OCR Text |
Show I BOEH SYMPATHIZERS. 1 I tlass Meeting in the Broadway. The- j atre, Denver. t (Correspondence Intermountain Catholic.) I T-iie Bro-adway Theatre was packed L on la.t Sunday evening with the most j pnlhusiassic crowd of peoj.le t;iat has t fver gathered wit'hin its waiis. 1 The meeting wat? called for the pur- t pui-'o c-f cxnirersing sympathy with the Boeifl in their struggle for liberty and protection of their homes, and the poo- s pie of Denver responded with an en- 1 ihusiasm that might well send joyj thrilling through the hearts the gal'- I C tant Boer. At 7:0 o'clock. )iaZt an hour before 6 'the meeting was advertised to open, the r theatre was paclvod. Not a vacant seat 1 was lft in any part of the immense B auditorium. ICvery chair in the gal- B lories wis occupied, every available I thing that would serve as a seat was in ! use on tho stage, the main lloor was I a solid mass ;f humanity and the crowd i continued to grow from all directions. J Tiie aic-ies and lobby were soon crowd- j ed, and when the firpt speaker was tip the lobby waa packed half way to the Broadway entrance, p A large J!oer flag hung at the back of b ihe tage, forming a pretty -background 0 for the side decorations of the stars 8 and stripes. The blending of colons 1 R-rved at once as a criterion of the nen-li nen-li timent that prevailed, and the green 0 base for the red, white and blue stripes! of the -Tranfivaal Hag instilled into the ! j hearts of the Irish contingent an en- I . f, vhusiastic love of freedom ever wakeful 1 4 ind ready to hurl defiance at the lm-J ' i . ij ' ! ' ; 77 .... v . perjaliLflic lind that rules. Priest, gov-bnn.r.-iiuyr.r- alike -a'uhded the key note of the' dominant, -sentiment, and it was v.iuh great difficulty at times' that Siime of the speiktrs ovtrcama the len?, j lusty cheering and waving of handker-! handker-! eitiefs. many of whie h were momentarily momentar-ily stilled in wiping away the tears of I sympathy. Denver's best citizens were prc-nent. and at times there war not an idle hand, so general was the approval of every whit of opposition to England's Eng-land's African policy. S. J. Doiilcavy, in a brief address, started the ball, after eome stirring music was had. He said: "Yfhstever of sentiment or thought i5 expressed here tonight will be American. Ameri-can. We are 'here in obedience to the trumpet call of human liberty. We nre here because wo love liberty, and because be-cause the constitution of the greatest republic in the world's Sritttory, institutions, institu-tions, and the Hag demand that when- j ever a blow is struck at liberty it is the duty of Americam-v to resent it." He then introduced Governor Charles S. Thomas, who received an ovation. The stirring words of the chief executive execu-tive of Colorado were frequently interrupted inter-rupted by ringing c heers, and the sym-pathc-tie feeding wtrich he arooii-ted for the Boer in their strike lor home and liberty, moved the vast audience now to shouts and there to tears. Governor Thomas' c-:aid: "The Boetis are men who at all times have stood for right and freedom. They sprung from the same common stock as i the Ang!o-Saxon. They went to where Cape Colony nwdB to gain, liberty. In their supreme endetivor to be free from any 'imporiaiistic power, they went as far as the climatic conditions would poi'nwt. In 1S77 England assumed control, con-trol, and in 11 tlhese people, chafing tinder t'hr iiiivKi.in arrvip tnid inrie the history of Magcrsiontein and Ma-juba Ma-juba hill, a. brilliant stroke for liberty that was crowned with success. (Applause.) (Ap-plause.) "In 3 SSI England guaranteed them their 'freedom, and stiuc-k the hated word "suzerainty' from the agreement. Where is the man. who has the right to dictate to a people capable of eeif-government eeif-government the essential features cf their country'.' These people hav whenvn thcmi--elves capable of salf-government., and do not need the protection of any other government. "Liberty is? the most gracious blessing God h'Otf bee-towed on man, and ia preserved pre-served only by the blood of him who loves t. "You all know Winston Churchill, the war correspondent who was -captured and escaped from Pretoria, Here iis what he hael to s-av after he was free: " 'What men they are these Boers! I thought of them ai 1 had seen them.' in the morning, riding forward through the rain thousands cf independent riflemen, thinking of nhemselves, pc-fiesscd pc-fiesscd of beautiful weapons, led -with skill, living as they