonment of our whole hun
dred years of advocacy as nation before
the world, that government of the people
for the people and by the people, is the
only right government.
"Said John Sherman, late Secretary of
State, few weeks ago: My hope is that
the Senate will reject the present treaty
and leave the people of the Philippine
Islands free from the shackles of Spain
and the distant domination of the United
States
81 believe that here is the only way.
clear and straight, out of the confusion
the difficulties and the humiliations into
which as a people we have been drawn by
the war and its unforeseen issues. This
right way and the way of imperialism
are before us as. a nation, asking us to
choose between them. Does any one be-
lieving in God and justice and human
freedom doubt what our choice ought to
be? Does any one believing in the Amer
lean people doubt what our choice or ul-
timatum will be?" a