Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-28
Tells Foreign Affairs Committee
About Opened Mail.
FAILED 70 OFFICIALLY REPORT IT
Secretary Hay States the Depart
ment's Attitude.
AN APOLOGY GIVE N


appeared before the House foreign affairs
committee today and told of the alleged
| indgnities he suffered at the hands of the
British during his incumbency.
When he gave out his statement here
| some weeks ago declaring that his official
mail had been opened by British officials
Representative Wheeler of Kentucky in
troduced resolution for an investigation.
! 1t was subsequently arranged that the
| foreign affairs committee should take the
matter up of its own motion without any
direction from the House, and Mr.. Ma
crum was summoned to Washington to
testify.
| There were many visitors in the commit
| tee room when Chairman Hit called the
| committee to order. Mr.. Macrum was
| asked by Chairman Hit to make such
| statement he saw fit regarding the
opening of his mail by the British censor.
Mr.. Macrum's Statement.
| In opening Mr. Macrum recalled the
! statement he had made some time ago to
| the Associted Press That statement he
said, practically embodied all he had to
| say. He explained that when he asked
| for a leave of absence he desired to come
| home for private business reasons and
| also because he desired to place before the
| United States government certain facts
which he deemed it essential should be
| known here. 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 con-
WINGED him that his suspicious were cor
| rect
Alleged Delay in His Mail.
| Asked as to when he was first satisfied
| that his mail was being tampered with, he
! said that war was declared October II. He
did not receive any mail between that date
and the second week in November. Ordi-
narily he had box OF mail every week.
/ Did other people receive mail during that
period?" asked Mr.. Williams of Mississippi.
Not that l know Of replied Mr. Ma
crum..
Pressed for specific Information as to how
he got the intimation that the British were
! opening and delaying his mail, he replied
| that when his mail did not arrive he tele-
| graphed our consul at Lorenzo Marques re-
| questing him to inquire of Cape Town why
it was being delayed.
The consul at Lorenzo Marques replied
| that he also had had no mail MI Macrum
| said the delay of his mail created a convic-
| tion in his mind that the British authorities
were responsible The first actual evidence
he had was the receipt of two opened let
ters.
| The Opened Nail.
He produced the envelopes which he said
contained those letters. One was from a
private citizen addressed to the United
States consul at Pretoria, and the other was
to him by name from Consul Stowe at Cape
| Town.
Mr.. VIM. Alden Smith of Michigan inter.
| rogated the witness sharply on the reasons
! for stating his belief that the British au.
| thorities had possession of the State De
| partment's cipher.
Mr.. Macrum said he could not affirm thai
fact from actual knowledge, but there were
certain facts which convinced him that suct
was the case. He explained that on Novem
. ber 6 he had eabled the State Department
In cipher asking for leave of absence
! Ihat message had gone through Durban
The next day, November Z, he said, he haC
, | been informed newspaper at Durbar
printed the fact that he had asked for leav,
| of absence
THE message" said Mr. Macrum. IVA:
Slater code.'
And you claim the substance of that dis
patch was made public?' asked MIR. Smith
| II do.''
"Where?"
in Natal"
Was it an accurate publication"
= u do not know"
Mr. Macrum said he had never seen tn,
publication. He had only been informed
2 that the fact that he had asked leave O
absence had been printed. He affirmed tina
no one knew Of this fact save himself.
! | Al this point Nj Howard of Georgia in
. terposed to question the utility of the ex
animation Of Mr.. Macrum. 'It looks t,
' me- said he. like an effort to concoct
= sensation out Of nothing.
Y Granted Leave of Absence.
But the committee decided to proceed and
! | in reply to some questions from Mr.. Burie
i son, Mr.. Macrum stated that he had beel
granted leave of absence by Secretary Ha!
November Is. He read to the committee
:. | message from the cable company saying
+ cipher cable sent by him to the Secretar.
r of State November IA had been held up b,
+ the military censor until December 2.
e Asked If other consuls had suffered an,
r Inconvenience in the matter of communicat
n ing with their home government Mr.. Ma
S crum said they had. The Belgian and Ger
man cousuls both told him that no ciphe
| kilograms were allowed to go through.
Did Not Report the Facts.
did you report to the State Department
that your mail had been opened?" aske
! Mr.. Berry of kentucky.
I II did not
: "Did you mention it upon your arrival il
| Washington"
II did not"
g "Why?"
II would prefer not to answer that Ques
| ton"
: This reply raised a general laugh In tn
: committee room.
ceeded to cross question Mr.. Macrum rathe
y severely upon the duty of a consul to re
o main at his post during complications
e Effort to Prevent War.
Mr. Macrum proceeded to describe an a
q legged meeting between President Steyn q
the Orange Free States and Consul Stow
g | of Cape Town, at which he was present /
9 | which he said Steyn was very anxious ths
n Stowe should do something to settle tn
e difficulty which was brewing. He said ths
l. President Steyn suggested an appeal to tn
: President of the United States, and tha
: Mr.. Stowe had replied that he would i
l. glad If some such thing could be done
o And 1 have reason to believe that th
a question was submitted to the President {
r | the United States, added Mr.. Macruu
n and that he returned an unfavorable r,
ply"
what makes you say that?' inquired M
HIT
n II was told SO by Col. Stowe"
a WAS that statement in writing?"
- "It was"
= Have you the letter."
IS mo: 1t Is in the files Of the Pretoria CO,
al sulate.''
After further questioning Mr.. Macru
le said he might have a copy of the letter;
1 fi1rol,- Cnhe ,