Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-04-20

Will IhC OociS! CASiaiihcu CA-ASSlSt
ant Secretary of the Interior Webster
Davis at q great pro-Boer meeting
lately held at the National capital
"Why should not the greatest Repub
lie in the world assist the smallest
of Republics?
"Is the word liberty to become Oh
solete in our national lexicon? MUS
this greatest Republic of the worlds
history chain its destiny to the chari
OF wheels of the British empire in hel
mad race for land and gold?
"Shall the fair name of this great
Republic, whose prowess on land and
sea has been the marvel of the cen.
tury, be used in Europe by British Of
ficials and the British press as . men
ace to other European powers who are
anxious to assist the Beers in their
brave struggle for freedom and indie.
pendence?
"No people in all the worlds his
tory has made more valiant effort to
scaure liberty for future peoples than
have the Beers; no people has endured
more hardship for the cause OF liberty.
"These men have the same spirit
that prompted the farmers to face
death for liberty at Lexington Green
that nerved the arms of Americans at
Saratoga, Bunker Hill and Brandy
wine; that warmed the hearts OF
Washington and his shivering patriots
at Valley Forge; and at New Orleans,
where Jackson and his men taught
old England that easier were it to
hurl the rooted mountain from it's
base than to force the yoke OF slavery
upon men determined to be free."
Mr.. Davis witnessed the battle OF
Spion Kop in company with Mr. Hill.
legas, the Worlds correspondent, with
the Beers, whose thrilling description
of that historic battle was printed re.
Gently. Referring to it, Mr.. Davis
said:
ave have seen many charges made
by British officers and British news
paper correspondents that the Beers
have frequently outraged the white
flag and the Red Cross flag. Upon
investigation, not only among the
Beers themselves but among the
1000 British prisoners, including the
officers. who were at Pretoria when
we were there, we learned that these
charges were absolutely unfounded.
"On the contrary. we did learn
that this was set-up job to deceive
not only the people of Great Britain
at home, but to deceive the peoples of
other civilized countries.
"The truth Island defy contra
diction-that the British soldiers
themselves are the parties who violat-
ed many Of the rules of civilized war
fare. and frequently ignored the white
flag and also the Red Cross flag.
ut was my fortune to witness
some of these scenes myself. On the
top of Spion Kop, when that wonder
full battle was almost over, q young
Boer soldier-not more than seven
teen years of age-was passing by a
wounded British soldier, and the Brit.
ish soldier asked him for q drink OF
water. As the tender-hearted Boer
lad was kneeling down by his side to
let him drink from his own canteen
that British soldier thrust bayonet
into the poor boys side. And my.
self talked with him, and. kneeling by
him, shed tears when he died.
"During the battle of Dundee there
was lull in the firing for time on
account of the Beers seeing a buggy
approaching them rapidly and float
ing a white flag. All awaited its ar.
rival. At distance of about six hun
dred yards from them the buggy
stopped, wheeled about, dropped the
white flag, and that innocent-looking
buggy was suddenly transformed into
a murderous Maxim gun, which felled
nearly q dozen Beers.
"I talked with the man who cap
tured that flag and saw it myself. II
was white flag with small black
stripe through the centre, but short
distance away it seemed perfectly
white. That flag is now in the pos
session of Col. Blake, the brave Amer.
ican officer who commands the Irish
brigade, which is composed almost en-.
tirely of Irish-Americans, and nc
braver men are in the Boer army, said
Gen. Joubert to me-"
England's acquisition of the dia
mond fields at Kimberly Mr.. Davis
characterized as a transaction withou,
parallel for cupidity, dishonor and
injustice" Then followed a period o
peace.
"But finally this period OF peace
and rest was broken by the discovery
of gold in the Transvaal. Then it wa.
that the British Government deter.
mined to seek pretext for obtaining