The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1900-05-31
TKEBOER DELEGATES
Call Upon the President and Ask for
Intervention.
He CONFIRMS SEC. HAYS ANSWER
The ENJOYS VIII Address Public Meet
ings and Undertake to Arouse Pop
ular Feeling for Their Cause.

Washington, D. C.-Special-
Messrs. Vessels, Fischer and Wolmar-
ans, the Beers ENJOYS, who are now
in this country, visited the White
House at 10 o'clock according to pre-
vious arrangemnt, to pay their re-
spects to the president. No official
status was given the visitors and they
presented no credentials.
The ENJOYS were received in the
Blue parlor, no one being present but
themselves, the president and Secre
tary Cortelyou. The conversation
touched upon varienty Of subjects.
The Beers talked about Washington:
told how they admired the city, and
| the president escorted them to the
porch at the rear Of the executive man
sion, where a splendid view is obtain
able of the Washington mcument and
the Potomac river. President Krugers
name finally was mentioned and the
visitors then stated their purpose in
coming to this country. They said
they understood that what Secretary
Hay told them yesterday was final and
that the position of the Unied States
was that this country could not inter-
fere in the political struggle in South
Africa. The president confirmed this
view. He said the action he took some
time ago (when at the request Of the
government Of the Transvaal that this
government should intervene, he Of
fered his good Office to England to
bring about peace) he did with great
pleasure in the hope that it might pos
sibly bring the conflict to an end. This
offer had been declined by Great
Britain, and, he said, there was nothing
further that the United States could
do in the premises.
The state department does not ex-
pect to have any communication with
the Beer delegation. Such interchange
as occurred was purely unofficial, it is
stated. If the Beer delegates had any
credentials giving them an official
status they failed to present them, or
even to mention them. Having had
reason to :icipate the declination Of
the United States government to in
tervene in behalf Of their republics.
and having thus failed in the primary
object Of their mission to the United
States, it is surmised that the delegates
refrain from endeavoring to establish
a diplomatic character in order to re-
duce the liability of interruption in thu
propaganda they are about to conduc;
in the country at large. Although the
United States government has, beyond
doubt, the power to stop this prcpa-
ganda at any point and dismiss the
delegates from the United States, yet
i can be stated there is no likelihood
of any such action being taken so long
as the agitation is conducted by private
individuals. But it is said at the state
department the precedent established
in the case Of Genet, the agent sent to
this country by French revolutionists,
would require the government to pre-
emptorily stop the prosecution by fully
accredited diplomatic agents CT bel
ligerent nation, Of efforts to aid their
cause within the United States through
public demonstrations.
1t is evident that the delegates made
a deep impression upon our officials,
and it is said that it was only the plain
demands of neutrality as laid down in
Secretary Hays response to the Boer
representations, that prevented the re-
turn of an answer that would have
been much more satisfactory to them.
The delegates were disappointed at the
response made by Secretary Hay, in
dicating that up to the last moment
they had cherished hope that the
United States government would be ia
vorably moved. Now. however. that
the answer is returned, it is expected
that the delegates will go at once about
the second branch CT their business and
begin a series OF mass meetings and
public demonstrations in the principal
cities of the United States with view
to effecting public sentiment and per-
haps indirectly influencing the terms Of
peace which will conclude the present
war. 1t is gathered that the Beers are
ready at the last extremity to sacrafice
everything for which they have here
tofore contended to let in the Uit-
landers to equal privileges with native
Beers in the Transyaal and Free State:
to abandon the much-talked-of dyna-
mite monopoly, and in fact to make
any concession, il the victorious Brit
ish will but allow them independence.
and they hope that the American peo-
pie will bring so much moral pressure
to bear upon the English that this OBJ
iect can be attained.