Show HAS IllS 8 AV 1 ExCohsuI to t Pretoria i crnm Before i Honse 5 I Cotnittee G I MAKES A STATEMENT I 1j I Talks of Alleged Indignities at Hands of British I MOST ALL OF IT SURMISE I I As a Democratic Member of tho Committee Com-mittee Mr Howard of Georgia Said uI Looks Like an Effort to Concoct Sensation Out of NothIng Noth-Ing He Could Affirm But VeryV Littlo from Actual Facts But Maintained That There Were Certain Cer-tain Facts Which Convinced Him of Wrong Piles of State Department Depart-ment Show Ho Threatened t < I Abandon His Post Unless Ho Wai Given Leavo to Como Home Ma I crum Alleged That One ofx Hlr I Cipher Dispatches Was Printed > J Washington March CharlcsE Macrum oc East Liverpool 0 fthe American ex Consul a PretorIa Appeared Ap-peared before the House Foreign Affairs Af-fairs commitlce today and told oftho alleged indignities l lie suffered at Ili hands of the British during his incumbency I 4 S bency i i benVh When he gave out big statementbora sonic weeks ago declaring that his official of-ficial mal had been opened i > y BrltlaU I officials Representative vyiiqcler i jof jtCKenluakylnir duced J rosojutloiy j r aii InvestlgatWn I vis subaeTiue rOS arranged that the Forcgn Affairs coma mlltce should lake the mat r upof Us own motion without any direction frOm the House and Mr Macrum W summoned sum-moned to Washington to testify Thuro were many visitor in the committee room when Chairman Bit called the committee to carder MACRUMS STATEMENT Mr Macrum was asked by Chairman Hilt to make such statement he saw fit regarding the opening of hla mall l rcgnrdlng by tile British censor In opening Mr Macrum recalled the statement hehad made some time ago to the Associated Press The statement he said practically 1 tically embodied all he had to say iHe explained that when he askod forj a leavo of absence he desired to come I home for private business reasons d iid also because he desired to place before the United Stales Government certain fuels which ho deemed it csscnllai should be known here UNITED STATES CABLE CIPHER He understood he said that the British Brit-ish had possession of our cable cipher He was not certain of this but he ha since had Information I which convinced him that his suspicions were correct He also desired Information as to his course when the settlement came at ilia end of the war Further he hud a petition from some American residents in the Transvaal asking that the United States maintain absolute neutrality which he wanted to The present to the Stale department notltion he read to the CQinmltlce It was signed by Goidon the consular agent at Johannesburg AS TO TAMPERING WITH r L Asked as to when he was first satisfied satis-fied that his mall WHS being tampered with he said that war was declared October Oc-tober J2th Ho did not receive any mall between that date and the second celt In November Ordinarily lie hd a box of mall every week k mal other people receive mall during that period asked Mr Williams of I Mississippi Not that I know of replied Mr Macrum jR ASKED TO BE SPECIFIC Pressed for specific informqtlon as to how ho pot the intimation that the British were opening and delaying his mall he stated that when his mal did mal como bo telegraphed our Consul at Lourenco Marques requesting him ItO inquire of Capetown why it was being1 delayed The Consul at lyurenco Marques replied that he al oliad r j ceived no mall Mr Maorum wjfd tuff delay of his mail cixfitedaconvvtloa in his mind hat the British authorities were responsible > ENVELOPES IN EVIDENCE The first actual evidence lit hMd urn s therecelpt of two opened letters He produced the envelopes which he said J contained thoae letters One was from a private citizen addrewcd to the United Unit-ed States Cuimul at Pretoria and th other was to bUn by name from Consul Stowe at Capetown Mr William Alden Smith Michigan Interrogated the witness rtlmrplyqn the reasons for xtatlpr hlM belief that t British authorities had pomiewilon Ot cf the State department clpker code > < NO POSITIVE IrnOWL jIll j-Ill Macrum said he could not anlrm I that fact from actual 1I9WINJIf JUt there were certain fuels I whIch cDn vimid him that audI MIM be ljf 1e explained that on November h hAd cabled the State department In cipher asking for a leave of nbmeld That Durban Tho nJC1lUtge had sone through f next day November 7th he Mid hit 1 Jul 1 been informal a neWspaper at Durban Dur-ban printed the fa tt thath had ndwtl for leave of absence INTERROGATED A 9JTO CODTW Mr Smith was proceeding lo lntrro pre Mr Macrum as theohftravtor of the code used by him io lh n IUp loll especially UI to whether hj had ulk what was kilowatts theSiater code 0 code purchasable anYWhcn a common > r to tOUCh it Improper 3Ir Hilt thought Ito by Iho matter Of the codes employed r tho Government but It wns IlnitIJY I iould como from iCn ed that no harm whether thc Slater a direct reply as lo code was used DJSPATCH MADE PUBLIC Mr Macrum w2 ho snt message In the Mid State department i cipher of the ShUercodc the ubstftnce of that And ou claim Iuhstlncc yon dlapatQli l was jnadft public asked Mr I Smith I do WIireT uin NataL wa Vhcrc 11n accurtu publication HL do not know NEVER SAW PUBLICATION Mr Macrum said tie I had ever seen boon ln I i publication He had only