Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-04-01
CHILLI AND PERU.
What Ex-Secretary Blaine Has TO Say
on the Subject.

on the Subject.
Hon. James G. Blaine has been IN
terviewed by Washington reporter OF
the affairs in South America. MIR
Blame says: "Tmean, as said in Janu
airy, that Peru is TO be despoiled ant
destroyed, and that the profits of tn,
spoliation are to be divided between
Chill and the English bondholders ant
spectators who furnished her with thu
money and the guns and the iron-clad
that destroyed Peru. This first is 81
advertised in the Chilian newspapers bJ
the Treasury Department of Chill. i
has issued decree asking for bids fol
| 1000, 900 tons of guano to be extracted
from the guano beds of Peru now il
possession of Chill. Every cargo mus
be paid for, SO the advertisement runs
in good sterling exchange English
money, mark you-at ninety days
sight. One half goes to Chill and one
half to the English bondholders. and
Chill binds herself to deposit 80 pei
cent of the proceeds from the guano in
the Bank of England"
Gas l understand Chili's demands
now" added Mr.. Blaine, ''they include,
first, the absolute annexation of Tara
paca and large strip of territory i'm
mediately north of it. These include
all the nitrates and the great bulk of the
guano. Second, Chill holds and &C.
cupies the districts of africa and Tacna,
nominally for ten years, to be then re-
leased to Peru in her payment of $780,
100000, which they leave her no more
power to pay than if it were $50, 900, :
100000. africa and Tacna may, there
fore, be considered permanently an
nexed. Third, the Lobos Islands to be
seized and held by Chill, SO long as
there is any guano on them. They have,
therefore, taken the very richest districts
of Peru, including all her nitrates and
all her guano, just as they designed in
the outset, only they were not then
aware, as they are now, that the United
States would permit it. When these
conditions were submitted to Mr. Tres
cot, he was graciously told that his good
offices would be accepted to urge them
upon Peru, but if Peru refused to ac-
cede to them, then his good offices must
be considered at en- end"
"When the United States refused
to ask for justice between the two re-
publics and strong English power was
interested in the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of Chill,
Peru's fate was sealed. 1t is noticeable,
moreover, that this million tons OF
guano is offered for sale in one block,
Ind any bidder is required to put up
aalf million of dollars, so that the decree
of sale is merely a mode of getting this
vast property into the hands of the
agents of Chill and the English bond
holders. 1t will be carried in English
ships, making larger ireightage than
the cotton of the United States which
is annually taken beyond the sea"
"Do you think that the United States
could in any event have prevented this
result without war p asked the re-
porter.
"With entire ease. There never was
such arrant nonsense talked as the
possibility of a war with Chill. The
difference in power of the two countries
renders the idea OF war ridiculous.
We are too big to make war on Chill,
and Chill is too small to make war on us.
The moral power of the United States,
judiciously exerted, could have saved
the autonomy of Peru"
"But if the United States had inter-
vened, would not Great Britain also
have interviewed ?"
"Well, it would have been North
while to find out whether, If the United
States interviewed to save an American
Republic, Great Britain would have IN
teryened to destroy it. In my own
Judgment the foreign policy OF Great
Britain will never take that direction.
It certainly will not so long as British
statesmen see that the United States
can do by omission more for British in
terests than Great Britain can do by
commission. The whole idea, however,
of British intervention is myth. The
moral power of the United States IN
South America would simply have been
irresistible. For American interests it
was the opportunity of century, and
it was blindly sacrificed. The CONNER
cial interests of this country IN South
America will not in fifty years recover
what has been lost and what was in its
power to recover. Our interests are not
only totally destroyed in Chill and
Peru, but our prestige is impaired in all
South America, indeed in all Spanish
America, both continental and insular.
The present generation will not witness
the recovery of that which has been
lost within the last ninety days"
"When you speak of commercial in
terests, do you mean the shipping in
terests ?"
81 mean that, but not that alone. /
mean the entire interchange of commod-
tiles, the supplying of manufactured
articles and raw material, the ccncen-
tration in our commercial cities of a
share of that which will now go wholly
to London and Liverpool. The trade
of the west coast of South America from
this time forward will be as much in
the hands of Great Britain as the trade
of British India. But this opens large
subject, and have neither time nor in
clination to pursue 1t to-day"