rode, without commissariat com-missariat or transport, or ammunition col'umjii, moving like the wind and (supported (sup-ported by iron constitutions) and a r?tern hard Old Testament God. who should surely smite the Anralekites, hip and thigh. And then, above the rain storm that beat loudly- on the corrugated iron I heard the scund of a chant. The Boers were singing tlheir evening pstalm and the menacing n-otew more full of indignant indig-nant war than love and mercy struck a chill into my heart, t that I thought after all, that the war was unjust; that the Boers were better men than we; that heaven was against us; that Lady-stmith. Lady-stmith. Mafekiratr and KimberJey woulel fall; that the Est court garrison would perish; that foreign powers would interfere; in-terfere; lihat we should lose South Africa and th3t that Mould be the beginning be-ginning of the end.' GOLD IS THE PRIZE. "The granting of suffrage to the uit-landers uit-landers means the injection into the body politic, of a. power that would overthrow the government. It is a national na-tional question in .which the individual I cuts no lig.ure. Suppose there were 500,- j OCu Chinese in Colorado today paying,' taxes. Would you want to grant them j ment and destiny of the common- I wealth? Has England granted suffrage ! j to her -iOo.GOO subjects in East India? Do you suppose that if the uitlanders j had gone there and asked to be admit-! admit-! ted as citizens to become flesh and j blood with the-Boers to strike hands I with them against the oppression of ! England or any other power on 'earth, j that the Boer would object? Why did"! I England send her subjects there? The j discoveries of gold in 1SS5 inspired an interest in the country that has precipitated pre-cipitated the war. Gold was the prise, and to secure it they have sought to force their subjects on the home-loving j Boer and demand for them the right j to govern them." Quoting from English writers. Gov- ! crnor Thomas referred to Joseph Cham- ! bcr'ain's warning to Oorn Paul'Kruger ; that he must die by suicide or violence j j J he old man- was made of too stern stuff." (Wild applause.) ; "I know annexation is a favorite theme of the day." he continued, "but the annexation policy that should gov. j ern thin country should be to be I bounded on the north by the constitu- j j tion. on the south by the Monroe doc- j trine, on the east by the declaration of independence and on the west by the . ten commandments. (Prolonged cheer-') ing.) Speaking a:- an individual, I am! heart and soul with that gallant band ! of patriots (applause prolonged and en- I thusiasiie) over there in South Africa, I We must recognize the fact that England's Eng-land's history has: led civilization into' many countries, but in this case it is j the duty of every liberty-loving Ameri- ' can citizen to condemn th eoverbear-' eoverbear-' ing course now being taken to wrest j from a civilized republic its liberty, j Standing for the risht. the people of this country cannot err." (Loud applause.) ap-plause.) At the conclusion of the governor's remarks the chairman introduced Mayor May-or Hc'-iiy V. Johnson, who said he wished fervently that the intensity of feeling for the right shown here could be sent to the gallant, struggling Boem ' His fervent wish was that this senti- ! ment would pervade the" country east and west, reaching into the house?; of Congress and the White House; that the sympathy of the great 70,000,000 cf i people would be sent to the righting Boers by the heads of the government. (AmnlausuO "That would not be necessary," ex-j ex-j claimed the speaker, "if that glorious statesman we. all so love were' in the executive chair WHliam Jennings Bryan." Bry-an." (Long waving of handkerchiefs and loud cheering.) , The mayor paid a glowing tribute to the progir?s and energy of the Boer, in conclusion, winding up with an inspiring in-spiring period: "Those gallant Boers are fighting j around Ladysmith and other places today to-day for the same principle,- our own forefathers fought for at Bunker Hill. And when the history is recorded you will find placed beside Geij-ge Washington, Washing-ton, that grantf Vd statesman and soldier sol-dier of South Africa, Oom Paul Kru-ger." Kru-ger." Enthusiasm was at a high pit-.h. Throughout the building it seemed the rafters shook with the intense feeling. At this point a pleasant diversion was presented by the introduction of Mrs. George L. Greer, who sang in a i charming manner that beautiful song, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." The audience en masse joined in the chorus with the greatest feeling. As an encore Mrs. Greer favored the German Ger-man ehrment in the house by rendering very sweetly "The Fatherland," and as a second encore was insisted on. she sang the melodious words of "Annie Laurie." Again the audience was carried back to the war between Britain and Boer, and Thomas M. Patterson was introduced intro-duced to continue the subject. "It soems too late to hold a meeting of sympathy," he. said. "That might have bf?n appropriate six months ago; when the English boasted they would j eat their Christmas dinner in Pretoria, j but now we had best call this a meet ing of ratification. (Aprlaus.) When t wo m-ail-that the only English soldiers . v.-ho .have crossed the line into the- ter-( ter-( ritoy of the Boer are the armies that ! are confined within the race track at I Pretoria as prisoners.; when we recall j that a people of 300,000 souls has held j at bay a people numbering almost in j millions the figures per thousand of the Boer, it may well be said the battle of the Boer has been fought and won. (Applause.) When we recall the. defeats de-feats of so many armies bv the Bo?rs it might well be said th2 zenith of England's Eng-land's reign has been reached. "The history of the battles, dots not show the Boers were as bad as painted by their enemitvs. Were thev the lazv sloveins they were called, when they demonstrated by courage, bv the Christian Chris-tian sentiment and by evidences of the most virile statesmanship, their civilization civil-ization and love of the right? i "I recall one incident in a battle, an account of which was published a few days ago, whsre half a dozen Boers -were upon an EnIituman about to ' strike him down, and he crifld: 'I am the father of a family." They desisted and carried him to the. rear, where ev ery attention for his comfort was given." Reciting history of the republic Mr. ! Patterson called attention, to the treaty of the London convention, which put but one- restriction on the Transvaal that of entering an agreement with no foreign government without the consent con-sent cf England. That was the only right withhe.Id by England, thus recognizing recog-nizing the Transvaal aa a- foreign nation. na-tion. GOLD DISCOVERIES. Coming to the geld discoveries, the production of $90,000,000 a year in gold "'can we unde.rstan.l wht- "vrwinni dtmly took exceptions to the alien laws, of the Transvaal?" he asked. "Is it strange that the -oglish remonstrates bjcaus.3 the system of taxation has in-croased.the in-croased.the cost of mining $2 a ton in some 'instances. (Laughter.) Did we have a popular uprising when a smelter smel-ter trust was organized and the cost cf our mining increased a little over $2 per ton? "There can be no question about the outcome of this struggle. That nation will never be subjected (applause). The British may kill every soldier in the I field, but the wemen will bar children who will rise up and strive again for I liberty. The blood has determined to be free. (Applause). "The woman on England's throne has sacm her arms arrayed against the Turkish empire, that enemy of Christians; Chris-tians; phe has- seen her arms arrayed 1 against Ireland p rastrict her liberty; she has seen her arms in every country almcst where other powers have not subjugated the people, but she has never nev-er seen her arms in such an unjusit, unholy war as they are engaged in today. to-day. (Applause). "Like the honorable: eovemor. T lmvp some praise for England and her statesmen, states-men, but I do not refer to the present generation. I recall that grand old man who stood in the face of a public -clamor for a continuance of the war after Majuba hill and said in the cause of humanity the war should eeiase; I recall the massages of Paul Kruger to the queen, promising that all reforms England was seeking, so far as the sautty of the republic was not jeopardized,, jeopar-dized,, should be effected, if only force of "arms was not resorted to. WHERE THE MONEY WENT. "They told us before the war the Boers were poor, that Kruger appro- i priatei the revenues to himself; that they were without defense. Kruger was not parading his power, but when he notified Great Britain that if her rush cC arms to the front was- not stopped he would have to resist, as if by magic there sprang up an army equipped with the best arms the continent con-tinent of Europe and America could produce, with soldier.1' as invincible as the Amorica.n soldiers. That disclosed where the' revenues had bscn going. (Applause.) There was disolosed an o,-,v,t' -.f .