The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-10-28
Davitt BaS Resigned
E5iS Seatin Parliament

| irish nationalist member for South
! Mayo, announced in the house of COM
mons today that he would resign to-
morrow as a protest against the Boer
war. Mr.. Davitt denounced the lingo
press and said the war for the meanest
and most mercenery aims would be
known as the greatest crime of the cen
fury. He declared that if he had been
offered home rule and an Irish republic
he would not have accepted them ac-
companied by the condition that he vote
| for war bill.
AS a protest he would ask to be re-
lieved from attendance in the house.
! He had been in the house for five years
! trying to obtain justice for Ireland ana
! ne left it convinced that mo cause of
! justice and right would have the sup
| port of the house unless backed by
! force.
During the debate on the second
reading of the appropriation bill James
| II. DalZiel, liberal member for Kirk
| caldy, expressed the opinion that one
| of the greatest difficulties in arriving
at a settlement with President Kruger
| had been that rightly or wrongly, the
president had believed Mr.. chamberlain.
| the British secretary of state for the
colonies, and Cecil Rhodes were identi-
cal. He added that Mr.. Chamberlain
had given grounds for this belief by
SupprGssing kilograms, WhereupOn the
colonial secretary tartly interviewed say
ing:
Il have never suppressed kilograms.
I have not got them" Mr.. Chamberlain
also denied that he had refused to see
DR.. Montague White the agent of the
| Transvaal who, the colonial secretary
added had never applied for an audi
ence.
The speaker William Court Gully, in
tervened at this juncture and declared
all references to such matters were out
of order.
The pugnacious spirit animating the
public has reached the legislators
Apart from the diversions created by
Mr.. Davitt there was a lively scene in
the house between Brown Clark, radi-
cal member from Caithnes, eX-agent Of
the Transvaal and Major Rasch, con-
sentative member for the south division
of Essex.
Mr.. Clark denied the statement that
he Clark was in the Boer camp at
the time of the fight at Majuba Hill,
and characterized the assertion as a
sample of the Misrepresentation now
prevailing
Major Rasch promptly retorted that
his statement was made on the author
ity of Mr. Clark himself, who told him
so years ago. adding if Mr.. Clark again
denied the statement he, the major,
would take the first opportunity of re-
peating the statement to him outside of
parliament, when he could take what
steps he liked.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, the lib
eral leader, said he desired to again call
attention to the provocation of the sec
rotary of state for the colonies (Mr
Chamberlain during the negotiations,
! and in his speech at Highbury.
Mr.. Chamberlain replied, repudiating
| the intention to be provocative, and
saying he only intended to be plain and
free from ambiguity. He added that he
only followed in the negotiations, the
principles observed by all statesmen
during the past ten or twenty years.
There was a time, he explained, when
diplomacy was regarded as given to
statesmen to enable them to conceal
their thoughts. That might fairly be
called the odd diplomacy which, he
said. II absolutely repudiate."
People" he continued. ARE entitled
to demand a clear expression of views
and he asserted there was never slight
est justification for the statement that
President Kruger had been in doubt"
Mr.. Chamberlain then said: Our
object, methods and determination were
to carry out these objects. 1t was nee
esSary to impress upon President Kru-
ger the seriousness of the step ne was
called upon to take, and the conse
quenceS which would follow any mis-
take on his part. 1t was not decirable to
include this in an official dispatch COL
lated with suggestions and indications
of opinion, but semi official warning
was frequently conveyed in a speech.
A similar warning was given by Lord
Salisbury to the sultan at the Guild
hall banquet, and | am still absolutely
unreDentant.
Respecting today's speeches, they
are simply a rechauffe of old argu-
mentS from Irish members whose boast
is that they are England's enemies,
and from the radicals who, in principle,
oppose the war.
Regarding Mr.. Davitt, Mr.. Chamber
lain said he recognized that he had
hitherto discussed the matter moder-
ately but sincerely. And" he added,
Il would pay the greatest attention to
his arguments if l did know he would
use precisely the same arguments in
regard to any British war which are
based on his ennity to England Mr..
Chamberlain then said:
What would have been the Irish ar
gument in the Spanish American war
in which Spain showed herself infinite
" less capable of defending herself
than tine TransvaaP'--
Here William Redmond, Parnellite
member for East Glare. shouted: The
Transvaal did not blow up your war
ships
Mr.. Chamberlain continued: THE
great, almost determining contest be-
tween the United States and Spain was
fought without the loss of a single
American.
1--WE have never denied that the
Transvaal was a foeman worthy of
our steel Not only was the disparity
between the forces in tie Spanish
American war as great as those now en-
gagged, but the contention of the United
States and their right of interference
arose from the fact that at the same
distance from their territories there
was oppression, not of American citi-
zens, but of another race and people,
and justified the intervention of the
United States in the mind of the civil
lied world, or at any rate, in the eyes
of Englishmen and Irishmen.
But we are interfering in behalf of
our own people. 1t is perfectly certain
that Mr.. Davitt, but for his hatred of
England would Sympathize with US as
he does with America"
Mr.. Chamberlain then replied to the
criticism of his not accepting the me-
6iation of Mr.. Hofmeir, the Afrikander
leader. pointing out that while he be-
lieved Mr. Hofmeir was sincere, yet he
could not forget that when President
Kruger made absolutely illusory pro-
posals for a settlement" Mr.. Hofmer
was perfectly ready to accept them.
President Kruger misled Mr.. Hofmeir
in promising him proposals which diff
fered materially from those he really
presented.
''There has been on the part of the
TransvaaI crookedness altogether in
comprehensive if they desired "a settle
ment," continued Mr.. Chamberlain. Il
believe that from first to last President
Ir.,,rrn1. 1,c51cc,- intandnd To give anY-