foimcd the that the fact that he had asked I tll lie loav of absence had been printed knew ot this fact affirmed that no one SIO Jt this hlmflf point Mr Howard of Georgia I the of qupstlon the utility Interposed to Qu utly examination of Mr Macrum UJ looks examlnalon he like nn effort to concoct con-coct n sensation out nothing HIS LBA VB OF ABSENCE I But the committee decided to proceed pro-ceed and in reply to one question from I j I Mr Burlcson Mr Macrum stated that he had been grunted leave of absence by Secretary Hay on November 15lh I I Ho read to the committee 1 message I from the cable company saying a cipher I oablo sent by him to the Secretary of State November 8en 1lth had been held up I I by the military censor until December 2nd I OTHER CONSULS SUFFERED Asked OTHEJ l I other Consuls had Buttered I I any inconvenience in the matter of communicating with their homo governments the had I ernments Mr Macrum said they The JBelglan and German Consuls both Jhe JeJJlanant I told him that no ciphertelegrams were allowed to go through I MADE NO COMPLAINT bid you report to the State department depart-ment that your mall had been opened asked Mr Berry ofKcntucky I did I > not notDid you mention It upon your arrival ar-rival in Washington I did not rWhy1 I would prefer not to answer an-swer that > question This reply raised a general laugh In the commltleeroom j I SEVERELY CROSSQUESTIONED I Mr Adams Pa then proceeded to S I oro3Squestlon Mr Macrum rather severely ass llacrum verely upon the duty of the Consul to I I remain at his post during complication t Mr Macrum described an alleged mcellng between President Steyn of the Orange Froo State and Consul Stowe I I of Capetown at which he was present I In which lie said Stern was very anxious I anx-ious that Stove should do something S to settle the dllliculty which was brewing brew-ing He said that President Steyn suggested sug-gested an appeal to the President of the United Slates and that Mr Stowo had replied that he would be glad if some such thing could be done SUBMITTED TO PRESIDENT I And I have reason to believe that the question was submitted to the President Pres-ident of the United States added Mr Macrum and that he returned an unfavorable un-favorable reply What makes you say that inquired In-quired Mr Hitt I was told so by Col Stowe Was that statement In writing I was f Have you the letter No It Is In the files of tho Pretoria consulate MIGHT HAVE COPY OF LETTER After further questioning Mr Ma crum said he might have a copy of the letter he could not say positively Subsequently he said he thought he could produce it In a short time Mr Macrum went over the exchange ex-change of telegrams with tho State department de-partment relative to his leave but as these were In tie cipher of the department depart-ment the committee did not call for them 7 I WHY NO REPORT WAS IA DE He staled thac his reason for not malting ma-lting a report to the State department on the conditions in South Africa was that when he called on Secretary Hill he said to Mr 1I11I he understood he had been relieved Mr Hill responded that this was true Under such circumstances cir-cumstances Mr Macrum said he had no report to make to the department He endeavored however to see the Secretary Sec-retary o Stale but waa told lhat Mr Hay was out EXECUTIVE SESSION HELD Atter hearing Mr Macrum the committee com-mittee went Into executive session Chajrman Hill presented a letter from Secretary Hay giving In detail the departments de-partments view of the subject and this 4 waH subsequently made public The committee took no action as to making I I a report and It was slated by members of the committee that there was nothing noth-ing to be done except the taking of tes jlmony Secretary Hays letter giving the lows metal view of the case Is a fol SECRETARY HAYS LETTER Washington D C March 21 I 1000 Hon R It Hill Chairman Committee on Foreign Affairs House of Representatives Represent-atives Sir In response to your Inquiry In-quiry oC this morning I have the honor to report that up to this date Mr Ma crum the Consul of the United Slates at Pretoria has made no representations representa-tions to this department In regard to the opening of his mail by the British authorities k BRITISH HAD NO ADVICES Although without any Information except the allegations of Mr Macrum lo whIch a reference was made In a resolution or the Houwe of Represenla ties making certain Inquiries of this 0 deparlment I mentioned thy matter to the British Embassador who made inquiry S in-quiry in regard to It of the British Government and was Informed in return re-turn that the British Government was not aware oC any such incident having taken place but If anything of the sort had occurred It was contrary to the Instructions of that Government CONSUL STOWES COMPLAINT I received no further information Inc In-c rd to the matter until the 21st of tl119 month when this Government waa Informed by a dispatch from Mr J G Stowe Consul of the United States at Capetown that Two letters from this consulate one to Pretoria and one to Lourenco Marques were opened by the censor at Durban Upon notice of this I called upon the High Commissioner who wired Durban and satisfac ad a very saLsCnc tory apology was returned 4 This Is all