Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-02-16
MACRUM' STORY
Former Consul to Pretoria
Tells Why He Desired to
Report In Person. :,
Official Letters and Dispatches
Tempered With at Durham
and Cape Town.
SAYS HAY GAVE PERMISSION
Only Learned Of His Removal
After His Arrival in the
United States.
Admits His Confidential Dis,
patches Were PrO-BOer,
but Unbiased.

WASHINGTON, Feb. l5-Charles E..
Macruln, formerly United States consul
at Pretoria, has given out signed
/ statement regarding his reasons for
. leaving the Transvaal capital. The
! statement begins as follows:
1.-The situation in Pretoria was such
:! that, first, could not remain there
while my government at home was ap.
parently in the dark as to the actual
conditions in South Africa; second, that
as man and all American I could moi
remain in Pretoria sacrificing my self
respect while the government at home
continued to leave me in the position Of
q British consul and not an American
consul.
Mr.. Macrum then tells of his attempt
to compel Americans to remain neutral,
but that in spite cf his efforts they were
continually going to the front as burgh-
ers. Even the American vice consul re-
signed his position and took up arms for
the Beers.
His Mail Tempered With.
! Regarding the difficulty of sending
and receiving mail and dispatches Mr.
Macrum says:
1T was over four weeks from the
time the war opened before received n
single mail or dispatch from my gov
erment or a. single private letter. TIE
mail for the Transyaal had all been
stopped at Cape Town by order Of the
high commissioner. When this mail
was formally forwarded to me, after
Captain Stowe, the consul general at
Cane Town, lad secured its release
had the humiliation, as an American
representative, Of sitting in my Office
and looking uron envelopes Of the
United States, officially stamped, sealed
: with a aticker notifying me that the let
ters had been opened at Durham. l
looked u1 the international law and
failed to find that any military power
has the right to exercise its Judgment of
examining the dispatches of a neutral
government to its representative This
interruption continued all the time |
remained in Pretoria.
Requests Leave of Absence.
"The Misrepresentation which had
? been going on before the war and after
it opened were Of such serious nature
and would require such detailed ex-
PLANTATION that on the 9Th day Of Nove1n-
Der filed cable to the department. in
code, stating that wished leave Of alb
sence in order to visit the. States. To
this I received reply advising me that
my presence at Pretoria was important
to public interests. again wired the
department. on Nov and II, but to
these dispatches received no reply. On
Nov. ii again wired the department
stating that I could not leave without
permission; that 1 would forfeit my post
if the reasons which / would make to
the department did not prove satisfac.
tory. This cable was retained by ,nc
..etisor until Dec. 2, when ! had uGv,>''.
, >haf it had just been forwarded 10
this received reply reiterating the
refusal to grant leave Of absence.
Agrees to Stick to His Post.
upon the receipt of this reply, which
was Cn Dec. l5, Immediately wrote 10
the department accepting the refusal to
grant me leaveof absence and stating
that in that matter l would abide Ivy
the decision Of the department and that
l was unable to convey definite ac.
count of the conditions there ly mull
Several days later received message
saying, You may come home, signed
Hay
Mr.. Macrum then tells Of his dcrar.
ture from Pretoria under the impression
that he was still consul and of his ar.
arrival at Washington on Feb. 5, when
he was informed that Secretary HAYS
son had been officially appointed to sue
ceed him. He had expected to make
his report and be returned to Pretoria.
Continuing, he says:
"Ins,e cad of this found that Sccre.
tary Hay did not see fit to await my
personal report and has been silent OF
conniving partner to the discreditin4
reports Of my official action.
Not Aware of "the Secret Alliance"
g.! v,isl. - State here that when a..
cepted my post l knew nothing Of a
secret alliance between the United
States and England and l had seen
nothing in the consular instructions
that made an American consul subject
to the whims and caprices of an English
military censor in Durham.
"There is not opa soul who can rs,::,,