Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-02-22
MACRUM SPEAKS.
Ex-Consul to Pretoria Breaks His
Silence.
He Says He Came Home to FELL State
Department officials About Affairs
in south Africa, His COrrcs-
pondence Being Held up
by u British Censor
AT Durham.

Washington, Feb. 15.-The following
statement was given out last night by
Charles f. Macrum, former 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 Af-
rica. Secondly, as a man and citizen
OF the United States | could not re-
main in Pretoria, sacrificing my own
self-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
an American consul. There was not
one request made of me through the
department of state looking to the
care of British interests in Pretoria
which | did not fulfill.
81 issued the statement received
from the state department that Amer
leans must remain neutral. In the
face of this, Americans We're continu-
ally going to the front and taking up
arms in the cause of the Beers. Many
of them, in utter despair at the appar-
ent attitude of our own government,
were taking the oath of allegiance to
the Transvaal.
1T was over four weeks from the
time the war opened before | received
mail dispatch from my government
or personal letter. The mail for the
Transvaal had been stopped at Cape
Town by order of the high commits
sioner. When this mail was finally
fnI,Ny1r1pI n a ftnr Col StpNEn tha
consul general at Cape Town, had Sc
cured its release, | had the humila-
tion of sitting in my Office in Pretoria
and looking upon envelopes bearing
the official seal of the American gov
ernment 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 failed to find anywhere that
one military power can use its own
discretion as to forwarding the official
dispatches of neutral government to
its representative in besieged coun-
try.
"On November l filed a cable to
the department stating that / wished
leave of absence in order to visit the
states. | set forth in this cable that
| my vice consul had enlisted in the
Boer army; that a Mr.. Atterbury, an
American, whom l had known for
more than a year, could take charge
of the office until my return. In re-
! ply to this dispatch, which was for
warded without delay, | received from
the department a reply advising me
that my presence at Pretoria was i'm
| pcrtant to public interests. On the
| Sth | telegraphed again, advising the
department that the situation was not
critical; that Mr.. Atterbury was COM
| petent; that my presence in America
was important. No reply was received
and | wired again on the 11th, and
again urged a favorable reply. No re-
| ply was received to this. On Novem-
| Der IA / again wired the department.
"On December | received a reply
from the department to my cablegram
of the 14th, which | had been inform
ed two days previously had just been
forwarded. 1t read as follows:
You may come home. Put After
bury temporarily in charge. Depart
ment will send man from here There
upon | cabled the department as fol-
| lows:
Sail 18th, by Naples
'Thfs cablegram was sent on the
sth, and few days later | received a
| 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 a man should arrive
from Washington. Mr.. Hollis arrived
on December II and | left Pretoria on
| December l6.
son my way to Washington, believ-
ing that | was still the consul in Pre-
toria, [ refused to make any state
ment that would in any way involve
the department or embarrass it. My
one object was to lay the information
before the department as to the true
state of affairs in South Africa.
Secretary Hay, whether acting up
on the reports in the newspapers, or
upon advice from the British govern
ment, or some other motive, | do not
know. saw fit not to wait until l could
present my reasons in person and has
| been a silent or conniving partner to
discrediting reports of my official
acts. | come home to find Gu attempt
has been made to tear down my per
sonal reputation. / wish to state
|
post as consul | know nothing of any
secret alliance between America and
Great Britain, and that l had seen
nothing in the regulations which
made the consul of the American re-
public subject to the whims of an
English military censor at Durham.
came to America with motive OF
which | am not ashamed.
There is not one soul who can
point to a single official act of mine
which departed from the strictest neu.
trality. My acts as public ot1icia
are all recorded at the department
NV acts now as private man can ir
no way involve the public service, and
I simply make this statement in my
own interest against those which
have come from the department, Sc
cretly and officially
To Dawson in Balloon.
Victoria. b. c., Feb. 15.-Mr. Vari
D., ,,r,