The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-14
HAY IS CALLED
ON TO EXPLAIN
CONGRESSMAN COCHRAN DE-
NOUNCES INJUSTICE TO
THE BOERS
SEES PREJUDICE IN ACTS
Laws of Nations Have Been Tram
pied on, He Declares, in Order
That United States Might
Help England.
PROBE THE CASE OF THOMAS

WASHINGTON, March 1S.-The resolu-
ton of Representative Burleson, of Tex
as, asking the secretary of state for in
formation as to requests by the Rev
Hiram W. Thomas to bear relief funds
to the Boer concentration camps, was
ordered reported by the house commit
tee on foreign affairs today. AS agreed
to the resolution recites
Resolved, That the secretary of state
be, and he is hereby respectfully re-
quested, not incompatible WIN the
public interests, to inform the house of
representatives whether he declined TO
comply with the request of the said Rev.
hiram IN. W. Thomas or anyone acting for
MN Tor passports or to ask the British
government Tor permission for the said
Rev. DR.. Thomas and his wife, or to
lend his offices to secure through the
British ambassador permit from the
British war office for them TO visit South
African military concentration camps for
the purpose of distributing funds raised
in the United States for the relief of
noncombatant prisoners"
A letter from Secretary Hay was pre-
sented by Chairman Hit, explaining the
circumstances of the case
CHICAGO. March 13-A second letter,
in the shape of formal demand, has
been sent to Secretary of State Hay, ask
ing for passports for DR.. and Mrs.
Hiram w Thomas to visit the concen-
tration camps of South Africa. Should
Mr.. Hay again refuse to act, it is stated
that the matter will be taken to the
president. Should Mr.. Roosevelt uphold
Mr.. Hay, a final appeal win be made to
Lord Pauncefote. The second letter to
Secretary Hay is signed by John o.
Knight, who was appointed by Gov.
Yates to arrange with the state depart
ment for DR.. Thomas mission.
Peter Van Vlissingen, of the Chicago
Transvaal league, said today: 'If the
British object to DR.. Thomas because of
his well known pro-Boer utterances, we
viii select some one else. We have
$4,000 in hand, and in Philadelphia there
is $4,000 more waiting, and all over the
country it is the same In Europe there
are many who want to send similar re-
lief"
WASHINGTON, D. c., March 13.-Con-
gressman Cochran, of Missouri, today de-
livered fervent speech denouncing the
course of the administration relative to
the British war against the South
African republics.
I'VE have ignored the rights of those
republlcS, said he, and we have
trampled upon the law of nations in do
ing it. We have an Anglomaniac in the
state department, who could see nothing
in the cause of the Beers. and every
thing sacred in the unlawful pretensions
of Great Britain.
Indeed, and in truth, at the very out
break of this war every question Of in
ternational law involved was decided adj
verSely to the Beers by the secretary of
state. Every contention for which they
are fighting was cast aside and every un-
lawful assumption of power and author
ity asserted by Great Britain was con-
firmed.
And now that it has come to pass. when
the walls of the suffering wives and chill
dren of the heroic Beers are borne to
our ears by every gale, provoking a re-
sponsiVe chord in the hearts OF SYM
pathetic people throughout the world, and
they are willing to relieve the sufferings
of these unfortunates. our secretary of
state discovers some rule of International
law that shuts the mouth of mercy and
palsieS the hand of charity.
Shame upon this farce, shame upon tits
hippodrome by which the American re-
public is yoked in the companionship Of
this infamous power, and made to seem
to be conservator of the brutal hand
of this conquering army; shame upon the
coWardice of the American people in per-
mitting it, and every day l say, How
long, o Lord. how long"