( nfirt m.n i-.-itli tV.ii firn anA ! dete-rmiination cf battle in their eros, ' not on Transvaal poll, but on British soil. (Ap-plaun?.) And though there may be some victories for the British, I bcJieve ultimately England, with her four or five to one, .will be driven out I of the .territory, and England hersalf will in trr-cede for peace. (Applause), . j "And ultimately we will have, instead,. I of the Transvaal republic, the United-j United-j States of Africa, with Paul Kruger as; : president." When the deafening applause had j subsided. Peter Koehler, secretar read the following telegram: j "Washington, D. C, Feb. 4. 1900. Peter Koehler, Secretary, City Hall, i Denver: I join in sympathy. This is a S case of might against right, monarchy ! asrainst republic, the dollar aarainst tha man. JOHN C. BELL." "Washington, D. C, Feb. 4. S. J. Donleavy. Chairman, Broadway Theatre. Thea-tre. Denver, Colo.: I join in protest against the most unjustifiable war of modern times. I speak tonight for' the Boers at mass-meeting at Baltimore. "JOHN F. SHAFROTH." REUTER STIRS THE CROWD. Senator Oscar Renter was given an ovation that was but a dwarf beside the tremendous outpuoring of enthusiasm enthusi-asm and mirth that interrupted his speech many times. He said: "There are no better men or women, none more moral, humane, or devout than good people of England; many of you here tonight may count them among your ancestors, near or remote, and treasure with pride. and tender regard re-gard the stories of theii love and care for you. It is not of these I speak tonight. to-night. These good people abound in every nationality; the poor Irishman, the persecuted Jew, the political and economical exile from the monarchies of Europe yea. the poor Chinaman, who works from morning until midnight, mid-night, oft thinks with tears in his eyes of the noble countrymen from whom he has forever parted. If our heart is large enough to embrace all these, shall we exclude alone the Boer? "What do we know about him? We hear that in the last century a number num-ber of them left their homes in pursuit of political and religious liberty and independence, in-dependence, and settled' in the unclaimed un-claimed and unhosphable wilds of Af rica, a monest, retiring, honest, hard-j hard-j working, God-fearing lot of poor, but I healthy men and women. No sooner had they made their lands habitable ami their herds valuable and become attached to their homes and firesides tran the greed of the speculator, that highway robber of modern times, reached out for the fruit of their toils, and the curse of the I-m'ish colonial system fell upon their chosen land like a blight. Feeling that the God of nations had not shaped their shoulders I for the yoke, and over-conscientious in I their fear of God. they yielded to the lie I of the English lawyer and to the threat of English arms, and abandoned the lands they had j "claimed and waneler-ed waneler-ed to new and unclaimed wild lands. For more than 100 years this noble little lit-tle band of ranchmei has hpen browbeaten, brow-beaten, cheated, robbed, murdered and persecuted by the wicked representatives representa-tives of the wicked element inth Eng-I Eng-I lish nation. And to ad. I insult to in- jury, thse same scoundrels now ma-! ma-! lign these noble defenders of their God and their country in every religious and secular journal that will print then- unblushing lies, in poetry and prose. REAL CABS E OF WAR. "The cause of the war Is the denial by the Transvaal of citizenship without with-out allegiance. As Oom Paul had dubbed .it, a 'monstrosity, a political bigamist. (Applauce.) "They tell us of unjust taxation. The amount asKed if.y the Transvaal is 2U, per cent of the net output of the mines" The American miner in, Canada pays 10 per cent. (Applause.) The American miner must pay 25 to ,15 per cent on machinery he takes Into Canada; the. j Transvaal requires nothing like that. I (Applause.) j "From the outset we have been fed I on English dispatches." ; The senator gave a number of illustrations illus-trations of telegrams. One said: "The ; English are concentrating their forces j at Ladysmith. and the Boers are re-j re-j treating (in the same, direction.)" i "It is wonderful," continued the ' speaker, "how the English can capture ; a kop (that b n ,t defended). The British Brit-ish do not retreat not retire they al-, al-, ways march toward a point directlv i