Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-04-03
WILL AID THE Beers
Webster Davis Returns From
His Trip to South Africa.
whilo at Pretoria Ho became CONVEX
to tho Cause of tho Struggling Beers and
Will Resign as Secretary of tho Interior
to Assist Them.
tBy Telegraph to virginlan. Fllot)

tBy Telegraph to Virginlan- Fllot.)
Washington. April 2-Webster Davis,
Assistant Secretary of the Interior, who
has just returned from South Africa,
to-day announces his withdrawal from
the Department and prepared letter
of resignation for submission to the
President. to take effect very shortly.
He will go on the lecture platform in
the interest of the Beers. MIR. Davis
says that as n result of his visit to
the Transvaal he feels impelled to ten
Ger his resignation as Assistant Sec
rotary of the Interior. He will at an
early date deliver a lecture In this city
IN the interests of the South African
Republics. Mr.. DAVIS feels that this
Is the best way to rouse the enthusi-
asm of the American people in behalf
OF those Republics anu awaken atlcn-
ton to the justi-e of their cause.
Mr.. Davis decided to resign because
OF the acceptance Of an invitation to
deliver lecture OH the South African
war, and he felt that as an official. he
could not express his views with such
freedom as he could as q private cti-
zen. The invitation was extended by
nom partizan citizens of Washington,
and was not inspired in any way by
persons directly connected with Boer
A MATTER OF SYMPATHY,
ut is purely matter of sympathy
on my part went to South Africa I'M
prejudiced. visited botn armies, saw
much of the British soldiers and people,
and also much of the Beers. After see
ing what L did, 1 made up my mind
that the cause OF the Beers was just;
that the two smallest Republics in the
world were struggling against the
greatest empire in the world for JUS
tice and independence. The struggle
seemed to me very unequal. The whole
number of Beers. including men, wo-
men and children. is not greater than
the population of the city of Washing
ton, and yet these brave people have
the courage to put up the greatest fight
In history against an empire of four
hundred millions. I concluded at once
that my Sympathies were with those
struggling for liberty. and l feel that
the American people should sympathze
with them in their fight for justice and
independence.
APPEALS OF THE BOERS.
when I entered the train at Pre-
toria. on my return home, fully 1000
men and women, mostly women, whose
husbands and fathers and sons were at
the front. gathered at the station to
bid me goodbye, and as the tears roll
ed down many of their faces, they
made the last request of me that I do
| everything within my power upon my
return home to let the American peo-
pie know of their exact condition: to
let them know how they had been
abused and outrageously miSrepresent-
cd by the English. The English COR
respondents have no trouble in getting
their dispatches over the cable lines,
as they are controlled absolutely by the
British, and 1t Is impossible for infor-
nation regarding the situation from
the Beers standpoint to reach the
American people. If 1 did not as
free American, decide to listen to their
appeals my conscience would burn and
the faces OF those suffering people. as
brave and as noble as God ever let live
in any land, would haunt me as long
as live. ] am, therefore, determined
to do everything in my humble way to
assist them. Their cause is just, and
in God is their trust; and. in the light
of the past history of the. American
people, who went through the same
struggle, believe the Beers will WIN"
THE PROPER THING.
Mr.. Davis was asked what course he
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 civili-
cation. We should let the world know
that such an unholy war should STOP
and stop at once"
Mr.. Davis. since his return to this
country. has had numerous invitations
| to deliver lectures, but has so far de-
cided to accent only that extended by
the citizens of Washington. This lee
rure probably will be delivered next
| Sunday night
CONFERENCE WITH M'KINLEY.
| Mr.. Davis denied that he brought
| with him n communicat ton to this gov
| eminent from President Kruger. He
| admitted. however, that ne had had
| several conferences with President Nc
| Kinley, but declined to make public
| what had passed between them.
When asked as to whether he would
| go on the stump during this campaign
| in the interest Of the Republican party,
Mr.. Davis said that he did not care to
| look into the future. and that all he
had within sight at present was his
lecture In Washington. He had no
criticisms to make in regard to the ad-