Show I MCfllJMS STATEMENT i Former Consul to Pretoria Writes Open Letter WHY HE LEFT HIS POST I Declares there is No One who Can Point to a Single Official Actof His I which Departed from the Strictest Neutiality Finds on His Return that His Job as n Diplomat Has i Gone Glimmering thatr His Successor Suc-cessor Has been Appointed and is I j Now at His Post I I Washington Feb 11The following signed statement was given out tonight i by Clmrlca 12 Macrum former United Staten Consul to Pretoria The sltua I loll In Pretoria was such that Ural as an olflclal j could not remain there j while my Government ut home was ap j parcntly In the dark as to the exact conditions In South Africa Secondly 03 a man and citizen of the United States 1 could not remain In Pretoria sacrificing my own selfrespect and that of the people of Pretoria while the Government at home continued to leave mo In the position of a British Cnsul and not an American Consul 1 want to nay ilgltt lucre that there was not one single request made of mo through the Department of Slate looking to tho care of British interests In Pretoria which I did not fulfill and report upon according to my orders On the other hand American interests in South Africa were In that condition which demanded that the Department of Stato should be cognizant of them MUST KEMAIX NEUTRAL I I Issued the statement received from the State department that Americans Ameri-cans must remain neutral In the face of this Americans were continually going to the front and tcilng up arms l In the cause of the Boors I could not i help but know that many of these were citizens of the United Slates 1 also knew that many of them In utter despair de-spair at the apparent attitude of our own Government were taking the oath of allegiance lo the Transvaal repub lIe When affairs had reached that state that my Vlcefonsul Mr Van Amcringon closed up his business took the oath of allegiance to tIme republic and went to the front as a burgher I thought the time had come when I should make a report of these conditions condi-tions IIIS MAIL OPENED It was over four weeks from the time the war opened before I received a single mall dispatch from my Government Gov-ernment or a personal letter The mall for the Transvaal had all been stopped at Capetown by order of the High Commissioner Com-missioner When this mall was finally forwarded to me after Col Stove the ConsulGeneral at Capetown had secured se-cured Its release I had the humiliation as the representative of the American Government sitting In my olllce In Pretoria and looking on envelopes bearing the ofllcial seal of the American Ameri-can Government opened and officially sealed with si sticker notifying me that the contemn had been rend b > the censor cen-sor at Durban I looked up International law but failed lo find anywhere that one mill tary power can use Its own discretion as to forwarding the official dispatches of a neutral Government to Its representative repre-sentative in a besieged country CABLE SERVICE CUT OFF The mall service from Delagoa bay to Europe was continually Interrupted by the action of British menofwar at that porl Tile service was over two wcelcs longer than by the west coast and there were continual rumors that that port would be closed and communication com-munication with the outside world en tirely cut oft The cable service from the Transvaal was absolutely cut off I was prhately Informed by the Bel gina and German Consuls at Pretoria that their officIal cables In code to their Governments had been refused by the censorflled filed one cable In the Interest of an AmeiIcan In Pretoria which was refused absolutely by the censor In Durban Tills > nhlo F sont In flio 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 war broke out According Ac-cording to a letter which Mr Nelson received just before the war commenced com-menced she was buying her trousseau In Europe The cable requested her to come by the seacoast When I In formed Mr Nelson that the cable had not ber v sent his brother took the oath of allegiance to the republic and went to the front But these are simply sim-ply minor details The misrepresenta ions which had been going on before the war and after It opened were of I such a serious nature and would require re-quire such detailed explanation that on the Gth of November I tiled a cable to the department In code staling that I wished leave of absence in order to visit time States DELAYED MESSAGES I set forth In this cable that my ViceConsul had enlisted In the Boer army thatllSir Atterbury nn American Ameri-can whom I had known very favorably favor-ably for more than a year could take charge of the office until my return ii In i reply to this dispatch which was forwarded i without delay I received from the department n reply advising me iI i that