Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-04-27
BLAINE AND BELMONT.
A HOT AND RAPID CROSS FIRE.
per-IndiGnant at His Conduct
Being Questioned - How John
Bull GObbled the GuanO Beds
The Probing Nos Completed.

Bull GObbled the GuanO Beds
The Probing Nos Completed.
WASHINGTON, April 26.-In the Shipherd
investigation to-dsy Mr. Blaine began by
saying that he desired to correct a press re-
port that he had read a letter from ex Sena-
tor Eaton. He had had no correspondence
whatever with Mr.. Eaton upon the subject.
Mr.. Blaine then desired to make another
statement, which appeared to him very strong
negative evidence against the claim of
Shipberd that he had an interview with
President Garfield on the subject of the
Cochet claim. He then added that he had
examined the diary of the late President,
who had been in the habit for years of
keeping minute accounts of his daily trans
actions, and he found that neither Shipherd,
nor Hurlbut, nor the Cochet claim, nor the
Peruvian Company are mentioned. Neither
does his private secretary remember ever to
have heard him mention them.
In answer to an inquiry by Mr.. Williams,
witness said none of these South American
dispatches were prepared during the Presi-s
dents sickness. 81 am glad this question
was put, because the American press have
widely stated that l, as de fdcto President,
had assumed a certain line of policy which
might plunge this country into war" Mr..
Blaine in illustration of the point mentioned
the fact of certain dispatches which were
blocked out before the President was shot,
but which remained IN StdtuQtO until after
the succession OF President Arthur. In ex-
plsnstion Of President Garfeld's views
upon the subject, Mr.. Blaine
said: president Garfield, In conver-
sation with me, said President Lincoln
directed Secretary Seward to bring all for
q i - n
unless he directed, and" concluded Mr..
Blaine, ''from that time forward l never
submitted anything to the Cabinet which
involved q permanent policy or a change Of
policy, and no step which would involve
! change of policy on the part of this govern
ment was ever taken by me without fret
submitting It to the President and receiving
his entire approval and direction"
Mr.. Blaine then produced the original
draft OF the instructions, which were given
to Mr.. Trescott, which he read and pointed
out a correction which had been made by
the President, some Of them at his (Mr.
Blaine's) suggestion, and commented upon
| the corrections and their wants and de-
merits He added: 81 do not by any means
find fault with the President for changing
| his mind, but this is the original draft OF
instruction to which President Arthur gave
his assent, and which, following precedent,
kept. | desire to state most solemn,
IL that the assumption that l ever
| interpolated a line or q syllable in the dis
| patch after it was agreed to by the Presi
| dent is as false as was the lie that was circu-
lated over the country that 1 was, during
| the Presidents illness, blocking out a for
eign policy Of my own"
Mr.. Belmont proceeded to PROFOUND a So
ries OF prepared questions, which were
maiuly directed to an inquiry into the policy
of the Department in Chill, the Peruvian
troubles and The instructions which were
given TO MIR. TrescOtt. Witness stated that
he had never made an examination OF the
merits Of the Cochet or the Landreau claim.
He had considered the Landreau claim as
res G5j,tdicdtd.
Mr.. BelmOnt's questions were directed to
establishing the point that the instructions
to Hurlbut to use his good offices in be-
half of the Landreau claim meant that his
official intervention was contemplated to
secure hearing of the claim in the Peru
van courts, cOntendng that the lack of
the word ''unofficially' in the dispatches
of instruction implied that official action
was meant.
Mr. Blaine replied that boy In diploma
cY would know better than to put that con-
struction upon the dispatches, that he
meant just what they said, neither more
nor less.
In the course of the examination consid-
denly brought to a climax by Mr.. Blaine's
remarking, not without some emphasis: 81
hope, Mr.. Belmont, you will be gentle
man; shall be one, and shall treat sou as
such l am not in a police court to be
bsdgeTed. l must answer your questions in
my own way, and you must NOT undertake
to correct me-"
Mr.. Belmont disclaimed any lack of cour-
teey or desire to badger. He entertained
the highest respecs for the witness, both on
account of his age and the high position he
had occupied, but his next question was:
"Did you not In your Instructions to
Hurbut ask him to bring to bear upon
Peru the power of the government TO force
Peru to recognize that claim of LandreauS"
Several explosions similar 70 the one Just
recorded occurred in the course of the ex-
animation, Mr.. Belmont perssttng in put
ting his own construction upon the instruc-
tions to Hurlbut, and Mr.. Blaine persistently
insisting upon literal construction.
Mr.. Belmont pursued his question relative
to the Landreau claim, asking what status
it held that gave It any preference over the
Clchet claim and how it was that Mr..
Blaine could give the instructions he did
relative to the Landresu claim, etc.
Mr.. Blaine explained at length that the
Laudreau claim was owned by an Ameri-
can citizen, who was an American citizen
when he obtained the title to the claim; that
Hurlbut was instructed in regard to it; that
while this government would not undertake
to coDstrue the contract between the Peru
Wan Government and J. g. Laudreau, he
(Hurlbut) was to call the attention of the
Peruvian Government to the injustice of
not according Landreau a hearing In the
courts, and to ask that some means be taken
to afford him hearing. 81 was adventure
some enough" added Mr.. Blaine. 'to ask a
foreign government to give an American
h -, "a, {fc VNtr until ffn1
ther," he continued, "that the instructions
to Hurlbut say that, in the event his (Lsn-
dreau's) claim is fairly arbitrated in his
favor, it ought to be treated as lien on the
property of Peru in the event of a set
Element of the difficulties with Chilli
involving the possession of Peru
Wan territory. Well, 1t was fairly
arbitrated. The property has gone the way
of all the world. England has gobbled up
the guano, and one million tons Of It are
now advertised in London, worth, probably,
500, COO, ,000." Mr.. Blaine continued with
much eaTnestness: 1.-THE English bond
holders put up the job Of a war upon Peru,
and it was for boot and booty just
as Give and Hastings made war upon
India. An English fleet was upon the
coast of South America all the time ready
to swoop down. They make mistake who
speak of this war as Gillian war. 1t was
an English war on Peru, and L take the re-
sponsibilitY to so put IT, and | dared to ask
that hearing be given to an humble
citizen Of a government that hardly dares
to be out over night, and my foreign policy,
to quote the expression, would have driven
this country into war with Cnili had it
not been thwarted. Why, It is believed
all over Chill that the United
States got out just in time to save a
sound thrashiDg That her hair-bralned
Secretary OF State was to involve her in war,
when she was saved by his removal; and we
are LAUGHED at and cGrtooned in their pap. rs
A little gathering of 1,S00,0O people on the
west coast of South America would have
given US terrible tkrashing. So we let the
dismemberment Of Peru go on and allow
England to bag the spoils. (Pausing and
adding with much emphasisl History will
hold the United States responsible for It."
Mr.. Belmont inquired, do you know who
were behind the Landreau clsim?"
Mr.. Blaine replied that he did not, that
neither the Landreau claim nor the Cochet
claim had anything more to do with the
policy OF this government toward the South
American republics than did barnacle on
the bottom of a ship.
Mr.. Belmont had not concluded his exam
ination when the committee adjourned. At
some points of to-day's proceedings the fire