The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-02-15
MA(RUMS STATEMENT,
E1-Oonsul Tells Why He Left His
Post at Pretoria.
FORCED BY BRITISH ARROGANCE.
He Wanted to Report Personally ~
t" the High Handed Methods of the
british Censor at Durban-Kncw OF

United States consul to Pretoria:
"The situation in Pretoria was such
that, first. as an official, could not
remain there while my government at
home was apparently in the dark as
to the exact conditions In South Afrl-
ca; secondly, as man and citizen of
the United States / could not remain
In Pretoria, sacrificing my own self
respect and that of the people of Pre-
toria while the government at homo
continued to leave me in the position
of q British consul and not an Ameri-
can consul. want to say right here
that there was no single request made
OF me through the department OF state
looking to the care of British interests
In Pretoria which did not fulfill.
Il issued the statement received from
the state department that Americans
must remain neutral. In the face of
! this Americans were continually 60
Ing to the front and taking up
| arms In the cause Of the Beers.
could not help but know that
many of these were citizens Of the Uni
ted States. l also knew that many OF
them, in utter despair at the apparent
attitude of our own government, were
taking the oath of allegiance to the
Transvaal republic When affairs had
reached that stage that my vice con-
sui, Mr.. Van Ameringen, closed up his
business. took the oath of allegiance to-
the republic and went to the front as
burgher thought the time had come
when should make report of these
conditions.
1T was over four weeks from the
time the war opened before received
single mail dispatch from my gov
eminent or personal letter. The mail
for the Transvaal had ali been stopped
at Cape Town by order of the high
commissioner. When this mail was
finally forwarded to me, after Col
onel Stowe, the consul general at Cape
Town, had secured its release.
had the humiliation, as the representa-
tive OF the American government, Of
sitting in my Office in Pretoria and
looking upon envelopes bearing the Of
fetal seal of the American government
opened and officially sealed with a
stocker, notifying me that the contents
had been read by the censor at Durham.
1.-THE mail service from Delagoa bay
to Europe was continually interrupted
by the action of British men of war
ut that port. The cable service for
the Transvaal was absolutely cut off.
was privately informed by the Bel
CLAN and German consuls at Pretoria
that their official cables in code to their
governments had been refused by the
censor. filed one cable in the inter-
est Of an American in Pretoria, which
was refused absolutely by the censor in
Durham. This cable sent to the
flancee Of Mr.. Nelson, an American
business man In Pretoria. She was on
her way to South Africa from Buffalo,
N. Y. when the war broke out, and
was buying her trousseau in Europe
The cable requested her to come by the
east coast. When informed Mr.. Mel
son that the cable had not been sent
his brother took the oath OF allegiance
to the republic and went to the front"
Mr. Macrum then details at length
his efforts to get a leave of absence,
and finally message from Secretary
Hay saying: you may come home. |
Put Atterbury temporarily in charge"
Atterbury was an American of Ma |
crum's sele ction. Later Mr.. Hollis, our
consul at DelegOa bay, arrived at Pre-
toria with orders to take charge Of the |
consulate. The statement tells |
of Macrum's arrival In Washington and |
his report to Secretary Hill, who in
formed him that he had been replaced |
by Secretary Hays son. The state
ment proceeds:
81 appreciated the seriousness of the
in South Africa to the ex-
tent that on my way to Washington,
believing that was still the consul in
/ refused to make any state
ment that would in any way involve
he department or embarrass II. My
,ne object was to lay the information
tefore the department rs to the true
state OF affairs In South Africa. If the
thought these facts were
If value sufficient to warrant the ex-
cnses of the trip / had taken I ex-
,ected to be remunerated and return to
leaving the department to
let as 1t saw fit upon the facts which
laid before it.
Instead of this find that Secretary
lay, whether acting upon the reports
r the newspapers or upon advice from
he British government, or some other
motive ] do not know, saw fit not to
Yait until l could present my reasons
n person and has been a silent or con-
living partner to discrediting reports
II my official acts. / come home to
ind an attempt has been made to tear
own my personal reputation.
81 wish to state right here that when
accepted my post as consul I knew
othing OF any secret alliance between
Imerica and Great Britain, and that
ad seen nothing in the regulations
ihich made the consul of the Ameri-
an republic subject to the whims and
aprices of an English military censor
t Durham. came to America with
motive Of which am not ashamed.
my confidential dispatches to the
apartment contained information
'hich will show my sympathy for the
'public, bnt which time will prove to
e unbiased as to actual facts. MY
cts as public offlcial are all recorded
the department. Ny acts now as a
rivate man can in no way involve the
ublic service, and l simply make this
latement In my own defense as
gainst those which have come from
lie department, secretly and officially."
hOrter Hours For Treufou R,knr.