The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-02-15
MACRUN'S
SILENCE
Is BROKEN.
Gives out a Signed Statement Detail
Ing Reasons for Asking
DISPATCHES WERE CENSORED.
Ho sympathiEsd With the Beers; and
HIS vice Consul Enlisted in
Bosr Army.

wAsHrNGToN Feb. 1l.-The follow
Ing signed statement was given out to-
night by Charles e. Macrum, former
United states consul to Pretoria;
"The situation In Pretoria was such
that, frst, Is an oHcIal, could not re.
main there while my government at
home was apparently in the dark as to
the exact conditions in South Africa
secondly. a. man and citisen Of the
United states, l could not remain in
Pretoria, sacrificing my own self
respect and that Of the people Of Pre-
torla. whiie the government At home
continued tu leave me in the position OF
a British consul and not an American
consul. / want to say right here that
there was rot one single rsQuest made
OF mn through the department Of state
looking to the care Of British interests
I'm Pretoria which I did not fulhll and
report upon according 70 my orders.
On the otner hand, American interests
I'm South africa were In that condition
which demanded that the department
Of state should be cognizant Of them.
II issued the statement received from
the state department that Americans
must remain neutral. In the face Of
this Americans were continually going
10 the front and taking up arms In the
cause of the BoerA / could not help
but know that many OF these were clti-
zcns OF the United States also knew
that many Of them, In utter despair at
the apparent attitude OF our own gov
ernrnent, were taking the oath of ale
glance to the Transvaal republic. When
aasIrs had reached that state that my
consul. Mr.. Van Ameringen, closed up
his own business, took the oath Of allie
glance to the republic, and went to the
front as a burgher. thought the time
had come when / should make report
of these conditipns.
Complaints of Censorship.
ut was over four weeks from the
time the war opened before received
a single mail dispatch from my govern
ment or a personal letter. The mail for
the TransVaal had all been stopped at
cape Town by order Of the high COM
missioner. When this mail was finally
forwarded to me after Colonel Stowe.
the consul general at Cape Town had
secured its release, had the humilia-
tIon, as the representative of the Amer
ican government. Of sitting in my
ONCE in Pretoria and looking upon en-
velopes bearing the official seal OF the
American government and officially
sealed with a sticker. notifying me that
the contents had been read BY the cen-
sor At DURHAM. l looked up the inter-
national law. but failed to fnd sny-
where that one military power can use
its own discretion as to forwarding the
oficlai dispatches OF a neutral governs
rnsnt % Its representative in besiesed
country.
"ThO mail service from Delagoa Bay
to Europe was continually interrupted
BY the action Of British men Of war at
that port. Service was over two weeks
longer than by the west coast. and
there were continual rumors that that
port would Be closed anG communlca-
ton with the outside world entirely cut
on. I was privately informed by the
Belgian and German eonsuls at Pre-
torIa that their ofielal cables In code
10 their governments had been refused
by the censor. 1 fi1ed one cable in the
interest OF an American in Pretoria
which waa refused absolutely by the
censor in Durham. This cable l sent to
the fanoee of Mr.. Nelson, an Amerl-
can business man in Pretoria. She was
on her way to South Africa from Buff
falo, n. =, when the war broke out.
According to q letter which Mr.. Nelson
received Just before the war COM
menced, she was buying her trosseau In
Europe. The cable requested her TO
come by the east coast. When I In
formed Mr.. Nelson that the cable had
not been cont, his brother took the oath
of allegiance to the republic and went
to the front. But these are simply
minor details.
Vice Consul Enlisted in Bosr Army.
The Misrepresentation which have
been going on before the war and after
1t opened we're Of such 4 eSrlouS nature
and would require such detailed expla-
nation, that on the 9Th Of November, 1
flled a cable to the department In code.
stating thar / wished leave OF abSenye
in order to visit the states. / set forth
in this cable that my vice consul had
enlisted in the BoOr army, that q Mr..
Atterbury, an American whom / had
known very favorabIy for more than q
year, could take charge OF the office un-
III my return. In reply 20 this dispatch.
which was forwarded without any de-
lay. received from the department u
reply, advlling me that my presence at
Pretoria was important to public inter-
ests, On the sth l telegraphed again
acknowledging the receipt Of the cable
and advising the department that the
situation was not critical; that Mr. At
ierbury was competent; that my pres
encs In America was important, No
reply was received. and. wired again
on the i1tli. stating that M reply had
been received, and again urged q favor