The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-09
DAVIS DEFENDS THE B0ERS.
ASSERTS TUE RIGHTEoUsNEss Oc
THEIR BRAVE STRUGGLE.

Immense ThrOng of Auditors Heard
His Appeal in Their BehnIf-says
They Were Forced Into the Quar-
rel by the BritIsh-Dcnies THAT
They Have Outraged the White
FIag-Crowd Would Not DenOunce
the Administration.
Washington. April s.-An immense au-
dience gathered at the Grand Opera House
tonight to listen to an address on the war
in South Africa from the Hon. Webster
Davis. ex-Assstant Secretary of the In
terror, who has just returned to the
United States from that country.
Every available bit of standing room I'M
the Opera House, the largest auditoriun
in Washington. was filed with auditors.
who paid close attention to every word
uttered by the speaker and manifested
their appreciation of his telling points
with frequent and generous applause. sins
pie decorations Of the United States flag.
and the red. white and black bars with
the field of green, the emblem of the Beers.
were suspended over tho stage.
A score or more of public men, mainly
senator's and representatives. in Congress.
/ those In the audience, were the followings
Senators Clay, Daniel, Teller, Bacon, AL
/ len and Mason. and Representatives Tall
bert. Jett Littleheld, Ridley. Robinson on
Indiana, Burke of Texas. Ball, Gilberts
Latimer. Cox of Tennessee, Cowherd,
Clark of Missouri, Bartholdt and Sha-
! frath.
Mr.. Davis was introduced by Mr.. P. T-
Moran, the chairman of the Executives
Committee who made a few Introduce
! tory remarks. Mr.. Davis delivered his re-
marks in an off-hand, easy style. referr-
ing to his notes only occasionally, and
mainly when 1t was necessary to read am
extract from some document or Speech
He spoke for about two hours and at it's
close was warmly congratulated.
The Pioneers of Freedom.
The Beers of South Africa said Mr..
| Davis. "are among the pioneers of free-
don-heroes of civil and religious liberty.
/ They were the torch bearers who blazed
the pathway for civilization through the
prlmeval forests of the southern part of
that great dark continent, which has been
the marvel of the ages. No country in
all the world contains a nobler race OF
men and women; the descendants, too, of
the heroic Netherlanders, who, under Will
lam the Silent, wrested the Independence
OF Holland from the haud of the Spanish
| tyrant No people in all the worlds his
tory have made more valiant effort TO
secure liberty for future peoples than they.
And no people have endured more hard
ships In the cause of liberty and equality
of rights than they. Indeed, it was and
is their unconquerable love for liberty that
has caused all their troubles"
Years ago, Mr.. Davis continued the
| Beers planted the seed, of liberty in the
| fertile valleys of the Cape Of Good Hope,
| xyb no n
as early 1906 when the colony passed
into the hands of England. Soon there
after III feeling arose between Briton and
| Boer Mr. Davis entered upon an ex-
haustive review of the relations between
the Beers and the British government from
that time to the present. He described
the great trek" northward after the
emancipation of their slaves the founda-
ton of the republic Of Natal and its abb
sorption by England 'and the rise of the
South African republic. England's acqui-
siton of the diamond fields at Kimberley
Mr.. Davis characterized as a transaction
| without a parallel "for cupidity, dishonor
and injustice" OF the material growth
of the Dutch republic Mr.. Davis said:
''Citles with all the modern improves
ments sprang up on che veldt and in the
valleys as If by magic, and everywhere
the church and school house told the
story OF the peoples progress. 1t is no
wonder the Beers became intensely proud
! of their homes in the Orange Free State
| and the Transvaal and well may they
feel that pride, for they have their homes
| In one of the erandest belts of valley
mountain and plain that the world has
In IL.
'In the light OF the past history of the
| rise and fall of empires, of the sad wrecks
of proud and naughty nations, who hated
Justice and honor and right, but loved
! tyranny oppression and wrong. that ara
| strewn along the pathway of the cen-
turies cannot but believe that God has
intended that in the two South Africau
republics liberty and equality of rights
| shall prevail, and the rugged. brave-heart-
ed God-fearing Beers shall be forever
free.
Period of Peace Broken.
"But finally this period Of peace ana
rest was broken by the discovery of gold
| In the Transvaal. Then It was that the
| British government determined to seek a
pretext for obtaining control of the rtch-
est gold fields in che world, as il had be-
| fore secured the richest diamond fields.
| That this IS the real cause for the present
| war no one can doubt who will but listen
| to the frequent remark made by English-
| men in South Africa, as well as in Eng
land, that the gold mines in the Trans
vaal are worth fighting for, and we are
| going to keep on fighting until we get
them The British love for gold Is pro-
| verbal. Wherever gold has been discov-
| cred, there the BRUSH nave turned n
| wistful and longing eyle. When gold was
discovered in Alaska. only a few years
| ago It VIII be remembered how quickly
an effort was made to extend the Cana
| dian line far enough westward to take
in the gold fields. And no doubt had the
| British government not been anticipate
| ing the present troubles over the gold
fields in the Transvaal there would have
| been trouble on the part Of the United
States government in keeping control of
the gold fields in Alaska"
| Referring TO the jameson raid and cer-
| tain incidents connected with It, Mr.. Da-
| Wis asked
"How long would the people OF our re-
| public stand It II foreigners from any
| country in the world were 20 come here
and after getting rich in our gold mines
| would undertake 70 control our govern
| ment. and failing 90 do so would endeavor
! to destroy III
| "No himsier pretext for robbery and
| he mic r.T-