The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-03-15
HAY WILL ISSUE
THE PASSPORTS
Secretary Of State Defines His
Attitude in Charity Case.
CIVIL WAR NGT A PRECEDENT
NO CONCENTRATION CAMPS FOR
WOMEN ON EITHER SIDE.

L
w house today passed the postof-
fee appropria ton bill. The only
amendment of Importance adopted was
| one to incorporate in the bill the pro-
visions of the bill to classify the rural
free delivery service, passed a few days
| ago.
The Burleson resolution. calling on
/ the secretary of state for the facts re-
( lating to the case of DR.. Thomas and
/ wife. who desired to go to South Africa
TO distribute relief funds. vas adopted
after d short debate, in the course Of
which Mr. Hit. chairman of the COM
| mittee on foreign affairs. introduced a
| letter from Secretary Hay, explaining
what the department of state had done
| in the premises.
Bills were passed to ratify the act of
| the Arizona legislature, providing a
/ fund for the University of Arizona, for
/ the refunding of the debt of Navajo
| county, Arizona, at a lower rate of in
| teTest, and to change the boundaries
/ between the southern and central as
/ tricts Of Indian territory.
Says It Is Lame Excuse.
While one of these bills was being
| considered in committee Of the whole
/ Mr.. Burleson of Texas got the floor
/ and renewed the discussion Of the case
/ Of Rev. II. W. Thomas and wife, whose
| application to the state department for
/ d request to the British authorities for
/ passports to enter the BOeT lines in
! South Africa for the purpose Of distrib-
/ uting relief funds, was brought to the
/ attention of the house by MIN a few
/ days ago. Mr.. BurlesOn declared that
/ Mr. Hits explanation Of the score
/ tary's refusal to accede to the request
/ was lame. The state department. ia
/ declining the request, he said, did not
1 plead the violation of interns tfonal
| comfy. as Mr.. Hit had done. Mr.
! BurleSOn declared that the hypothesis
J of Mr.. Hit as 10 the refusal to allow
} Confederate SympathiZeTS to 20
| through the lines during the civil war
! was not parallel case, and. moreover,
| he said. it was not a historical fact.
! He read a letter from a Union surgeon.
| stationed al City Point. Va. during
/ the war. who told how the Union forces
| allowed relief to pass through the lines,
/ IF General Sherman" asked he, had
| concentrated southern women and
/ children in camps, did any one imagine
that the north would not have allowed
relief to be sent to them ?"
Hay Sends a Letter.
Mr. Hit of Illinois, chairman of the
/ committee on foreign affairs. replied
| briefly to Mr.. Burleson. He said that
he felt some hesitation about renew
4 ing the controversy raised by a reso-
luton which was not before the house
His observations the other day. he
said, had been Of an off-hand charac-
ter. He would content himself at this
time, he said, with having read a letter
he had received from Secretary Hay
The letter follows.
Department of State, Washing
ton, March 12.-Sir: Referring to
the resolution recently introduced
in the house. I beg to make the
following statement Of facts;
A few days ago q young gentle
man called and asked whether this
department would issue a passport
to Rev. MIR. Thomas and Mrs.
! Thomas, who were intending to go
to South Africa for the purpose of
distributing funds which had been
collected in Illinois for the benefit
of the sufferers by the war. ] said
at once that the department would
issue the passport desired and that
I would also give Mr.. Thomas
letter commencing to everyone
whom I could influence, and asking
their assistance in his errand. In
quiry was then made whether this
government would ask of the Brit
ish government permission for Mr.
and Mrs. Thomas to go at viii
through the British military camps
and lines, a suggestion which I
J thought impractiCable.
This department is ready at any
time to consult with a representa-
tive Of Governor Yates as to the
best means of getting into the prop
eT hands sums contributed by char
liable people in Illinois for the re-
lief of the sufferers by the war in
South Africa.
/ ! am, sir, very respectfully. your
| Obedient servant. JOHN HAY.
Immediately afteTwaTd Mr.. Hit
presented the resolution reported by
his committee. which calIed-on the sec
rotary of state for the facts in the case
of the application made in behalf OF
Dr.. Thomas and wife The resolution
was adopted without debate.
A bill was passed to grant a right
of way through KOlaha by the Hawa-
ian Ditch company. A bill was alsC
passed to include the Colville Indiar
reservation in the state Of Washing
ton, under the general free homestead
act. and for the relief Of bona fIu'
settlers in forest reservations.