The Minneapolis journal., 1902-04-22
MUST
BREAK CAMP
Nature and Outcome of the
Report Of Colonel
CroWder.
Neutrality Not Positively
Violated, But British
Methods Offensive.
snecial to The Journal.

Special to The Journal. ~
Chicago, April 22.-Walter Wellman, in
his Washington correspondence to the
Record Herald, says: On account of tech
nical violations of the neutrality laws the
British government will probably be noti-
fed by the United States that it must dis,
continue it's Boer war supply depot at
Port Chalmette, near New Orleans or, at
least, make radical change in the meth
DDS employed there. The report of Col
onel Enoch H. Crowder, who investigated
the British camp, is expected to be ready.
for the president and mis- advisers to-day,
and if Attorney General Knox is prepared
with his legal opinion on the somewhat
startling facts presented by Colonel Crow
der, prompt action by this government
adverse to the British government is con-
f1dently looked for.
If these expectations are not .disap-
pointed Secretary Hay will be instructed
to cable Ambassador Choate to notify the
British government of the decision of the
Unit ed States and the camp will be speed
| lily broken up. 1t is not expected that
the British government will contest the
decision reached here or seek diplomatic
| negotiations
Where the Ofense Lies.
Colonel Crowder does not report that
the British government has violated the
4 neutrality laws by purchasing mules,
horses and forage in this country and
! shipping them to South Africa. The Of
tense lies in the manner in which such
purchases have been made and the meth
ods employed by British officers. These
methods are held to be technical viola
tion of the law, and, if not that, are at
any rate. offensive to the United States
According to Colonel Crowder's report he
found the conditions at Port Chalmette
| to be as follows:
First-The depot has been continuousl,
used as a base of supplies for the BRITISH
4 army in South Africa for two and one hal
1 Years.
Second-This depot has been under the i'm
mediate personal supervision and management
cf regularly commissioned officers of tn,
British army.
4 Third-These officers have not worn uni
forms and have not used arms or any othe,
N cans OF defense thaa such as &crs f11fnfanss
4 by the local authorities, but they have signet
checks, receipts. vouchers. etc, as officers o
the British army, signing with their rank o
title
Fourh-During two and a half years thes
officers have paid out about s1s.ooo.ooo 10
horses and mules and about SIS, 900 900 TO
forage and other supplies all pf which ha
been SHIPPED to the army in South Africa
4 most Of 1t upon British transports
F1fth-Slnce this depot was established, lat
in 1899, about lis ships have been cleared fron
New Orleans for South Africa, carrying c., 90
mules and $4,000 horses, and hundreds o
thousands of tons of hay and other provender
I No Recruiting.
Colonel Crowder reports that he wa
unable to find any evidence that the Brit
ish officers have attempted to carry oI
recruiting on American soil, either di
rectly or by any subterfuge. To the con
trary, he says the officers representa-,
the British army in this country have re
fused hundreds of applications from per
, sons who wished to enlist The grea
majority were suspected of a desire no
to fight in the British army, but to secur
free transportation to South Africa an
then improve the first opportunity to 6
over to the Beers, carrying with them thei
guns and ammunition. The report in
Inmates that the British officers had
great deal of confidence in America
mules, but very little in American me
when it came to question of actua
operations against the Beers.
It is understood in administration cir
cles that Colonel Crowder's report is re
garded as affording sufficient evidenc
upon which to base demand for dis
continuance of the depot. If the .Britis
had been content to buy their animal
and forage through contractors or civi
agents it is held that they would not hav
to violate any law, but the presence G
commissioned officers, acting as such, an
using the base of supplies continuousl
and on long scale for 21s years, is. de
| clared to be highly Objectionable to tn
) United States. So
According to rumor the British govern
ment is quite willing to give up its cam
: at Port Chalmette, as it has about com
V pleted its purchase in the Mississippi, val
, ley after distributing more than 100000,
900 to the farmers in that region, and vii
now secure from Vancouver what furthe
supplies it may need
, No warrant for Intervention.