The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-07-21
. o o o o . o o o o o o o 9 . o o .
COMMUNICATIONS
IMPERIALISM.
BY Daniel Gilbert.

1t is refreshing in these days of blind
partisanism to find journal of such wide
influence and circulation as The Call adj
vocating the cause of truth and righteous
ness fearlessly. There is no doubt the
time is near at hand when your position,
SO nobly taken, will be commended and
accepted by all loyal Americans regard
less of party name I felt it my duty as
an Abraham Lincoln Republican to write
you this open letter and encourage II pos
sible your patriotic work.
Many utterances from pulpit and plat
form at this anniversary time of our ma
tional independence must cause all can
did, liberty loving people to stop ana re-
fleet as to their meaning. Is it possible
that we have been celebrating in spirit
and in truth our national birthday? If
our words accord with the Declaration
OF Independence, then We have surely
been celebrating the day in the same
spirit as intended by 1.-The fathers" But,
strange to say, there are some who have
been "set apart to preach the gospel of
peace" who had no comforting words of
the Lord and Master to offer, but instead
breathing of the sword and slaughter"
To be more explicit, a body of minis
tiers met In San Francisco on July 3, 1899,
ana proclaimed themselves in favor of
bloody Imperialism of the number
going so far as to even applaud our
noble Californian, James Jeffries"; an
other member of the meeting said that
the Lord Jesus Christ is behind the bay
onet A prominent member of society,
not church member, after reading the
account of the meeting, said to the
writer: can. you wonder the churches
are growing lean and poor when such
enunc1atonS come from clergymen? %
And then he said ''I could never be in
duced to join church with a pastor who
could preach such a damnable doctrine
as these men profess to believe. Christ
nowhere taught such doctrine as that.
The speaker was correct, for. Christ no
where taught such a doctrine as pro-
claimed by this Monday meeting of min
listers. There is a terrible responsibiility
proclaim the gospel of Christ.
On Sunday, July 2, many pulpits took
up Expansion and Imperialism some
idea. One speaker is reported to have
said, America is destined ere long to
rule the world; God speed the day etc.
On the Fourth of July some orators up
held extreme views Of imperialism even
to extended conquests in Asia, etc.
Can it be that We are living in the land
of Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln?
Can it be that we as people have for
gotten and desire to forever forget the
Declaration of Independence? CAS- one
imperialist said on the Fourth of July,
1T is a musty old document and should
be placed on the retired list.'D Can it be
that we are ready to trample the Bible
under foot and try to blot out Christ and
his teachings? 1 do not believe it.
believe that when the heat of an unholy
and unpatriotic impulse has spent itself
1.-The great majority will see the dangers
of such course and reason and right will
assert sway. 1 cannot believe that the
masses have gone crazy and are ready to
fight for conquest and power. No! not It
cannot be. This is-this must be liberty
loving America, the land of the free and
the home of the brave, in that we desire
the happiness, freedom and well being of
other peOples-thOse who ask for and are
able to sustain a free government of their
own.
/, To the churches comes the question of
Serious Importance: Do you expect to
carry the sword in one hand and the Bible
in the other and convert a people to
Christ? With homes burned a land de-
vastated, thousands of fathers and sons
slain, can that appeal to the living Fill
pino that we are humane and Christian
people and that through us they can find
help and salvation worth having? Would
1t not be cruel mockery in the ears of a
people to listen to missionaries from such
a nation? Stop and think on these
things