On The Phillipines

Rev. J. W. Bradshaw Preaches a Thanksgiving Sermon.

HE OPPOSES ANNEXATION

And Says We Are Pledged to Abstain From It.

We Are Bound to the World Not to Pursue a Policy of Territorial Aggrandizement. - Rev. Henry Tatlock Takes a Different View of It.

Rev. J. W. Bradshaw in his sermon at the Union Thanksgiving service at the M. E. church took for his text the words "For ye have not passed this way heretofore" found in Joshua iii, 4. The sermon dealt with the questions of the day, principally with the annexation of the Phillipines to which he is strongly opposed. Among other things he said :

It is barely a year since we entered into the conflict with Spain upon the avowed grounds, declared before the world of humanity and righteousness. Had this not been the purpose of the president and congress before the war was begun, the people would never have sanctioned it.
Yet, scarcely have six months elapsed, when some of the people, intoxicated by victory and having once tasted the "gore" of territorial aggrandizement, as in the case of the tiger cub, who was taken from its mother and partially tamed, having tasted blood returns to its wild instincts, so a large number of thoughtless men of this country, forgetting our promises, our high aims and purposes of humanity, justice, Christianity and love of liberty are resorting and urging this government on to battle for conquest and acquisition of property to enrich ourselves, make markets for traffic by despoiling other nations of what belongs to them.
Those who desire to apologize for these wrong acts, say that when this war began they did no realize the new conditions that would turn up. Duty and right is the same yesterday, today and evermore. The capturing of Manila raises no new question in the cause of humanity Here is the voucher on this subject by our chief magistrate:
"The splendid victories achieved would be our eternal shame and not our everlasting glory if they led to the weakening of our original lofty purpose." (Auditorium address.)
Mr. Bradshaw warned his hearers that the unholy course we are adopting in this matter, if continued will surely result in our own downfall and cited the powerful countries of old who by an aggressive policy of conquest have fallen, Syria, Egypt, Carthage. Rome, and Spain itself, and others
He said that leaving aside the question of honor, justice and humanity it would be ruinous policy for this country to desire possession of the Phillipines. 
That those islands contain between 8,000,000 and 10,000,000 of people, over 3,000,000 of whom have never been under subjection to Spain ; that we have possession of but one or two forts; that the inhabitants of those is lands have a right to decide what form of government they desire ; that many of them desire the right of self decision in that matter, and that the only way this government can possess itself o those islands would be by war and subjugation.
But above all let this nation be, at least, truthful before the world.
Let us not put on the robe of sanctity and righteousness and rob these people in the name of humanity If robbing Spain of the Phillipines an the Philipos of their rights for self government is our aim, let us be, at least manly enough to recognize it and not add hypocricy to our other unjust acts.

Some people assert that it is the will of God that the American people shall possess these islands for the purpose of christianizing them.
God does not us instruments and agencies to further his cause, by the adopting of dishonorable methods. God will take care of his part. Let us do our duty honorable having justice and right ever before us for our part.

Mr. Bradshaw, also, reminded his hearers that this nation is not qualified by its past record from attaching to itself foreign and alien hall civilized people ; that our dealings with the Indian is a series of a century's wrong and broken treaties.
Our humanity toward them is expressed in the well known saying, "a dead Indian is the only good Indian"

Rev. Henry Tatlock in the course of his sermon at St. Andrew's church took an opposite view of the matter from Mr. Bradshaw. He welcomed the acquisition of the Phillipines as an opportunity for the good of humanity, but spoke strongly of the need of reform in the civil service and the keeping in office of trained men as governmental servants that the government might be the better administered.