opposite the one they started out to capture. i(Applause.) "In 1845, exap-ierated bevond human 'endurance, a handful of Boers sought to redress wrong with force, but were subdued and hung, and their mothers, j wives and sisters; were dragged to the i scaffold and compelled to witness their ' execution. Js it any wonder the Boer looks upon the Briton as the hound of hell? ; "In 1841. after England had violated every compact it had made with the Boer it renounced all elain to suzerainty suze-rainty after Irving claimed it and having hav-ing abandoned it. and knowingly and purposely omitted the very word from the treaty, and today there, ace Englishmen En-glishmen and Anglo-maniacs who claim the Boers are rebels.' Is it any wonder the Beer looks upon the Briton as the prince of liars? BRITISH IDIOTS. "In 1S56, Chamberlain, Rhodes, and Jameson organized the most miserable insurrection, recorded in history, and Poet Laureate Austin prostituted his noble art to idealize this act of treachery treach-ery and dismal defeat into a British victory aiv.ii national epos. Is it any wonder the Beer looks upon the Brit on as an. ia.it : '"In every battle the two have fought, the Britom ha.n outnumbered the Boer, and yet the Boer has been victorious. Is it any wonder the Boer looks upon the Briton as the weaker? "Verily the Boer has good cause to claim that he is physically, morally and intellectually the superior of the Briton he has met in Africa. "That Englishman is blind with conceit con-ceit who thinks he sees in the Boer the English lion'n Iamb. When' the Boer lies down by the Briton it will be with his finser on the trigger of hi gun. "England today presents the disgusting disgust-ing and cowardly spectacle of the overgrown over-grown bully who is whining under the blows of the little fellow he dared in-eult in-eult because he thought him weak. "No, our English cousins, our boasted Anglo-Saxon allies wich. whom we are supposed to wipe out every civilization but your own, you cannot have the sympathy of our common people ;'n this unholy, brutal, lying attack upon the character and country of a sister republic, re-public, however small and poor. Our sympathy goes forth, uncalled and un-solicited, un-solicited, to that sturdy, hardy race of ........c ,,,,,, nave iiiaiiengeu' me aa - miration of the world by daring to insist in-sist on their rights and humbling what was until then supposed to be the mightiest power under the sun; it goes out to a race, who in their simplicity and purity of ,life and manners, have for a century in the seclusion of thier wilds, with the Bible as their guide, nursed a moral, grandeur that is destined des-tined to become the broad foundation of the mighty empire of a free, just and happy people.," "In sending. them this greeting-, let us pray that God may speed their cause and grant them .victory. The next speaker was Father O'Ryan who was greeted with a perfect tumult of cheer?, applause and waving of handkerchiefs-. Men and women rase to their fet in their euthusiasm, showing with what love and appreciation this- scholarly and pious pric-pi is held by the people of Denver, Cat'holics and Protestants alike. "I thank God,'.' the Reverend Father said, "tiiat the English feot has not polluted the Transvaal soil as yet. Governor Gov-ernor Thomas has called England a liberty-loving people, but it you will iook at the history you will notice she keeps her liberty at home," s?aid the speaker. "I belong to a race she has held in her liberty-loving arms for 700 years, and great God! where are we' j She has broken Ireland as she would ' break a mirror, but. thank God the i fragments reflect back from through- j out the liberty crushed sentiment. Parliament Par-liament will vote $100,000,000 next week to shoot down the Boer, but not a cent for the hundred million starving Hin- ' doos Phe rules. Where is' the liberty of I her East Indian milijons? Do we wonder won-der at the Boers' abhorrence of Engliah rule? Would you give up your mine3 to a hungry mob cf uitlanders and not tax them? "The EiiglMi government's greed is not the ultimate caupe of this war I' beiieve the Englit'ii are responsible for their government, but the sole cause of thbi war i. the twelve or thirteen I owners of the De Beers company. It is the aggregated vanital that is crushing i other lar..5 tiaan the Transvaal. It ie i whitiaerinar in th r nf the .evi i I Jce Chamberlain and the same wealth i whispering in the ear of Bill 'McKin-ley. 