Evening star., 1900-05-02
MISStON;;0F PEACE
Boer Commissioners Start on Their
Trip to This Country.
FISCHER OUTLINES THEIR AIMS
Hope to Get This Country to Stop
i the War.
HAGUE CONFERENCE BASIS

THE HAGUE. May 2.-After farewell
visits to Ministers Pierson and De Beaufort.
the Boer delegates started this afternoon
for Rotterdam on their way to the United
States. great crowd at the station bid
them farewell. Floral tributes reached the
delegates from all parts Of the country. A
committee of the South African Union pre-
sented the delegates with a silver palm as
an emblem OF peace. Hymns were sung by
the school children gathered at the sta
ton. and Messrs. Fischer and Wolmerans
made short speeches thanking the populace
for the kindly reception extended to them
by "a people united to them by bonds of
race and religion"
The delegates, who will sail tomorrow, in
response to the request of representative of
the Associated Press for a final statement
regarding what they hoped to accomplish
in America and as to how the refusal of
Secretary Hay to receive them at Wash
lngton officially would affect their mission.
Mr.. Fischer made the following statement:
Object of Their Visit.
Briefly. the object of our visit to the
United States is to appeal to the govern
ment and people to seek the re-establish-
ment of peace. We have, thus far, only
visited Holland, because the people are Of
our race. and we wish to see the resolution
adopted at the peace conference applied in
our case. We have reasons to believe that
we shall not lack support here if an occa-
sion favorable to the establishment of
peace arises.
Here we have only consulted friends and
obtained Information. We think we shall
do we'll to go now to the United States a
sister republic, where the people had the
same struggle century ago which our
people are now having We are going to
the nome OF free people. The United
States are free and great above all in love
OF liberty and Justice. We gOinp wi h
the object to rectify erroneous opinions and
TO make the truth known. Our enemies
say much which they cannot prove and
have thus led many into error.
I'VE are convinced that if the truth is
known no civilized nation will refuse to
support us. The principal charge is that
we have desired and sought the war. We
will try to demonstrate the falseuess of
this. We only desire peace and the tran
quill possession of what is as dear to us as
it Is to the American people-our indeper-
dence without injuring the rights of other
peoples 50
1--WE do not make appeal to one or the
other of the American parties, but to the
American people asr a whole, hoping that
all parties VIII unite on this common plat
form, as the grandeur of the American peo-
pie will be further increased if they aid a
little nation in its combat for it's rights
and liberty.
Want to Stop BIoodshed.
''Our object is to end this cruel outpour-
ing of the blood of all combatants, espe-
cially that of our kindred in the Free
State, who are Indispensable to our ex-
istence as a nation. We hope this appeal
to the government and people of the United
States will not be in. vain. and that our way
OF carrying on the war has demonstrated
that We have, the right to demand an in
dependent existence for our people and
country in South Africa"
Replying to a question as to the condi-
tons which would now satisfy the two re-
publlcs, Mr.. Fischer said he could not add
anything to the foregoing declaratio
Concerning the Washington dispatches
saying the United States government would
not receive the deputation officially, Mr.
Fischer said:
We know absolutely nothing We have
seen 1t in the papers, but we can say moth
ing more"
While Mr.. Fischer was speaking Mr. Wes-
sells listened very attentively but confined
himself to few words of Endorsement,