Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-27
AFTER SHIPHERD. BLAINE.
mr.. TrescOt, by Request of Ex.Sec-
retsry Blaine. Tells Him what He
Really Meant To DO In South
America.

With view to clearing up certain points
| in the investigation of South American
| policy, Mr.. Trescot, late Special Envoy tC
Chilli, Peru and Bolivia, has addressed tc
ex-SecretaIy Blaine the following letter:
YORK, Me, July II.
DEAR SIR am IN receipt of yours ask
ing me, as late Special Envoy of the United
States to the belligerents in South America
to state my knowledge of certain matters
connected with your administration as Sec
retarY of State.
l. From your formal instructions to me
and the personal consultation had with you
before my departure on that mission. have
never been able to see that there was any
ground for misunderstanding or miscon-
STRUNG your position In regard to the Credit
Il1ustriel. 1t has been consistent through
out as l understood 1t.
You always expressed Yourself to me as
desirous that the Credit Industriel might,
IL possible. be made useful to Peru in her
distress. But you were entirely unwilling
that the United States should make the
programme OF that company part OF their
own negotiation, or should assume guar
antee OF the arrangement which It might
make With the Peruvian Government. You
Cid not favor the project of a protectOrate
over any part of South America. Your
IDEA was to leave Peru free to negotiate
Win the Credit Industriel, and you instruct
ca deneral Hurlbut and afterwards myself
10 report the result OF such negotiations to
the department. What action might lie
oeyonu was necessarily for the decision of
the government, and its policy would in all
probability have depended largely upon the
report made to the Minister. AS matter
Of fact neither General Hurlbut nor mvself
was ever called upon to take any action in
respective missions in South America.
2. As to your designing q war, that sup
position is too absurd for serious cOnsidera-
ton. II YOU had any such purpose 1t was
carefully concealed from me, and | left for
South America with the impression that
would have failed completely In my mission
II did not succeed In obtaining an AMIGA
BILE settlement of the differences between
the belligerents. You will allow me to add
that would have declined the mission IL l
had thought otherwise. AS / understood
you, your object was, by the friendly solu-
ton of the existing difficulties, to prepare
the way for the meeting of the peace con-
grees at Washington, when you hoped to
establish such relations between the repub-
lies of the two Americas as would prevent
the possibility of future war. But for the
strange misconception, for which cannot
account, which reached and misled the
aud influential papers OF the United States,
believe that purpose could have been ac-
complished under your instructions
3 In regard TO the Cochet and Landreau
claims, 1t is sufficient to say that you reject
ed the first, absolutely. AS to the second,
you instructed General Hurlbut to ask, II
the proper time should come, that Landreau
should be heard before Peruvian tribunal
in euppor OF his claim, and that In case of q
for ha Of
territory the condition OF his claim should
be brought to the attention OF Chill and
Peru. This Instruction, as stated In your
dispatch, was made in view of the fact that
numerous claims of Europeans for fabulous
amounts were being pressed, and you were
anxious, as you expressed It, that the re-
sources OF Peru should not be exhausted 10
the settlement of the claims of foreigners
to the prejudice of one belonging t. an
American citizen. This notification would
not have interpOsed an obstacle to the con-
cluSion OF treaty OF peace, but would have
simply signiied to both parties that its pro-
visions could not put aside any rights which
Lsndreau might be found to posses after an
ipnsrtial judicial investigation.
Under the restrictions Of your ins ructiOns
General Hurlbut, although himself approv-
ing the justice of Landreau's claim in his
dispatch of September IA, 1881, never
brought it In any way to the consideration
OF the Peruvian Government. During nv
mission in South America never referred
to it, so that in point of fact during your
Secretaryship the Landreau claim was never
mentioned either to the Chilian or Peruvian
Governments by the Ministers of the United
States. 1t could not, therefore, have af-
fected the then pending diplomatic ques-
tions in the remOtest degree. Yours very
truly and respectfully,
WILLIAM HENRY TREsCoT.