'McKin-ley. (Applause.) They lied about the ln-, ln-, dian, they have lied for centuries about my cwn poor land; they start out to rob a man by lying about him. "I sometimes fear England will suc-' suc-' coed, but again something within me eays thise people, the Boers, are fighting fight-ing for home and liberty. The Englishman English-man is fighting for 10 pence per day. (Applause.) I believe in ancestry, and while it may not fecm proper in me a Catholic PriefH. to say so, I think one of the most brilliant stories in history in tfaa fight of Holland against the oppression op-pression of Spain, when- they crushed Alu-a. I believe rfght will prevail in time. ' Even good old Ireland will be free. . BRITISH FLAG IS WHITE. "I heard of three Roers who were dip-cussing dip-cussing the color of the British flag. One thought it this color, another that but a third said he had seen it at Majuba Ma-juba hill and at Maee-rsfontein, and he believed it was all white. In three placu he had treen a white nag hoisted over the English soldier."' heads, and other raca they canied were training in the dust. "May God grant speed to ' the day when, in this war against the right, against the libertv of whife mon men cf intelligence and home-loving dispositions, the white Hag will be seen on every hill occupied by the British I believe right will prevail in the end and tyrannical England will ultimately be compelled to put before the world a Hug of white." ! The remarks of Father O'Ryan were closad amid deafening applause. There were calls for James Belford. who was cm hand to speak early, but became indisposed, and was compelled to retire. re-tire. The following resolutions were adopted adopt-ed with unanimity, several hundred voices shouting "second" when the chairman of the committee, Judge James Glynn, moved their adoption: RESOLUTIONS. In mass melting assembled, we, citizens, citi-zens, cf Denver, Cclo., do declare our firm belief in the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence, to-wit: to-wit: That all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator Cre-ator with certain inalienable rights; that among "these are life, liberty and the pursuit of 'happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men,' deriving their just powers from tho cons-ent of the governed; and Whereas, The present unjust war of conquest now being waged by England against the Boers iff subversive of the foregoing principle's; therefore, be it ' Resolved, That we extend our sympathy sym-pathy to the gallant Boers in their FtruggJe with the tyrant oppressor in defense of their homes and their country; coun-try; and to President Kruger we pi-offer our aid, financially and otherwise, to assist in driving that fell destroyer of liberty from the, fields of South Africa; that we hail; with delight every an- nounce-ment of victory over the English invaders, and confidn-tly await the cheering news of ultimate ' victory for the Boers. " , We are not unmindful of te atrocious cruelty of England during the revolutionary revolu-tionary M ar, the arming and encouragement encourage-ment cf American Indians, to go forth with rifle and tomalhawk to murder settlers and their families and -apply the torch to their hornet; and we call the attention of the civilized world to the cruelties of oppression and confiscation confisca-tion in Ireland under English rule in her efforts to exterminate the Irish j race. i No country or people upon whom she j has laid her blighting hand has? ever . prospered, and now, at the dawn erf the ! twentieth century, we believe the civ- ilized nations cf the world wnould call j a halt upon the tyrant, and compel her j to des'ist from the further oppression of humanity; and be it. further Resolved, That we are opposed to an I alliance with any foreign nation, eecret or otherwise, and particularly with England, of whom Napoleon said: "She never had a friend she did not de'eeive, I and never had an ally iihe did not betray.'' be-tray.'' Resolved, That we commend the senators sen-ators and representatives in congress who are outspoken in defense of the prir.cipkis cf liberty and selif-govern-ment. Rerolved. That we demand cf the president and congrera a. strong construction con-struction and enforcement of the neutrality neu-trality laws against England. That a copy of thtcve resolutions be sent to President McKinley, Senators Teller and Woleott, Congressmen Bell and Shafroth. and to the press. JAMES GLYNN, OSCAR REUTER, FRIT ZKL1NK, LOUIS FRISCH. JOHN D. VAUGHAN, H. T. O'REILLY. THOMAS WALSH. Committee on Resolution. |