The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-22
Hay Sees Mckinley First.

The secretary of state was more COM
municative, but before making any
statement, made his way to the White
House and consulted the president.
Then he gave out through his secretary
the following statement:
'Messrs. A. Fischer, c. Vessels and
Mr.. A. d. Wolmarens, the delegates in
this country of the South African re-
publics, called today by appointment at
the state department, They were cor
daily received and remained with the
secretary of state for more than an
hour. They laid before the secretary
at much length and with great energy
and eloquence the status of the con-
troversy in South Africa, and the de-
sire of the Boer republic that the
United States should intervene in the
interest Of peace and use its efforts to
that end with the British government.
VIII Maintain Neutrality.
The secretary of state made the fol-
lowing reply:
The president, in his message TO
congress last December said: This
government has maintained an atti-
tude of neutrality in the unfortunate
contest between Great Britain and the
Boer states of Africa. We have re-
manned faithful to the precept of avoid
ing entangling alliances as to affairs
not of our direct concern. Had cir
cumstances suggested that the parties
to the quarrel would have welcomed
any kind expression of hope of the Am
erican people that the war might be
averted, good offices would have been
gladly rendered.
=" AS the war went on the president,
while regretting the suffering and the
sacrifices endured by both of the COM
batants, could do nothing but pre-
serve strict neutrality between them.
This he has steadily and conscien-
tiously done, but there never was a
moment when he would have neglected
any favorable occasion to use his good
offices in the interests of peace.
ION the 10th of last March we re-
ceived from Mr.. Hay, the United States
consul at Pretoria. this telegram: i
am officially requested by the govern
ments of the republics to urge your in
tervention with a view to cessation OF
hostilities. Same request made to rep
resentatives of European powers"
The president at once directed me
to convey the substance of this tele-
gram to the British government, and in
communicating this request / was di-
rected by him to express his earnest
hope that a way to bring about peace
would be glad to aid in any friendly
manner to promote so happy a result
The Transvaal government was at the
same time informed of the president S
action in the matter.
"'OuF representative in London
promptly communicated the president S
instruction to Lord Salisbury. In an
swer he was requested to thank the
president for the friendly interest
shown by him and Lord Salisbury ad-
ded that her majesty's government
could not accept the intervention OF
any power. This communication also
was Immediately transmitted to our
consul at Pretoria, to be communicated
to the president Of the South African
republic. So far as we are informed
the United States was the only govern
ment in the world of all those APP
preached by the South African repub-
lies which rendered its good offices to
either of the cOmbatants in the inter
est of cessation of hostilities.
Quoted Hague Agreement.
LAS allusion has been made to The
Hague conference, and as action hao
been suggested based upon that in
strument, il may be as well to quote q
phrase from article 3, which states
"Powers stranger to the dispute may
have the right TO offer good offices OF
mediation even during the course OF
hostilities;" and article 8, which says
1.-THE functions of the mediator are al
an end when once it is declared, either