Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-04-05
The eoers Have new champioh

The Beers Have new Champich
Assistant Secretary Of the INTERIOR.
Webster Davis, who week ago returned
| from South Africa has resigned his position
under the Mckinley administration, to tell
the people what he saw in South Africa.
Mr.. Davis said last Monday -
1t is purely matter OF sympathy on
nv part. | went to South Africa unpreiu-
diced, visited both armies, saw much of
the British soldiers and people and also
much of the Beers. After seeing what |
did | made up my mind that the cause
of the Beers was Just, that the two small
est republics in the world were struggling
against the greatest empire in the world
for home, justice and Independence. The
struggle seemed to me unequal. The
whole number Of Beers including men
women aud children, is not greater than
the population of the city of Washington
and yet these brave people have the cOur-
age to put up the greatest fight in history
against an empire of 100000 600 l con-
Guided at once that my sympathies were
with those struggling for liberty and |
feel that the American people should sym
pathize with them in their fight for jas
tice aud independence.
When I entered the train at Pretoria,
on my return home, fully 1000 men and
women, mostly women whose husbands
and fathers and sons were at the front,
gathered at the station to bid me g00d-by
and as the tears rolled down many of
their faces, they made the last request
of me that | do everything within my
power upon my return home to let the
| American people know of their exact con-
diti0n to let them know how they had
been abused and outrageously misrepre-
sented by the English. The English cor
respondents have no trouble in getting
their disp .tches over the cable lines, as
| they are controlled absolutely by the
British, while it is impossible for infor-
nation regarding the situation from the
Beers standpoint to reach the American
people.
"If did not, as free American, decide
to listen to their appeals, my conscience
would burn and the faces of those suffer
ing people, probably as brave and as noble
as God ever let live in any land, would
haunt me as long as / live.
am therefore determined to do every
thing in my humble way to assist them.
Their cause is just and in God is their
trust. and in the light of the past history
of the American people, who went through
the same struggle, believe the Beers will
win"
Mr.. Davis uas asked what course he
would have the people OF this country pur-
sue in order to assist the Beers. He re-
piled -
Do anything and everything within
their power, and let Great Britain and the
world know that the sympathies of the
American people are not with Great Britain,
but with the Boers and in the interests of
humanity and civilization. We should let
the world know that such an unholy war
should stop and stop at oncep
Webster Davis, who was selected for a
special mission to South Africa, is law
yer and was appointed Assistant Attorney
General of the United States in 1897 He
began his legal career in Colorado in 1889
but he afterward moved to Kansas City
and became successful lawyer and polIti-
clan. He took part in the campaign of
1896 and attracted attention as stump
speaker He is known among the politi-
clans of Washington as the orator of the
present administration. He was appointed
Assistant Secretary of State last year when
ordered to Pretoria.