New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-15

ceived reply Immediately, whlch was a reitera-
ton of the reply TO my first cable. Upon receipt
of this reply which was on November 20, i'm
mediately wrote to the Department accepting
the refusal TO grant my leave, and stating in
the Department and attempt to convey an in
telligent idea for the Departments guidance of
the conditions there in mail dispatches
GOT LEAVE TO RETURN.
On December I received a reply from the
Department to my cablegram of the 18th, which
just been forwarded. 1t read as follows:
You may come home Put Atterbury tempo
rariy in charge. Department will send man from
here
This was signed Hay" Thereupon 1 cabled
the Department as follows:
Sail 18th, by Naples.
This cahlegram was sent on the Sth and in the
mean time prepared to go. A few days later |
received telegram from Mr.. Hollis Consul at
Delagoa Bay, stating that he had been in.
structed to come to Pretoria to take charge OF
my office during my absence and until a man
should arrive from Washington. Mr. Hollis ar
rived December IA, and was thoroughly
posted in the routine of the office, and l intro
partments and to my consular colleagues. 1 left
Pretoria the night of December 10 1 went
straight to Paris and notified the Department
of my presence while waiting for the American
Line boat to sail for New York. I arrived in
Washington Monday, February 5. and re-
ported to Assistant Secretary HILL of the State
Department, who officially informed me that
Secretary Hays had been appointed in my
place. and that he his way to Pretoria.
/ appreciated the seriousness of the conditions
in South Africa to the extent that on my way
to Washington believing that / still the
Consul in Pretoria, l refused to make any state
ment that would in any way involve the De-
partment embarrass 1t. My one object was
to lay the information before the Department as
to the true state of affairs in South Africa II
the Department thought these facts were or a
value sufficient to warrant the expenses or the
trip I had taken. I expected to be remunerated
and return to Pretoria, leaving the Department
to act it fit upon the facts which laid
before il.
A SECRET ALLIANCE ALLEGED.
Instead of this, find Secretary Hay, whether
acting upon the reports in the newspapers, or
upon advice from the British Government, or
some other motive 1 do not know, saw ut not
to wait until 1 could present my reasons IN per-
son, and has been a silent or connivins partner
to discredting reports of my official acts. L
come home to find an attempt has been made to
tear down my personal reputation. L wish 10
state right here that when accepted my post
Consul l knew nothing of any secret alliance
between America and Great Britain, and that
1 had seen nothing in the regulations which
made the Consul of the American Republic sub
ject to the whims and caprice of an English
military censor at Durham. 1 came to America
with motive of which L not ashamed.
There is not one soul who point to single
official act Of mine which departed from the
strictest neutrality. My confidential dispatches
to the Department contained information which
will show my sympathy for the republic but
which time will prove to be unbiased as to
actual facts.
My acts as a public official all recorded at
the Department. My acts now as private man
can in no way involve the public service ana
simply make this statement in my own defence
against those which have come from the De-
partment, secretly and officially.
CHARLES f. MACRUM.