The Evening critic., 1882-01-30
,sr. UIn;ue speaks.

Peruvian imbroglo. This seemed to be ne
cessary in view of the grotesque misrepro
sentations which the personal or political
enemies of Mr.. Blaine had seen fit to set
ailoat respecting the motives underlying
the ex-Secretary's policy. Certain enor-
nous private interests in dispute between
American citizens and aliens were located
in that part of the Peruvian domain which
Chill sought to seize as material guarantee
for the payment Of the war indemnity de.
manded, and Mr. Blaine, according to the
published correspondence, seems to have un-
dertaken to employ the moral power of the
United States for the protection of the
interests Of her citizens.
This is indeed remarkable attempt.
1t is so long since an American Secretary
of State has shown disposition to protect
the interests of American citizens on for
cign soil, that an effort in that direction
might very naturally be viewed as de-
parture from settled policy startling enough
to require explanation.
The New York Herald has taken the
lead in this crusade against Mr.. Blaine;
and, with the enthusiastic assistance Of one
Shipherd, has endeavored to make it out
that Mr.. Blaine himself was n silent part
ner In the interests which he was trying to
protect through the Department of State.
This implication Mr.. Blaine very properly
ignores in his published statement. The
Herald's recklessness with respect to any
thing concerning Blaine is SO notorious
that any new slander it may invent is in
stantly refutcd by the memory of its
n1J opoc that haxrn axt,ln1a1
According to the tenor of his own letters
the fellow Shipherd seems to have been
using an assumed intimacy with the
Blaines to fortify himself in the confidence
of his clients; which is common dodge
with men of his class. 1t is n kind of con-
fidence game, for which neither the party
imposed upon nor the party used as the
instrument of imposition has any redress.
However, Shepherds protensions are so
thin that the bare fact that his Wanted
"correspondence.w with the Blaines" consisted
solely of letters written by himself is
sufficient to shatter them,
Thus, the endcavor of Mr. Blaine's per-
sonal enemies to implicate him in job
falls through and he has nothing to en-
counter more formidable than contro-
versy as to whether it is the province of
the State Department to use its good Offices
for the protection of the interests of Ameri-
can citizens in foreign ports, and whether
the Government of the United States has
any right to mediate between sister repub-
lies on this continent for the conservation
of peace and the integrity of existing COM
monwealths. Upon an emphatic afiirma-
tive of this proposition Mr.. Blaine's whole
policy was predicated, and it is upon that
issue in its utmost length and breadth that
his action must be judged.
Broadly speaking Mr.. Blaine's policy has
been perpetuated by his successor; but his
modes of operation have been reversed
We do not understand Mr.. Frelinghuysen's
supplementary instructions to Mr.. Trescot
to be in any sense a retreat on the part of
the United States from the moral attitude
assumed by Mr.. Blaine in the original in
struciions. That is to say, there is nothing,
express or implied, in Nj. Frelnghuysen' S
dispatch to indicate the consent of the
United States, under his dispensations to
that part of the Chilian policy to which
the United States, under Mr.. Blaine S
auspices. so energetically objected.
The Chilian doctrine plainly stated is
that of ra rictis, and we do not understand
Mr.. Frelinghuysen to be any less averse to
the position Of Peru than his predecessor
was.
But while Mr.. Frelnghuysen adheres to
the Blaine policy in purpose and intent, his
mode of operation is unfortunately calcu-
lated to imperil the respectablity Of the
one and to defeat the accomplishment OF
the other. From the attitude in which the
tone of Mr.. Blainos correspondence put the
United States there were several alterna-
tives of ultcrior action possible.
Mr.. Blaine put the United States in an
attitude that laid the onus of violence
upon Chill. But by altering the tone OF
correspondence Mr.. Frclinghuysen has SC
far altered the attitude of the United State.
that Chill may now proceed to accomplish
her designs upon the hypothesis that the
further interference of the United States
is simply formal and her tender of good
Offices wholly passive, or at least vocative.
Herein lies the substantial departure OF
Mr.. Frelinghuysen from the methods Of
his predecessor. Through Mr.. Blaine tn,
United States spoke in the potential mode
Gillian diplomacy could find but one rul,
by which to parse Mr.. Blaine's phrases,
But Mr.. Frelinghuysen, at the extrcm
crisis OF negotiation, serves upon our enyo,
dispatch which, while not necessarily in
tended as withdrawal of influence, ma,
easily be pleaded by Chill at any subse
quent time or in any future correspondence
as a constructive suspension of moral pres
sure, which she Chilli had right to in
terpret as permit to go ahead, pendin
more definite conclusions. In word, MI
Frelinghuysen changes the potential mod
Of Mr.. Blaine to subjunctive of his own
II is, in our judgment, departure tina
may prove fraught with misfortune if no
with disgrace.
Newspaper wit.
II time is money, the police justice is
generous man. Yonkers Statesman