Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-03-29
CHANCE FOR MAcRUM.
House Committee Listened to
His Charges.
MIR. ADAMS TOOK HIM TO TASK.
Consul to Remain at Post During Gem
pIications Southern Member Wanted
Investigation Dropped.

WASHINGTON, March 29-Charles E.
Maerum, Of East Liverpool. o.. the
American ex-consul at Pretoria, appear.
ed before the house foreign affairs com
mittee and was asked by Chairman Hitt
to make such statement as he saw fl re.
garding the opening Of his mail By the
British censor. He explained that when
he asked for leave Of absenae he de-
sired to come home for private business
reasons and also because he desired TO
place before the United States govern
ment certain facts which he de- ned it
essential should be known he4e. He
understood, he said, that the British had
possession of our cable cipher He was
not certain Of this, but he had since had
information which convinced him that
his suspicious were correct. He also de-
sired information as to his eaufsa when
/ the settlement came at the end OF the
war. Further, he had petition from
| some American residents in Gae Trans
vaal asking that the United States maintain
absolute neutrality which he wanted to pre-
sent to the main state department. The petit
| ton he read to the committee. II was signed
! by Gordon, the consular agent at johannes
! burg.
Asked as to when he was first satisfied that
| his mail was being tempered with, he said that
the war was declared October u He did not
receive any mail between that date and the
! second week in November. Ordinarily he had
a box Of mail every week.
! Did other people receive mail during that
! period ?" asked Mr. Williams CT Mississippi
mot that know Of replied Mr.. Macru1n
/ Pressed for specific information as to how he
got the intimation that the British were open
ing and delaying MS mail, he replied that when
his mail did not arrive he telegraphed 70 cur
consul at Lourenzo Marques requesting him to
inquire at Cape Town why it was being Gle.
layed.
The consul at Lourenzo Marques repled
that he also had had no mail Mr. Maerum
said the delay of his mail created a conviction
in his mind that the British authorities
were responsible. The first actual evidence
he had was the receipt of two opened letters
He produced the envelopes which he said con-
tanned those letters. One was from private
citizen addressed to the United States consul
at Pretoria and the other was to him by name
from Consul Stowe at Cape Town
On Nov. The had cab led the state depart
ment in cipher asking for leave of absence.
That message had gone through Durham. The
next day, Nov Z, he said he had been informed
newspaper at Durham printed the fact That
I
He was asked whether he had used w6af yyaa
known as the Slater code, "a common code pur.
ehasable anywhere.
The message said Mr.. Maeru1n, twas sent
in the state department cipher of the Slater
| code
Mr. Maerum said he had never seen the pub
| hcation. He had only been informed that the
| fact that he had asked leave of absence had
| been printed He affirmed that no one knew Of
| this fact save himself.
At this point Mr. Howard, of Georgia. inter.
posed to question the utility of the examina.
ton Of Mr.. Maerum. at looks to me- said he.
| like an effort to concoct a sensation ont af
nothing But the committee decided to Dro-
! coed.
Mr. Macrum stated that he had been granted
! leave OF absence by Secretary Hay on Nov IL
He read to the committee message from the
cable company saying a cipher cable sent by
! him to the secretary of state Nov ID hid heen
| held up by the military censor until Dec 9
| Other consuls had so suffered The Belgium
and German consuls both told him that no
| cipher kilograms We're allowed to go through
did you report to the state department that
your mail had been opened ?" asked Mr. Berry,
of Kentucky.
| II did not"
Did you mention it upon your arrival in
| Washington 2"
81 did not"
why p
| u would prefer not to answer that aues
| ton"
| Mr., Adams, OF PENNSYLVANIA. then proceeded
to cross-question Mr.. Macrum rather severely
upon the duty of consul to remain at his post
during complications
Mr.. Macrum proceeded to describe an al
legged meeting between President Steyn, of the
Orange Free State, and Consul Stowe, of Cane
Town, at which he was present, in which he
said Steyn was very anxious that Stowe should
do something to settle the difficulty which was
brewing. He said that President Steyn sug
gested an appeal to the president of the United
States and that Mr.. Stowe had replied that he
would be glad if some such thing could be
done. And have reason to believe that the
question was submitted to the president of the
United States" added Mr.. Macrum, and that
he returned an unfavorable reply"
What makes you say thatf' inquired Mr.
Hit
II was told so by Colonel Stowe
WAS that statement in writing?"
ut was"
"Have you the letter."
mo; it is in the files of the Pretoria CONSUL
ate"
he might have 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 OF tele.
grams with the state department relative to
his leave, but as these in the cipnel of the.
U
them. He stated that his reason for not max
ing report to the state department ON The
conditions in South Africa was that when lie.
called on Assistant Secretary Hill he said to
Mr. Hill that he understood he had been re-
/ loved Mr.. Hill responded that this was true.
! Fnder such circumstances Mr. Macrum said
he had no report To make to the departm ent.
| He endeavored, however, to see the secretary
of state. bat was told that Mr., Hay WAS out.
/ After hearing Mr.. Macrum, the committee
! went into executive session. Chairman HIT
/ presented a letter from Secretary Hay giving
! IN detail the departments view OF the subjgcU,
/ and this was subsequently made public. the
committee took no acton as TO making a re
port, and it was stated by member tEtt there
was nothing to be done beyond taking the t,.-
/ tmony.
/ Secretary Hays letter, giving tae official
view OF the case, IS as follows:
WASHINGTON. March Ii, 1900.
Hon. Il. r. Hirt Chairman Committee For
eign Affairs. House of Representatives:
SIR-In response to your inquiries of this
morning, have the honor to report that up to
this cate "a lIacrum, late consul of the United
States atPretoria, mas made no representa-