The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-03-24

lSNAslACluA lpeIEuAueully HuuGNSus lulf'
the Labode Islands to be seized aAd bel
BY Chill 90 long as there is any guano o
them. They have, therefore, taken Il
very richest districts Of Peru, including 4
her nitrates and all her guano, iul
a. they designed in the outse
only they were not then sure, as they ar
now, that the United States would perm
1t. When these conditions were sui
mltted TO Trescott he was graciouSly tol
that his good offices would be accepted I
urge them upon Peru, but il Peru refuse
to accede to them his good offices must b
considered at an end.b
M. Blaine, do you think the Unite,
States could in any event have preYentet
this result without war?"
with entire ease, replied Blaine
There never was such arrlnt nopsens
talked as the possibility OF war with Chill
The difference In the power OF the twt
countries rendeB the idea OF war ridicu
lous. We are too big to make war oI
Chill, and Chill is too small to make wa
on the United States The moral powe
oil the United States judiciously exerteC
could have saved the autonomy Of Peru.
Gould it also have preserved her terri
tory" asked the reporter.
II am not sure Of that" replied Mr.
Blaine. "a Cession OF territory might be
necessary in case Peru could not pay tn,
proper war indemnity, and SO instruct
ed Trescott, but this always Contem
plated that Peru had the altcrnatiY,
right to pay the indemnify, and II the ter
ritory had been sacrificed it should not bC
IN excess OF fair indemnity; $4,000 00l
would have amply reimbursed Chill for hel
war expenses. She has taken 81 800, ,000,,
GOO worth Of property from Peru merely by
strong arm, and has stood by in person
OF her special envoy, instructed either to say
nothing or say it was all right"
"a great many believe" said the repor
ter, "the active use Of our influence wOulG
have done no good"
"In any event, said Blaine, it would have
done no harm, and we should have had
consciousness At least, Of trying to save q
sister Republic from destruction. 1t would
have been honorable to make an effort
even il it had taiIed. As the result nov
stands, We hGye acquired the hatred
OF Peruvians TO the latest generations, and
at least the contempt OF ChiIians
We have also secured the self-satisfied
chuckle Of band of English speculator.
into whose hands the power of the United
States has been so effectively played. Great
Britain: with all her proves could moi
have advanced the commercial interests ot
her own merchants in South America SC
faithfully and destroyed the interests OF the
American merchants there so completely
as has been done by the instructions with
which Trescott vas bound and gagged"
"B1t il the United States had intervened
wou d not Great Britain also have inter,
vened ?"
"WeIf," said Mr.. Blaine, at would have
been worth while to ind out whether il the
United States intervened to save the Amer,
ican Republic Great Britain would have
intervened to destroy it. In my own iudg,
mentthe foreign policy OF Great Britain will
next Ia ke that direction. It certainly will
not so long as British statesmen see that
the United States can do by omission more
tOr the British interests than Great Britain
can do by commission. The whole idea,
however, OF British Intervention Is myth,
With the moral power OF the United
States in South America it would
simply have been irresistible fol
American interests. 1t was the opportu.
nifty OF a century, and it was blandiy -sacri.
feed. The commercial interests Of this
country in South America will not in fifty
years recover what has been lost and
what was in its power to acquire. Ous
interests are not only totally destroyed in
Chill and Peru, but our prestige is impair.
ed in all South America; indeed ia all
Spanish America, both continental and in
sular. The present generation will not
witness the recovery OF that which has
been lost within the last ninety days"
when you speak OF commercial inter.
es's, Mr.. Blaine, do you meau shipping in
terests?"
81 mean that, said Blaine, "but not that
alone. ! mean the entire interchange Of
commodities OF the supplying Of man1iact.
uted articles and raw material. The econcen-
tration in our commercial cities share that,
which will now 60 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 u
large subject and have neither time nor
inclination to pursue it to-day.