The age-herald., 1900-05-18
City of New York Welcomes
 Them to That City
CEREMONIES IN THE CITY HALL
Mayor Van Wyck Made Welcome Ad- dress-EnvoY Fischer Responded and Told of This CountrY's
 Struggle for Freedom

New York, May 1.-The principal event in connection with the visit to this city of the Boer delegates, Messrs. Vessels, Wol- marans and Fischer, occurred today when they were received at the city hall by Mayor Van Wyck and in accordance with the resolution passed by the municipal as- sembly, officially welcomed to the city Ac- companed by the reception committee and Q delegation from the South African club, the delegates drove from the Manhattan hotel to the city hall, where the municipal assembly and the mayor were awaiting them.
 In anticipation of their arrival, the cus- tomery large crowd around the city hall was largely increased, and the services of a number Of policemen were required to keep the people from the mayors office. The hour set for the reception of the dele gates was o'clock, and promptly on time the first line of carriages turned into the city hall park. The crowds pressed around the carriages and cheered and the delegates raised their hats in acknowledgment.
 Mayor Van Wyck was at his desk when the delegation entered his office. Kiliaen Van Rensselaer,, chairman of the reception committee. introduced each of the delegates in turn to the mayor, who said:
 T am delighted to welcome you to the city of New York and to assure you that in America you will receive cordial well come from the liberty-loving people of this country l desire to inform you that the representatives of the city of New York have asked me to extend you a welcome, and I welcome you on behalf of the peo- pie of the city. Never since I have been in the mayors office has a more pleasant duty been discharged by me than this one to welcome .sou on behalf of free people. l want to assure you that wherever you go you will find a welcome from the people, and We hope that when your mission Is ended and you are returning to your own country you will again call on us so that we may have the pleasure of giving you another welcome
 Delegate Fischer Spoke
 Delegate Fischer said:
 That is to us an occasion of pleasure and of pride We are not so conceited as to take to ourselves the honor shown us; but we wish to show that we do not repre- sent an unworthy people. We believe that no people can understand what it is to struggle for freedom except people which has gained it's freedom by such a struggle We have been told to avoid the pitfalls of party cliques, and we can say that we are as ignorant of party cliques as when we arrived The rece pton that has been given to us comes from all classes oI people We cannot think that the mission to seek peace for our country-peace with honor. be unsuccessful. We hope he shall obta T. the objects of our mission and we are encour- aged in our hope by the splendid reception we are given everywhere. You, MT. Mayor, would not receive us as you do if you thought us unworthy.
 This reception by you is an honor which we will remember. The small, ,erty-lov- ing pc ople will think the better of their big brother. We think we will come well out of the struggle. We have been told that 90 per cent. of the people of America sym pathize with us. We want to convert the other ten per cent. by simply telling the truth. We hope that q tree people will not have appealed to you free people in vain. ?,
 de man K nn.ay
 Alderman Kennedy then read an address prepared on behalf of the municipal as- sembly, welcoming the delegates.
 Then Mr. Van Renssaler introduced Dele gate w essels, whe said:
 We have come to tell the free people of America that we mean to win, and to retain our freedom;if not today, tomorrow; if not tomorrow, we will keep on fighting for it for the next one hundred years. We have had to fight for liberty. We do not ask you to fight for us, but we ask you to say to England Stop and we think that if America said the word the war would be stopped. We are doing our own fight ing, but you can hardly call it war It is like little boy trying to defend himself when attacked. If we are beaten America will probably be ashamed in future years if the question should be asked: What has happened to your little sister?'"
 Delegate Wolmarans, who spoke in Dutch, gave a history of the Transvaal trouble from the beginning.
 Before you leave" said MT. Van Wyck T want to express to you my sincere sor- row at the death of General Joubert. knew him when he visited this country, and ha told me all about the previous trouble. hope you will convey to his wid- ow my deepest sorrow. Again, I wish you Godspeed. May you be successful in your mission"
 As the envoys left the city hall they were shaken by the hands by persons on all sides. set up a cheer, and MT Fischer, standing brief address, in which he said the people State were struggling for their liberty and wanted the sympathy of the people of America. It took several minutes to extri- cate the carriages from the crowd which pressed around and shook hands with the delePates