The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-05
A PRO-BOER MASS MEETING

A PR0-B0ER MASS MEETING
 NEARLY2 1000 PEOPLE CHEER THI
 SPEAKERS IN UsIC HALL.
 Hon. George M. Van siclen Says This
 Government is Not Maintaining Strict
 Attitude of Neutrnlity-Ciaims Out
 flanders Were Never rTaxed-ComlnIttes
 to be Appointed to Receive Contribu-
 tions to Boer Fund
 The pro-Boer meeting in Music hall last evening was one of the most en- thusiastic gatherings of the kind ever held in the city. All of two thousand people attended, among which number was a plentiful sprinkling of women, and the speakers were flatteringly re- ceived. Hon. Alexander Troup of this city presided and introduced Homer S.. Cummings of Stamford and George w.. Van Siclen of New York as the speak CTS of the evening" Both delivered stir ring addresses in favor of Boer inde- pendence, although MT. Van Siclen con- fined himself more to the statistics of the war, as he called them, and to re- futing the arguments which Great Brit ain has advanced in justification of her course. The sense of the meeting was contained in resolution which was pre- ky fl,r a1,o o.,I read by Chairman Troup. Ii extends the sympathy of the meeting to the Boers and provides for the appointment of a local committee by the chairman of the meeting which shall receive con- tributions for the Boer fund. The reso- lution was unanimously adopted.
 MT. Van Siclen was introduced by Chairman Troup in a stirring speech in which he explained the purpose of the meeting. He said that it was not to declare war upon England, nor to vio- late the neutrality law; it was merely for the purpose of showing and declar- ing their sympathy with the Boers and to wish them the same success in this war as the United States had in the struggle of the Revolution. He said that ninety-nine per cent. of the Amer 1can people would re-echo their wishes Of MT. Van Siclen he said he was in- troducing man whose name had be- come by-word to the American peo- pie because of the stand he had taken in favor of Boer independence
 As the gentleman from New York advanced to the front of the platform he was greeted with tumultuous ap- plause. In his opening remarks he made allusion to MT. Troups statement that his name was a by-word for the American people. He said it had be- come the fashion for Anglo-American newspapers to call man who dared to speak up for his principles demogague unless his daughters had been fortu- mate enough to marry lord. For my part, he said, they may call me dema gogue as much as they please. Under the circumstances I shall esteem it the highest compliment that can be paid me. He said he would not attempt to move the audience by any flight of elo- quence. he would present before them some evidence which he had extracted from the Blue Books of the government of Cape Colony and the English gov ernment. In addition he said that he
  prove.
 The first statement he would make, he said, was that the Uitlanders had never paid one cent of taxes. He knew it was rather sweeping assertion, but witness for it is Joseph Chamberlain himself, according to the London Times | of June IS, 1899. Tn that paper, the speaker said, MT. Chamberlain is quoted as speaking of the great prosperity of | the South African Republic. In it he | says that the revenue for the year has | been very large and the various sources of income are denoted by him. A large 1 part of it. he states, comes from the customs revenues, some comes from licenses. still more comes from railroad receipts, and about G500, 900 of it, MT. Chamberlain states, comes from the output of the gold mines. Not a cent of it, said the speaker, came from taxes on the Utlanders' incomes, property or anything of the sort. railroad tariff such as every body pays for the use of to the road, is not tax
 So much for the question of the Uit- Ianders' taxes. said the speaker. Let LIS next consider the question of his rights. The oath of allegiance in the South African Republic which the Uit- anders were requested to take in order to become citizens is word for word the same as our own constitution. The Uit- anders wouldn't take the oath because in doing so they would have to re- nounce allegiance to the queen. Out side of voting, if they refused to take he oath of allegiance, they had every right of the Boer. We don't let Eng ishmen come over here and vote un- ess they forswear their allegiance to Great Britain. Why should the Uit- anders have any rights in the Trans ,aal if they refused to do the same for he South African Republic? Having disposed of these two ques- ions, which, he said, he considered the most important ones in the considera- ion of England's true motives in the var, the speaker continued as follows: am not the enemy of England. On l1 he contrary, l am her sincere friend. would hail with pleasure the friend hip of the two great countries, the I Hot o,,1 Drift ira, and 1