Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-16
The Chili-Peru Complication
a. York CommerciaL BuIetin.


Nelg York Commercial Bulletin.
Mr. Blaine has given to the public his
letter of November 22d to Minister Kill
patrick ar Santiago and Hurlbut at Lima
These communications were sent previ-
Gus to the recent dispatch of the special
envOys, and relate to the complications
produced IN part by the conflicting atti-
tudes taken by the two Ministers. That
TO Mr.. Hurlbut contains a mild and half
apologize rebuke for having exceeded
the letter of his instructions, while the
Minister to Chilli is treated with the most
cutting severity, as if TO serve the pur-
pose of compelling his resignation.
Mr. B'aine's manifest object in giving
publicity to these letters is to exculpate
himself by leading the public to infer
that his agents and not he were to blame
for the condition into which affairs had
been permitted to drift. Discerning OBJ
servers, however, will be in no danger
of falling into this mistaken inference.
The question will naturally be asked
why did both the Ministers fall into the
error that Mr.. Blaine charges upon them
of exceeding his instructions The an
swer is obvious. Both were aware that
the uniform policy of the United States
towards the South American republics
had been that of nOn-interference. Here
they had instructions which i'm
piled an entire reversal of that
policy. The Secretary of State affirm
ed, in his instructions, that it was the
duty of this government to guard the
maintenance of republican principles on
the American continent and expressed
his disapproval of an annexation by
Chill which did not rest upon the rights
Of the governed 20 choose their rulers
He furthermore affirmed with special
emphas that, on no account, would the
interference of any European power in
the affairs of Chilli and Peru be tolerated;
which was but another way of asserting
not only that the United States had de-
termined TO initiate policy Of interven-
ton but that it would exercise an abso-
lutely exclusive prOtectOrate at its own
discretion. Both the Ministers, there
| fore, could but regard themselves as
charged with the inauguration of a new
aud most important policy of interven-
ton, supervision and prOtectOrate IN the
inter state relations of the South Ameri-
can Governments This was the cardinal
point iu their missions, by which all
| their acts must be regulated. The quail
fed and general instructions given them
in the first instance they would naturally
regard as but so much diplomatic re-
serve, to be construed consistently with
the broad policy newly assumed by the
government. Mr.. Hurlbut faithfully
construed his instructions in this sense,
and hence comes in for the minimum of
blame and receives q great deal OF eX-
cuse for having pushed the new policy
with too much precipitancy; while Mr..
Fitzpatrick, who iuterpOsed obstacles
to the neOphytic zeal of the Minister
at Lima, gets the reward of unmitigated
censure.
The whole responsibility rests upon
Mr. Blaine, for inauguratIng a new and
unwarranted foreign policy; not upon
his agents whom he expected to execute
that policy, and upon whom he now
seeks to shift the resulting Odium. Mr..
Blaine must be held accountable before
the public for the commission of an Off
cial error of the gravest and most dan
gerOus kind. He has assumed to reverse
the deliberately chosen policy of the
nation. The departure to which he has
well nigh committed the country against
the unanimous popular will is dangerous
in the extreme 1t would make the United
States responsible for the political con-
ditiOn of the whole Central and South
American population. 1t would cOnsti-
tute our forces an international police for
the maintenance of order among forty
millions of people, divided into some
sixteen different governments embIttered
against each other by perpetual hOstili-
ties. 1t would put US IN an attitude OF
direct hostility to the leading powers OF
Europe by attempting TO exclude them
from all right of protecting commercial
and financial interest among these popu-
IatiOns of ten fold greater magnitude than
ours. To affirm such a policy, with our
present military and naval resources, is
niece of impOtent braggadoc!o,
that simply makes us ridiculous in
the ewes of the world and necessitates a
bumiliatiug retreat from our pretensions.
To put ourselves in position for ulu-
matelv maintaining this attitude means
the maintenance of large standing army
and of a first class feet, with an addi'
ton approximatIng 800, 900, 600 to the
annual expenses of the government; II u
does not involve US in a great war with
the commercial powers of Europe.
The citizen who employs his position
as a Cabinet Minister TO pTecipitate upon
the country a policy so mOnstrous is
nroper subject for impeachment. The
public can only regard such Secretary
as wholly unfit for positions of public
trust. and can only look upon his action
as either dictated by reckless ambition
or as influenced by adventures who seek
10 profit at the expense of the nation. 1t
Is TO be hoped that the President has no
sympathy with the positions assumed
nv Secretary Blaine, and that the new
Secretary of State will lose no time IN
recalling Minister Hurlbut and sending
ont to Chill and Peru representatives
who will nut the United States into sucn
relations with both countries as our ira
ditional policy of nOn-interference dlc-
tates. In the meantime. it IS imperative
that all the papers relating to this busi-
ness should be promptly given 10 the
public, in order that it may be known
exactly to what extent the nallon mas
been committed through Mr. Blalnes
ambitious laundering.