The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-03
WANTS SYMPATHY FOR B0ERS.
WEBSTER DAVIS WILL RESIGN TO
PRESENT THEIR CAUSE.


the Two Struggling Republics
Which Are Putting Up the Great-
est Fight I'm History-Americans
should Do Everything They Can,
i4e Says, 10 Let the World Know
They Side with the Boers.
Washington, April 2.-Webster Davis.
assistant secretary of the interior who
has just returned from South Africa to-
day. announced his withdrawal from the
department, and prepared a letter of res4
ignation for submission to the President
to take effect very shortly. He will go ON
the lecture platform in the interest of tha
Beers.
Mr.. Davis says that as a result of hIs
visit to the Transvaal he feels impeiled
to tender his resignation as assistant sec-
retary OF the interior. He will at an early
date deliver lecture in this city In the
interest of the South African republics.
Mr. Davis feels that this is the best way
to arouse the enthusiasm of the Ameri-
can people in behalf OF those republics
and awaken attention to the justice Of
their cause.
Mr.. Davis decided TO resign because Of
the acceptance of an invitation to deliver
lecture on the South African war, and
he felt that as an official he could not ex-
press his views with such freedom as he
could as a private citizen. The invitation
was extended by non-partisan citizens of
Washington and was not inspired In any
way by persons directly connected with
Boer interests.
Purely u Matter of Sympathy.
Mr. Davis said to-day:
1T as purely matter of sympathy on
my part. 1 went to South Africa unprejs
| udiced, visited both armies, saw much of
the British soldiers and people, and also
much of the Beers. After seeing what
+ did, | made up my mind that the cause oG
the Beers was just, that the two smallest
republics in the world were struggling
against the greatest empire in the world.
| for justice and independence. The strug-
gle to me seemed very unequal The
whole number of Beers, including men.
women and children, is not greater than
the population of the city of Washington,
| and yet these brave people have the cour-
age to put up the greatest fight in history
| against an empire of 100000 600. l con-
| cluded at once that my sympathies were
with those struggling for liberty, and T.
| feel that the American people should
| sympathlZe with them in their fight for
| justice and Independence
when entered the train at Pretoria,
! on my return home, fully 1000 men and
women, mostly women whose hus-
| bands, fathers and sons were
| at the front, gathered at the sta
| ton to bid me good-by, and as the tears
| rolled down many Of their faces, they
| made the last request of me that l do
| everything within my power upon my re-
turn home to let the American people
know of their exact condition; to let them
| know how they had been abused and out
rageously misrepresented by the English.
E.eeIs n Ia his nufv
THE English correspondents have no
trouble in getting their dispatches over
the cable lines. as they are controlled abb
solutely by the British, and while II Ia
impossible for information regarding the
situation from the Beers standpoint to
reach the American people, IL did not,
a free American citizen, decide to-
listen to their appeals. my conscience
would burn and the faces of those suffer-
ing people, as brave and as noble as God
ever let live in any land, would haunt me
as long as l live. am, therefore, de-
termined to do everything in my humble
way to assist them. Their cause is just
and in God Is their trust, and in tha
light of the past history of the American
people who went through the same strug-
gle / believe the Beers will win"
Mr. Davis was asked what course ha
would have the people OF this country
pursue in order to assist the Beers. He
replied:
do anything and everything within
their power and let Great Britain and the
world know that the sympathies of the
American people are not with Great
Britain, but with the Boers, and in the
interests of humanity and civilization. We
should let the world know that such am
unholy war should stop and stop at once"
Has Conferred With Mckinley.
Mr. Davis, since his return to this
country, has had numerous invitations to-
g. q l~1 a.
accept only that extended by the citizens
of Washington. This lecture probably
will be delivered next Sunday night.
Mr. Davis denied that he brought With
him a communication to this governments
from President Kruger. He admitteds
however, that he had had several confer
ences with President Mckinley, but de-
clined to make public what had passed
between them.
When asked as to whether he would ga
on the stump during this campaign in the
interest of the Republican party, Mr.. Da-
Wis said that he did not care to look into
the future, and that all he had within
sight at present was his lecture In WASH
ington. He had no criticisms to make In
regard TO the administrations attitude
concerning the war In Africa.
Secretary OF the Interior Hitchcock said
to-day that the announcement of Mr..
Davis intention to resign was a completes
surprise TO him. He had expected that Mr.
Davis would resume MS duties aithOugh
ne had not seen nor heard anything OF
him since his return until to-day when
he was informed that he was to resign.
His Formal Resignation.
Mr. Davis formal resignation was sent
to the White House later in the day
through his private secretary At the
White House no statement was obtainable
concerning the resignation other than the
fact that 1t had been received, and the
officials declined to say whether It would
be accepted.