Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-01-23
Pro. Bosr Petitions.

Resolved by the Senate and House
nj Representatives Of the United states
oe America in Congress assembled.
That the people of the United states
feel a strong sympathy with the peo-
nile of the South African republic ana
the Orange Free State: that they are
pained by the report of the present
sufferings of this Christian people. ana
they unite in the hope that TINS
declara ton, which they feel 1t their
Guty to make, will be faVorably con-
cidered by the government OF Great
Britain in a settlement Of their un-
fortunate differences; and be 1t fui-
ther
Resolved That it shall be the duty
of the President of the United States to
communicate this resolution to the
government of Great Britain.
For some time petitions embodying
the above resolutions have been circu-
lated all over the country. Copies OF
them have been received at this office
with the request that we secure sign
ers, and it is likely that every news
paper Office in the land has been simi-
larly favored And now it is an
nounced that Webster Davis of Kan
.sas City has gone to Washington with
petitions representing 100000 signers.
urging Congress to adopt these resOl-
tons. For two or three years Mr..
Dayis-or Dabster Wavis. as the New
York Sun persists in calling him in
remembrance Of his immortal speech
at the Kansas City convention in which
he seconded the nomination of Viii
liam Bray Jeenings"-haS been vocifer-
ously advocating the Boer cause in
this country. II has been we'll un
derstoOd that ne was on ex-President
kruger's payroll and he has surely
tried hard to earn his salary. But
granting that he has secured 100000
bona fide names to his petitions, what
good can the movement do? Mr.. Davis
ami all who sign such petitions know
that Congress will pass no such resO-
lutions The United States is not 60
ing to interfere in the affairs of foreign
countries when they in no wise con-
Germ us. We did go 50 far as to offer
oui friendly services in case the COM
hattants agreed to arbitration, but the
offer was promptly refused. No other
country has taken such a step as that.
Since then there has been no time
i,,fn
have been wise or prudent or excus-
able. Whatever the merits of the
quarrel or however great the sufferings
Of the struggling Beers, the world is
agreed that the Beers and British must
settle their own trouble. Even France,
which hates England, and Holland and
Germany. which are naturally strong
in sympathy for the Beers, have per-
sistently refused to meddle.
There are no need of Congressional
resolutions to show that there is much
popular sympathy for the Beers in this
country. The Beers and British both
know it we'll. The unfortunate thing
Is that much OF that sympathy mas
been fostered and expressed by agita-
tors who are animated more by hatred
Of England than by any real concern
for the Beers. An Anglomaniac is bad
enough, but there are times when an
Anglophobac is an even more intoler-
able nuisance. They would gladly in
volve this country in diplomatic COM
plications and even in war with Eng
lard, and the fate of the Beers gives
them Il welcome pretext for activity.
Moreover such agitators as Davis hope
to make partisan capital among oul
voters of Irish and German descent out
of the fact that a Republican admins
tation refused to do something" fo,
the Beers. That a Democratic ad
ministration would have followed pre-
cisely the same course makes no differ
euce to them.