The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-15
BOERS NOT ANTI-AMERICAN
Consul AdeIbert s. Hay Discusses
Transyaal Conditions.

Says Flight of United states Citizens
| From Pretoria and johannesburg
Was IN MistnISe-Has No Idea When
the War VIII End-Why He Left.
Consul Adelbert S. Hay, who recently
returned from his post at Pretoria, in
cines 10 the opinion that, which ever side
may win in the present Boer-British
struggle in the Transvaal and the Orange
Free State. it will not have any large in
demnity to pay to Americans.
/ In order to let you understand why
think this is So said Consul Hay last
night. Il shall have to let you see the
Transvaal and the Orange Free State as
/ saw it.
when the first rumor of war came
there were many who became panic
stricken, Americans among them They
seemed to think that the only safety lay
! in getting out of the country, and many
succeeded in doing The result is that
| Johannesburg and Pretoria are compare
| lively empty, and that Cape Town is COM
paratively fun of people who would give
a great deal if they could get back up
country again. All, and Americans more
so than Others made wrong choice, in
I my opinion. for they would have suffered
but little from the inconveniences of war,
and would certainly have suffered moth
! ing. either OF abuse or insult, from Boer
or British, had they remained as peace
able citizens in their occupations, or on
their farms.
There was certainly no reason to fear
| anything from the Beers, for from first
to last they showed a most kindly spirit
| toward the citizens of the United States,
and the United States as a nation. From
my point of view 1 could have asked
nothing more from either Government. l
was in Pretoria for several months under
the Boer, and several months under the
British regime. / was continually asking
| consideration for American subjects from
both. and usually had granted all L could
have expected.
The Beers realize the quality of the
American who went TO the Transvaal to
| enter profession. He is the best type
| that we produce-hard-work intelli-
| gent and thrifty. He is good worker
and the Beers We're glad to have him in
| their mines. Consequently when the war
| broke out any American who desired to
| stay in Pretoria or Johannesburg, pro-
| vided he was of good reputation could
nave done so, and would not have been
] molested. Nevertheless great many left
The greater proportion of Americans
resident in the Transvaal We're men en-
| ployed and earning salaries. They were
well TO do, but did not possess much prop
erty to be destroyed. Though there was
! a tremendous amount of burning and
blowing up by both sides during the hot
test time of the war, the Americans were
not damaged by it. except a few owners
of large cattle farms or contractors on
| the railroad.
1T was plain to be seen that there was
no suspicion or hatred Of the Americans
felt by the Beers, and / think that what
ever the Government might have done to
merit the approval or disapprovai of the
Boer Government, it was not reflected in
the least i'll the treatment of resident
Americans.
'Of course there were Americans who
| took sides and put themselves out of the
laws of peace under the laws of war.
should not like to give any opinion as to
the right wrong of this, but l suppose
| that not more Americans than any other
neutral nations citizens were found in the
| Roer and British ranks. AS to the pro-
| portion in which they divided l should say
that the Americans went TO the Beers and
| to the British almost in proportion to the
size Of each army, the greater number
to the British, of course.
"A great many were merely soldiers of
fortune, after little excitement. their
lighting, and their pay. Coming over with
the mule ships, they would leave the YES
sells and drift up the coast perhaps. and
find themselves in the Beers lines, and
would then take up their arms there.
Others would land in similarly accident
al fashion among the British"
When asked if he had idea when the
war would end, Consul Hay said:
"One would have to be a good prophet
indeed TO make any sort of guess. There
are too many things to take into consid-
Grafton. and the news from the country
| is so changing and speculative that /,
! for one, would not risk even the most ten
| tatNe kind of statement. The war
Will end when it is ended is cOmmittai
| a declaration as l should care to make"
In reference TO more personal matters.
Consul Hay said: Il have no intention of
returning. and | left because 1 felt that
| could not, for many reasons, afford to
stay in Pretoria | had a great deal of
work TO do. There were continual ap-
pications TO be made to the powers in
control for favors or permissicns desired
by American residents. and. with only
| the volunteer service of a young Boston
man named Coolidge l found that there
was more to do than [ could handle
THE expense of living at Pretoria was
running up pretty high, and | did not
| feel justified in staying for financial
| reasons. The merest necessities were
bringing luxury prices, and with eggs at
| u pence piece even a breakfast began
| to be expensive. This high range of
prices was due chiefly TO the fact that
the British had control of the railroad
and We're using it almost entirely for
military purposes. They had not the
space in their trains TO give to the mer-
chants goods, and as a result nearly
everything bought was from the army
stores.
But there is a prosperous time coming
for South Africa. and it will start rapidly
to recuperate as soon as the war is over
Then there viii be an immense amount OF |
business with America, which it will re-
quire a man OF special business training
and genius to handle properly. The rail- |
roads viii have to be rebuilt and ma
chnery will have to be put into the
mines American manufacturers have
heretofore obtained large proportion of |
the machinery contracts, and | suppose |
they viii hold their own, if not increase
it, when the revival Of business comes |
'''The consul now in charge at Pretoria |
is W. -. Gordon, man Of fine ability |
and who was previously consular agent |
at Johannesburg. He now takes care of |
both stations.
RAIDED A DIsoRDERLY HOUSE.