The sun., 1882-01-29
Blaine's Diplomacy Repudiated.

Blaine's Diplomacy Repudiated.
We are glad to know that Gen. HURJDUT,
whose disgraccful performances at Lima
were long ago revealed In THE SUN, has been
recalled to private life, and that the scarcely
less dlscrcditablc instructions issued to him
and Mr.. TREscorr 10y the late Secretary of
State have been expressly disavowed
by tho present Administration. The
shame Of the disclosures made in the
correspondence now published will not soon
be wiped away; but the actual mischief done
will be remcdcd as far as possible, now that
the State Department has rcpudiated the
policy OF insolent and corrupt interference
with the concerns Of friendly States.
The correspondence now made public in
compliance with demand Of the House OF
Representatives shows that during the whole
period Of President GARFIELD's disability,
when, as it was alleged, only routine busl-
ness was transacted, Mr. BLAINE was press
ing schemes In South America which, how
ever cunningly disguised, did In fact further
the interests Of a gang Of spectators, and
which but for the discreet and temperate con-
duct Of Chilli must long before this have in
volved us in war with that republic. Not
withstanding the Pccksnifllan tone of disin-
tercstcdncss and moral elevation which
marks Mr.. BLAINE's dispatches, a compare
son of these documents and OF Gen. HURL-
Butts replies with the edifying letters OF
one J. r. SHrPHERp, President Of the So
called Peruvian Company, reveals
strange unity Of aim and ciandcs-
tine harmony OF action. Gen. HURLBUT,
who had no sooner received his appoint
ment as Minister To Lima than he fastened
to arrange an interview with tho President
Of that company in New York, pretends some
months aftcrward that he has just heard the
name OF the concern for the tlrst time The
came high-tOned diplonatist whom even Mr..
BLAINE feels called upon ION Dec. 3, when
public attention had been directed to
this business) to rebuke for acquiring
an interest in q Peruvian railroad,
expresses in ono of his dispatches
fear lest SHIrHERD, with whom he was
continually exchanging letters, should en-
dcavor TO corrupt his official integrity. II
appears from letter Of SHIPHERD s to Gen.
HURLBUT, now published, that the former
offered TO let the latter have some stock in
tho Peruvian Company at u reasonable
price. We suppose our worthy representa-
tive in Peru apprcheuded the next letter
might omit the reference To payment.
But just as Mr.. BLAINE considered that
participation in railway spcculations by II
United States Minister did not merit sum-
mary recall but merely paternal admon-
tion, SO Gen HrRLDUT's indignation Mt the
insult offered or arprehended did not
hinder him from nagnauimou-ly doing
just what SHIPHERD wished, viz, insist
ing that Chill should not have any terri
torial indemnity, and demanding that CAL
DERoN, with whom the Peruvian Company
were in treaty 20. Il recognition Of their
claims, should be brought back from Chilli
and reinstated as President of Peru. Under
all the circumstances We are not surprised at
the statement made by SHIPHERD in one OF
the letters now published: II need a Com
mission,f l am content with the American
Minister for the time being"
We do not propose to examine in detail Mr..
BLAINE's correspondence with Gen. HURL-
But, large part Of which has been already
printed In The Sun. 1t is plain to all readers
OF those documents that the extracts pub
lished some time ago by Mr.. BLAINE himself
with hope OF self-exculpation, furnished
but partial and garbled representa-
tion OF the facts, and that the sus-
piciOns raised even by those extracts
and expressed by us have been abundantly
justified by the production Of all the papers
In the case. In view Of the manifest bearing
and results Of the policy he furthered ia Peru
by all the means at his command, we find
ourselves unable to acquit Mr.. BLAINE Of Sc
crct completely in the schemes OF specula-
tors, who tried to profit by the helpless
situation Of that unhappy country. 1t
matters not whether it was the LAM
DREAU or the CoCHET claim that en-
joyed the special patronage OF the Secre-
tary of State, for both claims seem to have
been fused in the Peruvian Company, and We
find SHIrHERD suggesting in one Of his let
ters that the LANDRRAU demand should be
first put forward, while the CoCHET claim
was kept in the background; and this course
was III fact taken by Secretary BLAINE.
After the public mind had been awakened
by The SUN To the suspicious conduct of our
representative in Peru and to the far from
satisfactory explanations put forward by the
State Department. Mr.. BLAINE tried TO save
himself from obloquy by rebuking Gen.
HURLBUr and denouncing the President of
the Peruvian Company. His treatment of
the latter. however, suggests the accom-
plice rather than the master. justly
indignant at the misconduct OF his
agent. He does not dare to punish
the Minister by recalling him. al
though If the charge be true that Gen.
HURLDuT disObeyed or exceeded his instruc-
tions in complications so intricate as those
which exist in Peru, he should plainly have
been removed ut once. At all events, when
Nj. BLAINE discovered that Gen. HURLBUT
had embarked in railway speculations, thus
Violating fundamental rule OF the
6iate Department, the offending agent