The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-18
Mayor Van Wyck Speaks for the PeO-
pie of the City and Alderman
Kennedy Reads an Address.
CROWD AT THE CITY HALL
MANY PEOPLE ANXIOUS TO SHAKE
THE DELEGATES HANDS.
Remarks of Messrs. Vessels, WOlmar-
ans and Fischer-Women show
Their Sympathy.

NEW YORK, May II-Ine prlnclpdi
event in connection with the visit to this
city of the Boer delegates, Messrs. Wes-
sells, Wolmarans and Fischer, occurred to-
day when they were received at the City
Hall by Mayor Van Wyck, and, in accor-
dance with the resolution passed by the
Municipal Assembly, officially welcomed to
the city.
Accompanied by the reception committee
and a delegation from the South African
Club the delegates drove from the Man.
haitian Hotel to the City Hall, where the
Municipal Assembly and the mayor were
awaiting them. In anticipation of their
arrival the customary large crowd around
the City Hall was largely increased and the
service of a number of policemen were re-
quired to keep people from the mayors of
flee.
The hour set for the reception of the
delegates was o'clock and promptly on
time the first line of carriages turned into
City Hall Park. The crowds pressed
around the carriages and cheered and the
delegates raised their hats in acknowledge
ment.
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 dele
gates in turn to the mayor, who said:
Il 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. 1 desire to inform you that the
representatives of the city of New York
have asked me to extend you a welcome
nd II eli ~
Of the city. Never since have been in the
mayors office has more pleasant duty
been discharged by me than this one to
welcome you on behalf of a free people. 1
want to assure you that wherever you GO
you VIII find 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
HOPE TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
Delegate Fischer said: This 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 represent an unworthy people.
We believe that no people can understand
what 1t is to struggle for freedom except a
people which has gained its freedom bv
such struggle We have been told IN
avoid the pitfalls of party cliques, and we
can say that we are as ignorant of party
cliques as when We arrived The reception
that has been given to us comes from all
classes OF people. We cannot think that
the mission to seek peace for our country
peace with honor-will be unsuccessful
We hope We shall obtain the object of our
mission, and we are encouraged in our hone
by the splendid reception we are given
everywhere. You. Mr.. Mayor, would not
receive us as you do If you thought us un
worthy.
This reception by you is an honor which
We will remember. The small, nberty-lov
ing people will think the better of their
big brother. We think we will come well
out of the struggle. We have been told
that 80 per cent. of the people of America
sympathize with u.s. We want to convert
the other 10 per cent. by simply telling the
truth. We hope that free people will not
have appealed to you free people in vain"
Alderman Kennedy then read an address
prepared behalf of the Municipal AS
sembly, welcoming the delegates.
Then Mr.. Van Rensselaer, introduced Del
egate Vessels, who said: Each member
of this committee has a part to perform.
The part assigned to Mr.. Fischer is speech
making. We have other duties which we
will not mention now. We have come to
tell the free people of America that we
mean TO win and to retain our freedom: If
not to-day, tomorrow; if not tomorrow.
We will keep on fighting for it for the next
one hundred years We have had to fight
for our liberty. We did not want to fight.
but we had to.
WHAT THE ENJOYS WANT.
1--WE ought to be worth some consider
alton to the United States because we are
one free people appealing to another We
do not ask you to fight for us. but we ask
you to say to England Stop, and we think
that IL America said the word the war
would be stopped. We are doing our own
fighting. but we can hardly call il war.
1t is like little boy trying to defend him
self when attacked. IL 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 i'm Dutch
gave a history OF the Transvaal trouble
from the beginning. He said: I'VE never
sought the war. 1t was thrust upon us.
We were robbed of our independence in 1877
and regained it In 1881. BY the cooperation
of a small but well-disposed party in Eng
land. of which Mr.. Gladstone was the head.
we got the convention of 1854 which gave
us our independence without suzerainty.
The question was not disputed until after
the jameson raid. We have tried TO have
all our disputes arbitrated. This has been
refused by Mr.. Chamberlain and Sir Alfred