The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-26
Step a Protest to
South African
Warfare.
CHAMOERLAIN'S new DEFENCE.
Says England Follows Ex-
ample of United States
in Cuba.

London, Oct. 25.-Michael Davitt
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
During the debate on the second read
ing of the appropriation bill James H.
Dalzell, liberal member for the Kirkaldy
district. expressed the opinion that one
of the greatest difficulties in arriving at
a settlement with President Kruger had
been that, rightly or wrongly, the pres
ident had believed Joseph Chamberlain,
the British secretary of state for the
colonies, and Cecil Rhodes were identi-
cal in purpose. He added that mir.
Chamberlain had given grounds for this
belief by suppressing kilograms, where
upon the colonial secretary tartly in
tarvened, saying; Il have never sup
pressed kilograms. I have not got
them
Mr.. Chamberlain also denied that he
had refused to see Montague White,
the agent of the Transvaal. who, the
colonial secretary added, had never APP
piled fer an audience.
The speaker, William Court Gully, in
tervened at this iuncture and declared
that all references to such matters were
out Of order.
Mr.. Davitts resignation was some
thing Of a coup de theatre, as the Pail
Mall Gazette says that some time ago
he told his intimate friends that he
would take the first opportunity of re-
firing from parliament. 1t is under
stood that Mr.. Davitt will return to Ire
land aad devote himself to literary and
journalistic work.
PUGNAC1OUs SPIRIT.
The pugnacious spirit animating the
public has reached the legislators. APP
parently there was a lively scene in
the house between Mr. Garvin Brown
Clark, radical, ex-agent of the Trans
wall and Maj. Rasch, conservative
Mr.. Clark denied Maj. Rasch's state
ment that he Clark was in the Boer
camp at the time of the fight at Majuba
hill and said the assertion was "a
sample of the Misrepresentation now
prevailing"
Maj. Rasch promptly retorted that his
statement was made. on the authority
of Mr. Clark himself who had told him
so six years ago, adding that if Mr.
Clark again denied the statement he,
the major, would take the first oppor-
tunity of repeating the statement to
him outside of parliament. when he
could take what steps he liked
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, the
former liberal leader in the house, said
he desired again to call attention to
the provocation of Mr.. Chamberlain
the secretary of states for the colonies
during the negotiations and in his
speech at Highbury.
Mr.. Chamberlain replied, repudiating
the intention to be provocative and say
ing he only intended to be plain and
free from all ambiguity He added that
he only followed in the negotiations the
principles observed by all statesmen
during the past 10 or 20 years. There
was a time" he explained, when diplo-
macy was regarded as given to states
men to enable them to conceal their
thoughts. There, that might fairly be
called old diplomacy which I absolute
ly and entirely repudiate."
People, he continued, were entitled to
determine clear exposition of views
and there never had been the slightest
justification for the statesment that
President Kruger had been in doubt.
sEMI-oFFICIAL WARNINGS.
Mr.. Chamberlain then said: "our ex-
PLANTATION of the. methods and determi-
nation were to carry out these objects.
1t was necessary to impress upon Pres
ident Kruger the seriousness of the step
he was called upon to take and the
consequences that would follow any
mistake on his part. 1t was not desir-
able to include in an official dispatch
intentions of opinion, but semi-offlcial
warning was frequently conveyed in a
speech. A similar warning was given
by Lord Salisbury to the sultan at the
Guild house banquet, and 1 am still
absolutely unrepentant"
Regarding Mr.. Davitt, Mr. Chamber
lain said he recognized that he had
hitherto discussed the matter moderate
~ and sincerely, and" he added, IT
would pay the greatest attention to his
argument if l did not know he would
use precisely the same arguments in
relation to the war as are based on his
enmity to England.
What would have been the Irish ar
gument in the Spanish American war.
in which Spain showed herself infinite
ly less capable of defending herself
than the Transvaal?"
Here William Redmond, Parnellite,
shouted: The Transvaal did not blow
up your warshiDs."
QUOTES SPANISH WAR.
Mr.. Chamberlain said: 1.-THE great,
almost determining contest between the
United States and Spain was fought
without the loss of a single American.
We have never denied that the Trans
vaal was foeman worthy of our steel.
Not only was the disparity between the
forces In the Spanish-American war as
great as those now engaged, but the
contention of the United States and
their right Of interference arose from
the fact that at some distance from
their territories there was oppression,
not of American citizens, but of another
race and people and that justified the
intervention of the United States in the
mind of the civilized world, or. at any
rate, in the eyes of Englshmen and
freshmen. But we are interfering in
behalf Of our own people. 1t is per-
fectly certain that Mr.. Davitt. but for
his hatred of English, would side with
us as he did with them"
Mr.. Chamberlain then replied TO the
criticism Of his not accepting the mo
diation Of Mr.. Hofmeyer, the Af~ikan-
der leader, pointing out that while he
believed Mr.. Hofmeyer to be sincere.
yet he could not forget when President
Kruger made absolutely illusory pro-
posals for settlement" Mr.. Iiofmeyel