my presence at Pretoria was It Important I to public interests On the Sth I telegraphed again acknowledg b rig the receipt of the cable advising the department that the situation was not i critical that Mr Atterbury was competent < that In my presence America Ameri-ca was important No reply was received re-ceived and I wired again on the 11th stating that no reply had been received and again urged a favorable reply No reply I was received to this On the Hth of November I again wired the department depart-ment > stating that I could not leave without permission that I would for feit J my ptfst If the reasons which I would make to the department did not prove satisfactory This cable was de layed h by thd censor until the 2nd of De ember when I had advices that It had just J bean forwarded ORDERED HOME On the 18th of November I again filed 1 f a cable slating that three of my I cables had been unanswered and stat I ing l i that a substitute would act as Consul Con-sul during my absence and requesting I a reply To this received a reply Im i mediately which was areiteration of I the reply to my Ilrst Cable Upon re celpt of thIn reply which was on tho Oth of November immediately wrote to the department accepting the re fusal to grant my leave and staling In thai letter that 1 would abide by the decision of the department and attempt to convey an Intelligent Idea for the de partnients l jruldnnci of time conditions there in mall dlsuatches On the 1th of December I received n reply from the department to my cablegram of the Hth which 1 had been Informed two lays previously had Junt been forward ed It read as follow You may otuiie home Put Atter bury temporarily In charge Depart I V mont will send mail from here This wan signed Hay Thereupon I cabled thcdepartrnent as follows Sail iSth byNaples IIOLLIS IN CHARGE This cablegram was sent on the Sth and In the meantime I prepared to go A few days later I received a telegram from Mr Hollls Consul at Delagoa bay stating that he had been Instructed to come lo Pretoria to eke charge of my olJJce during my absence and until a man should arrive from Washington Mr IIolIIs arrived on the 14th of De comber and was thoroughly posted In the routine of the office and I Introduced Intro-duced him to tho heads of aM Government Govern-ment departments and to my consular colleagues I left Pretoria tIme night of December Ifith 1 wont straight to Purls notlilod the department of my presence there while walling for the American line boat to sail for New York I arrived In Washington on Monday the oth of February and re 1 ported 10 Assistant Secretary Hill of the State department who ollloJally informed I In-formed me that Secretary Hays son I had been appointed In my place and that he was on his way to Pretoria t LOSES IIIS PLACE f I appreciated the seriousness of the conditions In South Africa to the xtcrtt that on my way to Washington Relieving Reliev-ing that I was Htlll time Consul In Pre lorln I refused lo make any statement thai could In any way Involve the de i pariment or embarrass It My one 9b I jocl was to t lay the Information before I the department as to the true state of I affairs In South Africa IT the department depart-ment thought these fads were of value sufficient to warrant the expanse of the rip I had taken 1 expected to be remunerated re-munerated and returned to Pretoria t leaving tho department to act as It saw fit upon the facts which 1 laid h before It WHAT HE DISCOVERS Instead of this I find that Secretary Hay whether acting upon the reports In the newspapers or upon advice troni the British Government or somc other motive I do not know saw fit not to wait until I could present my reasons In person and has been a silent or conniving con-niving partner to discrediting report of my ofllcial acts I come home toIImi an attempt has been made to tear doWn my personal reputation I wish to state rljcht heio that when 1 accepted my post ns Consul I knew nothing of any secret alliance between America and Great Britain and that I had seen nothing In time regulations which made the Consul of tho American Republic subject U hue whims and caprices of an English military I censor at Durban I came to Amcrka with a motive of which I am not ashamed There Is not ono soul who can point to a single olllclal act of mine which rcparlod from the strictest neutrality My confidential dispatches lo the de partmenl contained Information which win snow my sympathy for the repub I I lie but which time will I prove to be un biased as to actual facts My acts as a public official are all recorded at the department My acts now as a private man can In no way Involve the public service and I simply make this statement In my own defense as against those which have come from lImo department secretly and officially CHARLES E MACRUM |