SAX FBANCISCO, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1903. KRUGER FAST FAILING AND DEATH IS NEAR Transraal's Former President Grows i Weaker and There Is No Hope of Recovery. AMSTERDAM, Kcb. 6.-K r so n ds here of Mr. KrngcT, former President of the Transvaal, -lave received a dispatch from Montoncj which slates that his health la rntircly tihattrrcd and that the cad is not lar ofT. i:\onts «f the laM six months l!civ«» *o Bffected l-Lrugrr that lus recovery Ik hopeless. He has frequently received j *nirilual a:lJ)L-traticj:s. • j quarters, was unwilling to approve the effort of the British Government, to elim inate Minister Bowen from , the negotla-' tiens. and, moreover, ' the President could not have accepted the Invitation of the' allies, -even- if he had been so'disposed. without the consent of the other, negotia-' trnv, Minister Bowen. 'This the allies did net obtain or request in their, note ,to" the President. . ~ ¦: . ' ARRIVAL.. OF - r PROTOCOLS. Immediately on receipt of ITay's note announcing the' President's declination, the British Embassador addressed ' a* com munication^ to Bowen. stating that he was suffering from an attack of the grip and would be obliged If Bowen would call -m^^jT M7-ASHINGTON, , Feb. fi.— ' ¦ M /§-'/ -President u Roosevelt, has §'/,§'/< declined/ the invitation of. ,,; M/_ .§/, •' t he -allied powers to ar-^ *¥•••*¦ • 'bitrate the question as to' ' • : i . •- ¦ * : ¦*'¦' -whether Miey shall;. re-[ ceive preferential treatment in the settle ment j of - their claims : against Venezuela o\ v er: -the.otner creditor nations.- He reach ed" this:' de*cision /shortly before 4 o'clock this afternoon "and instructed Secretary Hay. to dispatch a. note to the British embassy • at 7onc.e,.. advising the British Embassador to that effect. ITic dispute, therefore,' -.will be ""referred" to" The Hague. This 'will result' in^the^ Immediate raising of the blockade. ¦ .the ., administration, it i 3 said in offlcial PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT , .IS SLIGHTLY. INDISPOSED Cold Settles in His Throat and He Is Threatened With a Mild Case j of Tonsilitis. WASHINGTON. Feb. G. — President Roosevelt is suffering from the prevailing' influenza in 'Washington and whs unable, to take his usual outdoor. air to-day.. His cold has settled in his throat and to night ho was threatened with a mild case of, torisilitls.v 'His physicians, ft«3£e.ver, hope to avcrf'this. The President waa quite hoarse to-night, but with .careful treatment is> expected to be outagain to nittrrow.'or tue day following.- ]«}; WW^ff^i^^nMj^fftl^ to HEIR IS EXPECTED AT THE MACKAY. HOME Family Will Spend the Summer at the Country Residence on Long- Island. HKMPSTEAD. L. I.. Feb. €.-Mrs. Clar fnce H. Mackay has ordered her house nn Harbor Mill, near Roslyn to be in readiness on March 1. The Mackays did not go abroad this winter because of an rvent of family importance which Is ex- j pected to ocrur about the middle of March. The Mackay. will spend the sum 3icr at their Ixm S I Maud country home. ; HEAD: OF THE COURT OF ARBITRATION AND TWO DIPLOMATS WHO' SIDE WITH MINISTER BOWEN IN HIS DIFFERENCES WITH THE BRITISH EMBASSADOR TO WASHINGTON. \ NEW YORK., Feb. 6.-The World has the following from Washington: "I have quit worrying about my own nomination,". President. Roosevelt paid to a friend to day. "I consider that settled, and I am quite sure that I will be the choice of the convention. "What I- am worrying about now [is, whom the Democrats will nominate. From all" I can learn, and from the trend of things in general, It seems to me that a man from my own State, Judge Parker, will be my opponent." GENEVA, Feb. 6.-The legal adviser of the former Crown Princess of Saxony has made the following announcement: "SI. Giron. will leave Geneva for Brus sels, where he will join his family. • M. Giron has broken off all relations with the Princess in order not to impede the reunion of the Princess with her chil dren." >¦ The sudden end of the royal romance is paid to be due to the refusal of the Saxon court, influenced, by Emperor Francis Jo seph, to consent to a divorce. It is re ported that the Princess sought her father's pardon in order to get permission to sec her children, but was refused everything unless she left M. Giron. Her lawyer visited Dresden, but failed to get any concession beyond tbe offer of a small yearly allowance and the promise, if the Crown Princess