Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-04-09
SYMPATHY FOR Beers.
Washington People Respond to
Davis Speech.
AUDIENCE FRIENDLY TO BRITAIN.
Glad to Show Sympathetic Feeling For
Burghers, but Averse to Denouncine
EnglaDd--Chairman Moran Kissed Foi
Attack on Administration.

WASHINGTON, April Am immense
audience at the Grand Opera house lis
tened to an address ON the war in South
Africa from the Hon. Webster Davis
ex-assistant secretary Of the interior,
who has just returned TO the United
States from that country They mani
tested their appreciation Of his telling
points with frequent and generous ap
plause. A score or more of public men
mainly senators and representatives in
congress, occupied seats on the atage and
in the audience, among whom Y IRE the
following: Senators Clay. Daniel Teller
Bacon, Allen aud Mason, and Representa-
tives Talbert, Jet, Littlefield, Ridgely
and others
Referring to the Jameson raid ana
certain incidents connected with it, Mr.
Davis asked:
"How long would the people of om
republic stand it if foreigners from any
country in the world were to come here
and after getting rich in our gold mine.
would undertake to control our govern
ment and failing to do SO would en-
deavor to destroy it
tNo tlimsier pretexu for robbery and
murder ever emanated from the wicked
est .binet h e. ope in It's palmiest days
than the British demand for a fve-yca
franchise in the South African republic
If this demand were granted not an Eng
lishman in the Transvaal would renounce
allegiance to the queen and swear eternal al
legiance to the oVernmont Of the South Afri
can republic rs against the British govern
ment, The idea was to obtain the power e
control the government of the republic and a.
the same time remain British subjects. WHIT
ever before heard of such a proposition
| Would the citizens Of the United States b.
| willing to allow British subjects or the sub
| Jects of any other power to come here anc
control our own elections and our own govern
meht ana at the same time not renounce then
allegiance to their own countries?
1.-THE simple truth of the matter is that ths
British government forced President Kruger
into quarrel after he had done everything il
his power to avoid it. While negotiations were
pending, British troops We're being massed il
South Africa The basis of the negotiation.
meanw lille were ingeniousy shifted so that as
the British preparations for war had grown
complete, the acceptance by the Beers of the
so-called British terms would mean an ever in
creasing measure of submission and humilia
ton on the part of the Transvaal
THE Beers have been greatly abused by the
British because it is alleged they began the
war. In other words, the Beers were t1vc
hasty they would not wait until all the Brit
ish troops had arrived in South Africa Who
ever heard of such nonsense? That great civ.
! ihzed nation Of 400000,000 of people are com.
| planning because the people of the two little
| repubhcs, who do not number, all told more
| than &0Og pc ople, including men women and
| children, insisted upon issuing their ultimatum
| an t n pro- coded to give battle before the
| hrltls ktsts sho It'd arrive. " lille ON the Boet
| SIDE all told, there were not more than 90OOC
men, and these had but few inferior cannon
! ana no bayonets or swords at all. Practically
| the only arms they had were Mauser rifles
we have seen many charges made by Brit
| lsh officers and British newspaper correspond
| ents that the Beers have frequently OUTRAGED
the white flag and the Red Gross flag Upon in
yestigation, not only among the Beers them
selves, but among the 1900 British prisoners
including the officers, who We're at Preterie
| when were there, we learned that these
charges were absolutely unfounded On the
contrary, we did learn that this was a set I'M
| job to deceive not only the people Of
Great Britain at home, but to deceive the
peoples OF other civilized countries The truth
Is, defy contradiction that the British sol
diers themselves are the parties who violated
many of the rules of civilized warfare. and
frequently ignored the white flag and also the
Red Cross flag 1t was my fortune to witness
some OF these scenes myself. On the ton Of
pploii hOp, With budI WONDERFUL battle w
almost over, Il young Boer soldier-not more
than II years Of age-was passing by wounded
British soldier and the British soldier asked
MN for drink of water; the tender hearted
Boer lad kneeling by his side to let his,
drink water from his own canteen that British
soldier thrust a bayonet into the poor bows
side. And I myself talked with him. and
kneeling by him, shed tears when he died
During the battle of Dundee there was n
luil IN the firing for time, account of the
Beers seeing buggy approaching them ranidlv
and floating a white flag. All awaited its ar.
rival. At distance of about 600 wards from
them the buggy stopped, wheeled about
dropped the white flag and that innocent look,
ing buggy was suddenly transformed into a
murderous Maxim gun which felled nearly
dozen Beers. talked with the man Who cam.
tured that flag and saw it myself. II was a
white flag with a small black stripe tbrongh
the center, but at short distance away il
seemed nerfactlv Whit. tl,a+ e. - - -; ~ ~ ~
possession of Colonel Blake. the hrave Arne,;
can soldier. who commands tbe irish hrioada
which is composed almost entirely Of irish
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