Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-02-15


Opened and Passed Upon by the
British Censor-Macrum Sur
prised to Learn That Young Hay
Had Superseded Him-Had Not
Heard of the Secret Compact
Great Britain ana the
United States.
WASHINGTON, February 1.-THE
following signed statement was given
out tonight by Charles E. Macrum,
former United States consul to Pre-
toria:
1.-The situation in Pretoria was such
that, first, as an official, l could not
remain there while my government at
home was apparently in the dark as
to the exact conditions in South Afri-
ca. Secondly, as a man and a citizen
of the United States l 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 po-
sition of a British consul and not an
American consul. | want to say right
here that there was not n single
request made of me through the De-
partment of State looking to the care
of British interests in Pretoria which
] did not fulfill and report upon accord
ing to my orders. On the other hand,
American interests in South Africa
were in that condition which demand
ed that the Department of State
shoGld be cognizant of them.
Il issued the statement received
from the State Department that
Americans must remain neutral. In
the face of this Americans were con-
tinually going to the front and taking
up arms in the cause of the Beers. l
could not help but know that many
of these were citizens of the United
States. I also knew that many of
them in utter despair at the apparent
attitude of our government were TAX
ing the oath OF allegiance to the Trans
yaal Republic. When affairs had
reached that state that my vice consul,
Mr.. Van Ameringen, closed up his bus
mess, took the oath of allegiance to
the republic, and went to the front as
a Burgher, l thought the time had
come when | should make
A Report of These Conditions.
1T was over four weeks from the
time the val opened before l received a
single mail despatch from my govern
ment or a personal letter. The mail for
the TTansvaal had all been stopped at
Cape Town by order Of the high COM
missioner. When this mail was finally
forwarded to me after Col. Stowe, the
consul general at Cape Town, had Sc
cured its release, | had the humiliation
as the representative of the American
government of sitting in my Office in
Pretoria and looking upon envelopes
bearing the official seal of the American
government 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 pow
er can use it's w discretion as to for
w7arding the official dispatches of a neu-
trail government to its representative in
a besieged country.
1.-THE mail service from Delagoa Bay
to Europe was continually interrupted
by the action of British men of war at
that port. Service was owe 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.
The cable service for the Transvaal was
absolutely u off. l was privately in
formed by the Belgian and German con-
suls at Pretoria that their official cables
in code to their governments had been
Refused by the Censor.
/ filed one cable in the interests of an
American in Pretoria which was re-
fused absolutely by the censor in Dur
ban. This cable | sent to the fiancee
OF a Mr.. Nelson, an American business
man in Pretoria. She was on her way
to South Africa from Buffalo, n. Y,
when the var broke out. According
to a letter which Mr.. Nelson received
just before the war commenced she
was buying her trosseau in Europe.
The cable requested her to come by
the east coast. When l informed Mr..
Nelson that the cable could not be
sent, his brother took the oath of al
legiance to the republic and went to
the front. But these are simply minor
details. The Misrepresentation which
a beer going on before the war and
after 1t opened were of such a serious
nature and would require such detail
ed explanation that on the sixth of
November, | filed a cable to the De-
partment in code stating that | wished
leave of absence TO visit the States.
! set forth in this cable that nv vice
consul had enlisted in the Boer army.
that a Mr.. Atterbury, an American
whom had known very favorably for
more than a year, could lake charge
of the Office until my return. In re-
ply to this dispatch which was for
warded without any delay, l received
from the department a reply advising
me that my presence at Pretoria was
important to public interests. On the
eighth / telegraphed again acknowledx-
ing the receipt of the cable and advis-
ing the department that the situation
was not critical; that Mr.. Atterbury
was competent; that my presence in
America was important. No reply was
received and / wired again on the 18th
stating that no reply had been receiy-
ed and again urged a favorable reply.
No reply was received to this. On the
18th of November l again wired the
department stating that | could not
leave without permission; that
L Would Forfeit My Post
II the reasons which / would present to
the department did not prove satisfac>