Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1900-02-22
A B0MBSHELL.
Consul Macrum's Statement
Greatly Dlsturbs the Ad-
miniStratiOn.
Macrum Says His Mail Was
Opened BY British Con-
sui at DURHAM.
And That He Was Not Aware
of the British Ameri-
can Alliance.

WASHINGTON, Feb. l5.-The explana-
ton by former Consul Macrum Of his
reasons for leaving Pretoria has fallen
like bombshell into the camp OF the
administration. It's political effect Is
greatly feared. That old speoter OF an
Anglo A merican alliance has again been
raised and there is nothing in the ap.
preaching campaign which causes the
administration such genuine shudder
as that. The direct charge is made by
Macrum that he was expected to repre-
sent Great Britain instead Of the United
States.
The fact that the official mail Of the
consulate was seized and opened by
British authorities without any protest
from Secretary Hay will go far to lend
conviction to the charge. The course
OF Secretary Hay 10 sending his own son
to take the place-the one person in all
the world who could be relied upon to
keep an important secret-wlll also be
given it's due weight.
The fact is, Secretary Hay is becoming
very unpopular with many prominent
members Of the republican party. he ls
suspected OF being entirely English in
bis sympathies. The Macrum incident,
coming close upon the canal treaty,
which ie being so bitterly criticized, has
made Hay the target of some pretty hot
language.
Macrum was allowed leave OF alb
sence on his statements Of important
matters to communicate. While on his
way home be was relieved without his
knowledge, and q young son OF Secretary
OF State Hay appointed CONSUL He was
cent to London first where he took many
messages for the English forces in South
Africa. and now represents the admin.
etration as the trusted agent OF the
United States.
It was strongly lntimated at the time
that the reason OF sending Adelbert Hay
WAS to get man there who could bs
depended upon to carry out our policy
IN favor OF the British, and not gs1
caught..
It was hinted that the United States
desired to preserve a neutral aspect, but
whenever possible our representative was
to secretly aid the British. THIS was
supposed TO be payment in kind for ser
vices rendered 10 the Spanish war. The
services OF British consuls ID the West
Indies are said to have been used in
trying to locate Cervera. When young
Hay was appointed, it was suggested
that the secretary OF state had found
an official who would be ready and
capable of carrying out delicate instruc-
tlons.
Consul Macrum's Statement.
T"''asinlNcfION, ~ Feb. 16.-Charles r.
Macrum, formerly United States consul
at Pretoria, has given out signed
statement regarding his reasons for
leaving the Transvaal capital. The
statement begins as follows:
1.-The situation in Pretoria was such
that, first, l could not remain there
while my government at home was ap-
parently in the dark as to the actual
conditions in South Africa; second, that
as a man and an American could not
remain in Pretoria sacrificing my self
respect while the government at home
continued to leave me in the position of
a British consul and not an American
consul.
Mr.. Macrum then tells of his attempt
to compel Americans to remain neutral,
but that IN spite of his efforts they We're
continually going to the front as brrgh-
ers Even the American vice consul re-
signed his position and took up arms for
the Beers.
His Mail Tempered With.
Regarding the difficulty of sending
and receiving mail and dispatches Mr..
Macrum says:
"lt was over four weeks from the
time the wer opened before l received
single mail or dispatch from my gov
erment or a single private letter. The
mail for the Transvaal had all been
stopped at Cape Town by order of the
high commissioner. When this mail
was formally forwarded to me, after
Captain Stowe, the consul general at
Cape Town, had secured its release 1
had the humiliation, as an American
representative, of sitting in my office
and looking upon envelopes of the
United States, officially stamped, sealed
with a sticker notifying me that the let
tiers had been opened at Durham. l
looked up the international law and
failed to find that any military power
has the right to exercise its Judgment of