the al Information possessed by this department In regard to the Incident In-cident AS TO MEDIATION In reference to curtain allegations rc ale lons as to our Consuls in South Africa baring f bar-ing been approached with suggestions of mediation 1 have the honor to reply 1 that In a dispatch of the 3rd of October I Octo-ber received at this department on the i i Cth of November and the only one on our tile relating to this matter Mr Stove reporled as follows STOWES REQUEST Under date of September 2Gth I received re-ceived from the United Slates consular agent at Bloemfonteln O F S a let tci1 which reads aa follows I saw President Steyn this afternoon after-noon by his request and he would like to have you find out If your my Government Gov-ernment will consent for you to act as arbitrator and If you can also find out If the High Commissioner would also consent The President appears to think whatever is done should be done at once and wishes to know if you can give him this Information SECRETARY HAYS REPLY I replied by wire as follows I will reply by wire loiyour letter of thu 26th Ibis afternoon After giving the above request careful consideration I called S upon the High Commissioner the same late and In the course of conversation mlt When I dined with you the other day you sLated your Government wouia never consent to arbitration by outside powers or representatives and our published dispatches so state Arc you of the same opinion and he replied = 1I 1 I What I might like to do I cannot do nov as my hands are tied HIGH COMMISSIONER SEEN > rhon I told him In ubsluncc what J had boon nsked by the President of the Orange Free Slut and the High Commissioner suld Please state the I following HH your roply which he dictated dic-tated and which appear In I t1 following fol-lowing copy of my telegraphic dispatch Jl lo ll Inltod I Stales consular agorl at Bloemfonteln In the words underlined to which I added the first live words Irl Ivc I not underlined Cannot usk Government myself l Saw party requested though persorr ally favorable to further negotiations thinks he cannot the line move on proposed J pro-posed MACRUM NOTIFIED Believing il a courtesy due to the United States Consul Macrum at Pretoria Pre-toria I sent the following dispatch sumo date Was nsked by the Free State to ask our Government would consent for me to arbitrate and to seethe see-the High Commissioner and replied Here follows tho above dispatch Dispatches Dis-patches sent In code hI also deemed It right to post Consul l Macrum as above not only for the reason l rea-son that the Orange Free Stale Is in his Jurisdiction but for the further reason rea-son that he had said In a communlcar ton to me of the date Nothing can be done here for peace unless matters set ted your end Over 1000 men sent to border last night If J anything done must be done quickly the High Commissioner Com-missioner should do something for peace I was a question to my mind If I ought to take any action at 1 on the request of the Orange Free State President Presi-dent but the High Commissioner aftor ward said to me that T had acted right and that he was grateful at my action MACRUM WANTED TO LEAVE JAs you also Inquired what there was on Ilk In regard to the departure of Mr Macrum from his position at Pretoria I havo thy I honor to inform you that on the 7th Mr Macrum telegraphed tele-graphed requesting leave permission visit America absolutely Imperative private and official business American lighting Alllehury American lakes charge Cable quickly To thIs 1 replied Your presence Pretoria utmost importance to public Interests i He then on the llth of November cabled No reply Department will approve leave on explanation Imperative Impera-tive Cable Immediately The next day he cabled again Cable received Everything quiet Atllebury capable experienced My presence home absolutely abso-lutely necessary THREE CABLE REQUESTS On the ISth he cabled once more Three cables requesting leave unanswered unan-swered Substitute sufficient here but not at home Please cable acquiescence quick Ship sailing on the I 20th of November No-vember I answered Your presence Pretoria important to public On the 1st of December I Macrum once more cabled me Department will approve leave on explanation Imperative Im-perative Cable Immediately WOULD FORFEIT POST And again same date I cant leave without permission will forfeit post if department dont approve on explanation ex-planation Please reply Upon this Inferring from those dispatches dis-patches that Mr Macrum was In a stale of mind which would make his services In Pretoria useless I answered on the 2nd of December You may come home Put Attlebury temporarily Jn charge Department will send a man from here hereWHO WHO ATTLEBURY IS Soon after this I received several newspaper articles and letters from responsible persons asserting that AL tlebury whom Macrum wished to place temporarily In charge of the consulate was a person of disreputable character and a fugitive from Justice I therefore there-fore directed Mr Hollls Consul at Loureico Marques to proceed at once to Pretoria and take temporary charge of tin consulate I until I I the arrival I of Mr A S Hay who had been appointed Consul I am sir ery truly your obedient obe-dient servant JOHN HAY |