gave up . Giron and re turned home, that no legal proceedings would be taken against her. ¦ - The Princess, realizing at last* her equivocal position, became 111 and appar ently was willing, if approached, in a proper manner, to agree to any term?. On on Bowen and announc ed t fee. arrival of his protocol. To-"morro*w*s •' programme will Include preliminary preparations • for "the signing of the protocols." ¦'•;' 'It developed to-night that two protocols aro~to~,be signed by Bowen with the Ital ian " Eriibassador, SIgnor Mayor des Planch<>3; two with the British Embassa- dor, and two with ¦ the German Minister, Baron '¦' Speck ' von Sternberg. The first Frotoc'ol In each case will provide for the reference of the. allies' contention for preferential treatment to The Hague and the ralslnK of the blockade simultaneous ly with the signing of this convention. CONDITIONS MAY DIFFER. •It -is doubtful whether the initial pro tocols . between Minister Bowen and the .three. allies will contain, the came condi tions^, though all the. negotiators are work ing .'to this end. In those protocols the conditions precedent to the raiding of the blockade will be clearly .stated — namely, that* SO" per.. cent of fhe customs receipts of"' the ports of I,a Gualra and Puerto Ca bcllo are to he set aside by Venezuela for the" satisfaction of her creditors and that the question a-T to whether the allied powers • shall Twelve preferential trcat ment.or."a3 Groat Britain terms it, "sep arate" treatment in- the settlement. sw Tork HtsM. Copyright, 1903, by the New York Herald Publishing Company. PARIS. Feb. «.-The Figaro's corre ,. . . - - -- spendent, in a dispatch from Constanti ¦ • ¦¦%¦ -•' ¦•-¦ « . ... n-iplo, dated yesterday, says that the BUI 'S?' :.'-;¦: •.¦-.¦-¦ ¦ -..,. ' -«¦¦ ¦:¦¦¦¦¦• ¦ - «.¦: tan has just ordered a great military dem onstration in Macedonia. An army of 149,000 men is to be immediately mobilized. • •¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ .-. ,¦¦• All vessels of the Turkish Massousse Sfavisaiins: Company have been requisi tioned for transports. This decision Is Iike!y to bring about serious compHca uona^a^X'vCilTxVrtiiSniy slop the progress cf negotiations for a unification of the <3ebt. CONSTANTINOPLE, Feb. «. - The Turkish Government has notified the Jdirci Mafcsousse Steamship Company to *-cr.d in a return of the number of'steam ers available for use as transports In view of the possible dispatch of eor.sid rralilc, bodies of troops from Anatolia. .\*:*tie Turkey, to the European provinces of Turkey in connection with the 3Ja*ce donlan revolutionary movement. Massousse Line's Steamers Will Be Utilized as Transports. The Call Has \ Positive Quarter of a Million Soldiers to Take the Field. Pratt Agrees to Accept § Money. Porte Prepares to Crush Revolt in Macedonia. Governor to Determine Facts. MOBILIZING THE LEGIONS OF TURKEY PRESIDENT RESENTS SLIGHT UPON MINISTER BOWEN AND DECLINES INVITATION TO ACT AS ARBITRATOR Positions Are Sold for Gold. >4 SCANDAL involving the corrupt distribution of patronage by a member of the Board of Pilot Commissioners for this port is hovering over the. Capitol. Governor Pardee has. inaugurated an itrscstigation into charges that post /~\ thus as pilots acre bartered for gold by a member of the Board of Pilot Commissioners. In this conncctionThc Call is prepared to prove that Pilot Commissioner Charles HiS. Pratt agreed to accept a bribe of %$ooo from Captain Charles Hall of the South Portland in return for an appointment as pilot, but later broke pff negotiations, and one Tyson was .appointed to the position, thc.secrctof.zvhosc preference fit the hands of Commissioner Pratt should be disclosed at the investigation already inaugurated. The manner in zvhich Pilot Jordan saved himself from disratement after the Rio de Janeiro disaster as ivcll as the manner in zvhich Pilot Von Helms and^ others obtained their ap pointments will be a fruitful subject for the investigators. The scandal promises startling developments, and as to the truth of the most flagrant case 'of corruption and bribery, The Call is prepared to produce irrefutable proofs before any official legislative body or committee that may be called upon to carry the investigation to a conclusion. Wx , ' .. ,'. ,;& ; ? ; % :^ ?L BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION MARK RECORD OF PILOT COMMISSION The San Francisco Call. kRICE FIVE CENTS. VOLUME XCIII— NO. G9.