The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-01-01
IMMENSE
PPO-BOER
MEETING
OF United irish Societies Of New
York at the Academy Of
CONGRESSMAN SULzFR ORATOR
Of the on-Eulogizes the Beers
and Compares Them to Our
Rorsfathers.

irish societies OF New YORK ana Vlclh-
i.y alled the Academy Of Music to-
night at mass meeting called to ex-
press sympathy with the Beers and
opposition to England in consequence
of the south African war. Senator
Mason, Of Illinois, Congressman sa'aer
Congressman Cummings, of New York,
and others addressed the meeting.
Justice Fitzgerald, OF the supreme
court, presided. The entire house was
fllled. The proscenlum, the bOxeu and
the balconies we're all decorated with
profuston OF American Aags, the
green Irish emblems. and occasionally
the flags Of the two South African re-
pub1tcg,
Justice Fitzgerald. after calling the
meeting to order, said:
ut is a great honor TO be asked to
speak to this great audience tonight
and to Join in expressing our deep In
dIgnatlon at the unjustiflable war now
being waged by Great Britain upon the
people of the Transvaal, and to give
utterance TO our sentiments Of deep nd
miratIon for the gallant stand being
made by the embattled farmers Of
South Africa in defense of their prop
erty, their lives. their liberties.
"The British colonial ONCE seems to
have, up to this point, made a mistake
in calculating the fighting qualities Of
those farmers. It is said that the coll
onial secretary will send more troops
to Africa. Perhaps when the yeomen,
fox hunters and by the gracious per-
mission of the queen, the duke of Con-
naught, go to the relief of the besieged
troops. England's cup may again be
filed with bitterness.
"Tbe great heart Of the American
people goes out to the people OF the
Transyaal and the Orange Free State.
FAey-SJo Eehtlng for the same prin-
clples, they ure against the same SOW
ereIgn and relocated soldiers that
fought us a century ago and would
aght us tomorrow IL they dared and
thought 1t would benefit them"
Congressman SutEer spoke next. He
said:
81 am not ashamed to have 1t known
that my sympathy is with the heroic
Beers In their resolute endeavOr and
determined effort TO maintain their
homes and their independence against
the piracy and the tyranny of the Brit
ish crown. want to see them win in
this contest because they are right and
deserve to win.
"rhe!r cause Is a just one. No one
can honestly dispute that. They are
defending their homes and repOllIng a
renorseiess invader. Bngland's at
tempt to steal their country is an out
rage, an act of criminal aggression,
and should be condemned By the Chris
tIun powers of the world. In my judg-
ment nIne-tenths OF the American peo-
pie are against England in this matter
and in sympathy with the South At
rIcan patriots. The courage OF the
Beers in the face of tremendous odds
has challenged the admiration of man
kind, and their heroIsm against almost
Insurmountable obstacles has won the
respect Of the civilized world. They
are entitled to our sympathy and we
would be false to ourselves and to all
our history If we did not give 1t to
them,
''The south African patriots are
white men. They are a good deul like
the patriots Of our own Revolution,
They love their homes. their freedom
and their liberty. They come from
good old Saxon ancestors In the north
OF Europe. They are flesh of our flesh
and bone Of our bone. They love free
institutions, the same as We do. for the
sake Of personal liberty. It comes to
them naturally and by inheritance.
Their love Of liberty is not OF a day or
OF a year, but of centuries. They have
never been conquered, and, in my Opin-
ion, no matter what otheFs think. they
never will be.
The story OF the struggles. and the
hardshlps Of these brave men in South
Africa is one OF the saddest pages in
all ristOry.-an impeFishSble heritage
to their hardy aud valOrous dcscend-
ants. No one can impartlalIy read it
without feeling a deep sympathy for
them In their present struggle to main
tain their freedom and independence
against English greed for gold, English
tyranny and criminal British aggres-
sion for land.
''They carved out, unnlded and alone,
their own destiny in the wilds OF the
dark continent. amid unspeakabie
hardshlps and prIvatlons, and gave to
the world civilization as good as our
own. For a century and more, In sum
shine and In storm, these brave peo-
ple plodded on and they builded, like
the fathers OF this republic, better than
they knew. Surrounded by savRges,
hnrassed by wild beasts, visited by fam
inc and scourged by disease. In nll the
long, weury. drcNry years they never
lost hope; they prayed TO God ana never
despaired, Thcy are a simple Chris
tlau people, as honest as they are
brave. They redeemed the wilderness
turned the desert into sweeping fields
of grain made the jungle blossom Ike
rose, and dotted the hills They