The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-15
STATEMENT Of MACRUM.
Ex-CoNsUL TO PRETORIA TELLS
WHY HE LEFT THE TRANsvAAL.
Wanted TO Advise the Department OF
True Condition There which Brit
f.b Censorship Prevented. But lie

WASHINGTON. Feb. 1.-THE following
signed statement was given out tonight
by Charles +. Marcrun, former Unitcd
! States consul TO Pretoria:
The situation in Pretoria was such that.
| first, as an official. I could not remain
! there while my government at home was
apparently in the dark 10 the exact
conditions in South Africa. Secondly, rs
a man and citizen Of the United States,
could not remain in Pretoria, sacrificing my
own self-respect and that of the psOp.e
I Of Pretoria, while the government at home
continued 10 leave me in the position OF
British consul and not American consul.
I I want to say, right here. that there YVES
| not one single request made 10 me through
! the department OF state. looking TO the
1 care OF British interests i'm Pretoria, which
1 | did not fulfill and report upon according
| 10 my orders. on the other hand, Amer
] lean interests in South Africa were In Sliat
| condition which demanded that the depart
ment Of state should be cognizant of them.
Il issued the statement received from The
| state department that Americans must ie-
main neutral. In the face .nf this. Afncii-
! cans were daily going TO the front and tax
| ing Up arms in the cause Of the Beers. |
could not help but know that many OF
| these were citizens OF the United States.
| / also know that many OF them. in utter
| despair at the apparent attitude OF our own
| government, were taking the oath of allag-
| lance to the Transvaal republic When af-
| fairs had reached that state that my vice
| consul, Mr.. Van Ameringen, closed up his
| pusfntsS, LOOK tnt tdtN VI dtltSidlSf To l4it
republic and went to the front a
burgher. thought the time had come when
| should make report on these conditions.
OmciaI Letters Opened.
1T was over four weeks from the time
| the war opened before / received a single
| mail dispatch from my government or
! personal letter. The mail for the Trans
| vaal had all been stopped at Cape Town.
| by order OF the high commissioner. When
I this mail was finally forwarded to me- after
1 Col. Stowe. the consul general cane
| Town, had secured its release, / had the
| humiliation, as the representative OF the
| American government, of sitting in my Of
| fee in Pretoria and looking on envelope.
| bearing the Official seal OF the American
! government opened and officially sealed
| with sticker. notifying me that the con-
tents had been read by the censor at Dur
| ban.
| Il looked up the international law, but
lailed TO ma anywhere that one military
| power can use its own discretion as to
forwarding the official dispatches OF a
neutral government to its representative
in a besieged country.
THE mail service from Delagoa bay TO
| Europe was continually interrupted by the
action of the British men-of-war at that
port The service was over two weeks
| longer than by the west coast. ana there
| were continual rumors that that port
| would be closed and communication with
the outside world entirely cut of. The
| cable service from the Transvnal was alb
| solutey cut OF. / was privately Informed
| by the Belgian and German consuls at
| 10 their governments had been refused by
| the censor. filed one cable in the inter.
| est of an American at Pretoria, which was
| refused absolutely by the censor In Dur
| ban This cable sent to the flancee of a
| Mr.. Nelson an American business man In
Pretoria. She was on her way to South
Africa from BufYalo. ". Y, when the war
broke out. According to a letter which Mr..
Nelson received just before the war COM
menced, she was buying her trousseau in
| Europe The cable requested her to come
| BY the east coast. When / informed Mr.
Nelson that the cable had not been sent,
his brother took the oath OF allegiance to
the republic and went TO the front.
CabIed the Department.
But these are simply minor details.
The INSTRUMENTATION which had been
! going on before the war and after IL
| opened were of such serious nature, and
| would require such detailed explanation
| that, on the 9th of November. | filed a
cable TO the department, in code. stating
that wished leave of absence in order TO
| visit the States,
Il set forth in this cable that my vice
| consul had enlisted In the Boer army; that
| a MIR. Atterbury, an American, whom l
| had known very favorably for more than
| year. could take charge of the Office un-
| III my return. In reply to this dispatch.
which was forwarded without delay 1
| received from the department reply ad-
| vfsing me that my presence Mt Pretoria
was important to the public interests. On
the kth l telegraphed again, acknowledg-
| ing the receipt OF the cable, advising the
department that the situation was not
critical that Mr.. Atterbury was compe-
| tent. that my presence in America was
important No reply was received and 4
wired again on the nth. stating that no
reply had been received, and again urged
a tayora BILE reply. No reply was received
to THE
"on the 18th OF November | again
wired the department, stating that |
could not leave without permssion; that
| would forfeit my post " the reasons
which | would make TO the department
did not prove satisfactory. This cable
was delayed by the censor until the Ind
of December when had advtces that IL
had just been forwarded on the 18th OF
November again filed cable, stating
that three % nay cables mad been unan-
swered. and stating that a substitute
would act as consul during my absence,
and requesting reply. To this receiy-
ed a reply Immediately. which was a
reiteration Of the reply to my FIRST cable.
Upon receipt OF this reply, which was on
the 2ath Of November. Immediately
wrote to the department accepting the
refusal To grant me leave and stating IN
a letter thar would abide by the decision
of the department and attempt TO convey
an intelligent report for the departments
guidance u the conditions there. In mali
dispatches.
Hear. From Washington.
AL 90 it.sv 4