The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-07
WEBSTER DAVIS IN NEW YORK.
Addresses n Large and Enthusiastic
Audience in BchnIf of Boers.

NEW YORK. May 6.-webster Davis,
former Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
and now engaged in a propaganda in the
interest Of the South African Beers. was
the principal speaker Of a pro-Boer mass
meeting. held this evening at the Academy
OF Music. The meeting was called by the
New York committee to aid the South
African Republics. OF which George NJ. Van
Hoesen is president
The call. as it read. contained this sen
tence. "Our object IS to rouse the Ameri-
can nation. to appeal to the conscience
and the heart OF the American people.
that they may rise in their might and
put an end 10 the English craze that pos
sesses the Mckinley Administration, and
put an end to the war in South Africa"
The house was filed. Mr. Van Hoesen,
Mr. Davis. and Mr. Montagu White.
formerly Consul General Of the Transvaal
in London, appeared and were loudly
cheered Mr.. Van Hoesen's speech intro
ducing Mr. Davis was severe denuncia-
tion Of England, which greatly pleased the
audience
The three greatest men OF history
Mr Davis said. ARE Abraham Lincoln.
Oliver Cromwell. and Paul Kruger. | was
at Lourenco Marques, and while l was
there l received an invitation to visit
Pretoria. ! was told that il | would ac-
cept, President Kruger would send his
private car for me. Now, / never refuse
10 ride in a private car, and ] went TO
Pretoria.
Il talked with President Kruger. He
said to ne: I should think the greatest
Republic In the world would sympathize
with the weakest in a struggle like this
He also said. If you saw a big dog in the
street tearing a little one all to pieces,
with which dog would you sympathize"
l replied that l always would sympathiZe
with the under dog. and / would.
The English say they are great civil
izers and that the Beers are savages. Now
| have here two dum-dum bullets They
we're taken from the bodies Of dead Beers
found at Spion Kop. The surgeon who
found them gave them to me, and here is
stin another dum-dum bullet. 1t is still
in the cartridge and undischarged. I
picked it up on Spion Kop myself. That
is the ciylizing force the English employ
In Pretoria l saw hundreds of English
prisoners arrive. As they debarked from
the train there was not jeer or derisive
word from the crowds of Beers who lined
the streets. l saw the prisoners in their
place OF confinement. They had air and
sunlight and good, wholesome food. And in
the English forts I saw Beer prisoners.
Only 4G0 Of them That is all the English
had. The Beers had 4 coo English prison
ers. The Beer prisoners are in English
hulks in Africa, crowded together like
sardines in a box and they. too. men who
are used to live in the open. to be out in
the sunlight and the free air. The stencil
OF these prison ships was awful and the
food was poor. And this is the way the
nation treats its prisoners"
Then the Boer national hymn was sung
by a soloist and MIR. Montagu White was
introduced and made a short speech, urg-
ing warm reception to the Boer dele
gates so soon to arrive here.
Resolutions were adopted which viii
cali uDon the President in the interest
of humanity and civilization to invite the
great powers Of Europe TO Join in con-
certed demand upon Great Britain to stop
the war and respect the rights and inde-
pendence Of the South African Republics.