The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-25
State Department Says He Ceased to
Be Consul at Pretoria When His
Successor Was Confirmed.
D. H. SHIELDS IN DISGRACE
ARMY CHAPLAIN'S SENTENCE OF
DISMISSAL APPROVED.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 81. - The State
Department is finding it difficult to re-
pudiate ex-Consul Macrum. No less than
three authoritative statements have been
issued to the effect that Mr.. Macrum
is not consul to Pretoria, or in fact, in
the United States consular service in any
way, yet il appears that he himself is
under a different impression. The fact that
the United States Senate confirmed sue
cessor to Mr.. Macrum consul to Pre-
toria is regarded by the department as
sufficient evidence that he was thereby
ousted, not only from his post at Pretoria,
but entirely from the service Of
the United States government. Through
statute intended TO prevent con-
sular officers from being left in the lurch
at distant post an allowance is made to
pay travelling expenses back to the United
States. which is technically regarded as
consular pay in order to fall within the
law, but any claim to a place in the con-
sular service based on this allowance
would, it is said, at the department, be
purely technical.
Post Chaplain David II. Shields has been
dismissed from the army of the United
States to take effect Feb. /, and the Rev
Edmund t. Easterbrook, of New York,
has been selected for appointment to the
vacancy. The action in the case of Chap
lain Shields was the result of court mar
tial proceedings at San Francisco for con-
duct unbecoming an officer and a gentle
man, in consequence of the alleged use of
intoxicating liquors. He was convicted and
sentenced to be dismissed. The case came
hot ha proc daynt in fha of
procedure and he approved the sentence
yesterday. directing it to take effect on
the LIST proximo. Chaplain Shields is a ma
tive of Pennsylvania and has been in the
military service since Aug. 16 1887. His al
legged tranSgressions occurred while en-
route to San Francisco in compliance with
| orders to join the army in the Philippines.
Secretary Long to-day received from the
Board of Naval Construction two reports
on the Holland submarine boat. The Hol-
land company had agreed to sell the Hol-
land to the government for s165.O00: to
embody certain Improvements in her and
sell her for $4,000, or finally to build two
new and larger boats for $4,000 each. Four
of the members of the board united in a
majority report favoring the rejection of
the propositions, based on the fact that
the company is delinquent in the
case of the submarine boat Plunger, on
ready paid s99, 76l, with no likelihood of her
completion in the near future. If the COM
pany makes satisfactory settlement for
the Plunger. then the board will be will
ing to build one of the larger boats, but
not TO purchase the Holland. The chief
constructor, Admiral Hichborn, submits a
minority report, declaring that the ma
jority did not give sufficient credit and en-
enlargement to the enterprise of the COM
pany. He declares that the results obtained
with the Holland were very satisfactory,
and that in view of the small cost of SUBJ
marine boats, the government should ac-
| cept the Holland and order two larger
| boats. The immediate possession of the
| boat in an emergency would be an advant-
| age, and her possession in the spring of
| 1898 Gust before the Spanish war; would
| have been very marked in it's effect.
| Senator Plat, of Connecticut, to-day
gave notice of important amendments he
| will offer to the bills providing a form of
government for Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
| One of Mr.. Platt's proposed amendments
| to each of the bills strikes out the pro-
| vision for the election of delegates to
Congress. The other amendments relate to
| the customs regulations. In the case of
Hawaii he proposes to eliminate the pro-
vision of the Hawaiian commission and in
sert a clause for the continuance of the
| existing customs relations between the
| United States and Hawaii until further
| vision suggested by Mr.. Platt in the case
| OF Puerto Rico requires the collection on
| Puerto Rico articles imported into the
| United States OF "a sum equivalent to so
| per cent. of the customs duties levied on
| like articles imported into the United
States from foreign countries" Articles
originating in he Unite. States and shippeu
to Puerto Rico are to pay the 50 cents duty
| imposed on importations from other coun-
| tries. -
Responding to an inquiry from Senator
Gallinger, Commissioner of Pensions Evans
has sent to him a statement giving the
| number of pensioners borne on the rolls of
the office on account of each of the wars
of the United States and giving a brief re-
view of the laws under which they were
granted. The statement as to the number
of pensioners follows: On account OF the
revolutionary war, four widows and seven
daughters; war of 1872, one survivor, 1,99S
widows; Indian wars, 1892 to 1872, 1855 sur
vivors and $3.50 widows; Mexican war. s,2N
survivors and S,1l5 widows. Granted since
1861 under general law. go, $50 invalid and
go 901 widows and other dependents; under
law of 1890, invalids. 420,9l2: widows and de-
pendents, 1922
The ways and means committee of the
House to-day directed favorable report on
the bill of Representative Cooper. of Texas,
repeating the law of 1895 in reference to the
free zone of Mexico. The purpose of that
arriving in this country and destined for
Mexico, in the hope that Mexico would take
like action and that the smuggling across
the zone would be stopped. But il has been
found that the effect OF the law was to di-
vert traffic from American ports and send
IL TO Tampico, Vera Cruz and other MeXi-
can ports and to give the carrying to Mexi-
can railroads. At the same time Mexico
has not taken the action contemplated in
1895. and the smuggling continues. The bill
now reported is designed to restore this
trade to American ports and railroads. Mr..
Grosvenor was instructed TO offer the bill
amendment to the Payne bill per-
hitting the bonding of goods at all ports,
instead of at designated places.
The House committee on pensions to-day
ordered a favorable report on the bill
making service in the Spanish-American
war sufficient to remove the disabilities
against those who aided or allotted the
Southern troops during the war of the re-
bellion in the matter of drawing pensions
At present the Inhibition applies to wild
ows. children, heirs and others related 10
those serving or assisting the Confederacy
and the removal of the inhibition is more
particularly designed to apply to the par
ents serving in the war with Spain.
DR.. Hunter, United States minister to
Guatemala and Honduras, has arrived in
Washington and called at the State De-
partment to-day to pay his respects. He is
on leave OF absence from mis- post and
order to seek treatment for his wife, who
is now Ill at Hot Springs. Va.
The remains of forty-three soldiers, who