Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-15
WHY HE WENT AWAY
Ex. Consul Macrum Explains His
Departure From Pretoria.
BRITISH CBHSORS OPENED DISPATCHES
Unable to Communicate Secretly
With Washington.
HAD PERMISSION TO LEAVE

Chs. f. Macrum. formerly United ates
consul ut Pretoria, South African republic,
has ht ken his mysterious silence at last, in
| the :ssrc uf the following signed state
| meE,:
! The s:tua ion in Pretoria was such that,
| first. official. ! could not re main
| there Willie my ggvein:ient at home was
| apparently in the dark as 10 The exact con-
| diticas in South Africa. Secondly, a
! man and citizen of the United States 1
| could not remain in PREF oria, sacrificing
my own sslf-respect and that of the people
| of Pretoria. while the government at home
continued to leave me in the position of a
| British consul and not American consul.
I want to say right here that there was not
one single request made OF me through the
| Department of State loo!-ing to the care
| of British interests in Pretoria which l did
| not fulfill and report upon according to my
orders. On the other hand, American inter-
ests in South Africa were in that condition
which demanded that the Department of
State should be cogniZant of them.
| Americans Enlisted with the Roers.
Il Issued the statement received from
the State Department that Americans must
| remain neutral. In the face of this, Ameri-
cans We're continually going 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 United
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 state that
my vice consul, Mr. Van Ameringen, closed
up his business, took the oath of allegiance
to the republic, and went to the front as a
burgher. l thought the time had come
when l should make a report of these con-
ditions.
His Mail Opened at Cape Town.
TT was over four weeks from the time
the war opened before l received a single
mail dispatch from my government or a
personal letter. The mail for the Trans
vaal had all been stopped at Cape Town by
order of the high commissioner When this
mail was finally forwarded to me after
Colonel Stowe, the consul general at Cape
Town, had secured its release, / had the
humiliation as the representative of the
American government Of sitting in my
office in Pretoria and looking upon en-
Eelopes bearing the official seal of the
American government opened and officially
sealed with a sticker notifying me that
the contents had been read by the censor at
Durham. | looked up international law but
tailed to find anywhere that one military
power can use its own discretion as to for
warding the official dispatches of a neu-
trai government to its representative in
besieged country.
The mail service from Deagoa bay to
Europe was continually interrupted by the
action of British men-of-war at that port.
The service was over two weeks longer
than by the west coast, and there were
continual rumors that that port would be
closed and communication with the outside
world entirely cut off.
Cable Service Cut OF.
The cable service for the Transvaal was
absolutely cut off. I was privately IN
formed by the Belgian and Germxn consuls
at Pretoria that their official cables in code
to their governments had been refused by
the censor / filed one able in the interest
of an American in Pretoria which was re-
fused absolutely by the censor in Dur
Asked for Leave.
The misrepresentation which had been
going on before the war and after 1t opened
were of such a serious nature and would
require such detailed explanation that on
the 9th of November l filed a cable to the
department in code, stating that I wished
leave of absence in order to visit the states.
set forth in this cable that my vice con-
sui had enlisted in the Boer army: that a
Mr.. Atterbury, an american, whom l had
known very favorabiy for more than a
year, could take charge of the office until
my return In reply to this dispatch, which
was forwarded without any delay, / re-
ceived from the department reply advis-
ing me that my presence at Pretoria was
important to public interests On the sth
L telegraphed again, acknOw Lodging the
ceipt of the cable and advising the depart
ment that the situation was not critical;
that Mr.. Atterbury was competent; that
my presence in America was important. No
reply was received and l wired again on
the 11th, stating that reply had been
received, and again urged a favorable re-
ply. No reply was received to this. On the
1ith of November l again wired the depart
ment, stating that / could not leave with
out permission: that l would forfeit my
post If the reasons which l would make to
the department did not prove satisfactory
HE hIy ha ,nti
the I'd of December, when / had advices
that 1t had just been forwarded. On the
18th of November again filed cable. stat
ing that three Of my cables had been I'M
answered, and stating that a substitute
would answer as consul during my alb
sence. and requested a reply. To this l
received a reply Immediately, which was a
refteration of the reply to my first cable.
Upon receipt of this reply, which was on
the 10Th of November, / Immediately wrote
to the department accepting the refusal to
that | would abide by the decision of the
department and attempt to convey an in
telligent idea for the departments guidance
OF the conditions there in mail dispatches.
Permission Given to Leave.
"On the 4th of December I received a re-
ply from the department to my cablegram
of the 14th which had been informed two
days previously had just been forwarded.
1t read as follows:
iou may COHut fut AtCerDury
temporarily in charge. Department will
send man from here
This signed Hay Thereupon 1
cabled the department as follows:
Sail 18th, by Naples
This cablegram was sent on the Sth and
In the meantime I prepared to go. A few
days later l received telegram from Mr.
Hollis. consul at Delagoa bay, stating that
he had been instructed to come to Pretoria
to take charge of my Office during my alb
sence. and until man should arrive from
Washington. Mr.. Hollis arrived on the 1Ith
of December, and was thoroughly posted in
the routine of the Office and l introduced
him to the heads of all government depart
ments and to my consular colleagues.
Departure From Pretoria,
II left Pretoria the night Of December 16.
l went straight to Paris. notified the de-
partment of my presence there. while wait
ing for the American line boat to sail for
New York. I arrived in Washington on
Monday. the 5th of February, and reported
to Assistant Secretary Hill of the State De-
partment, who officially Informed me that
Secretary Hays son had been appointed in
my place. and that he was on his way to
Pretoria.