St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-31
RECIPROCITY AND CHILL.

RECIPROCITY AND CHILL.
The non-partisan press OF the country
from the beginning condemned the ap-
pointment of PATRICK EGAN TO the
Gillian mission, because neither his eX-
perience nor his temperament entitled
him to the position. During peace a
modern envoy has little to do except to
dignity by his own personality the state
from which he is sent. In time of
trouble and confusion there is room for
the exercise of the highest intelligence
and discretion. One has only to reflect
for moment on the noble work of Mr..
WASHBURNE the American representa-
tive at Paris during the Franco-Prussian
war, to see the great opportunities of a
diplomatic post i'll such crisis. To re-
strain the conQuerors and defend the
weak and worsted is a glorious task,
and the list OF American ambassadors
who have been equal to it is a long and
gratifying one. Those who knew EGAN
best predicted that he would prove unfit
for the duties of either peace or war.
and the issue shows that they were true
prophets.
The present administration bases its
claims TO popular Endorsement on the
closer commercial relations which it
has sought to establish between this
country and the South American repub-
lies. Its secretary of state counts his
achievements in this direction the
browning work of his public life. The
or;a 4 h.
him to help in this project, and he
fought his own party OH the tariff issue
that it might put no barriers III his way.
The GLOBE has exposed Oh many occa-
sions the hollowness of the modern Re-
publican theory Of reciprocity. but in
as far as it seemed calculated to open
our ports to freedom of trade with only
a limited number of foreign nations, it
has commended it as step in the right
direction. 1t is important, if our pros
perity is to be maintained, that we
should have markets in which to sell
our commodities, and that we should be
enabled to buy what we need in the
places where it is produced most
cheaply. The HARRISON administration
asks the country to believe that it has
made this possible, at least as far as
one section of the world is concerned /;
and if it really had, it would be an
achievement to its credit.
The richest country of South America
| is Chill. 1t is small in area, but it has
| a population of 100000, which is more
than half the number Of people in all
| Canada. Many men of English or Amer
| lean birth reside there, and. IN the midst
| of much domestic turbulence about it.,
it has until recently preserved order
within Its borders and made noteworthy
progress in wealth and prosperity. If
there is any South American state from
intercourse with which we might reaon-
ably hope to reap profit, it would be
this one. Its demand for foreign goods
is greater than that of any of its neigh
bors, the standard of living among its
citizens is higher, and there is infinitely
less risk of loss from the contraction of
bad debts there than in either Brazil OF
the Argentine Republic. Friendly re-
lations with it might mean much 70 our
merchants and would be we'll worth
cultivating.
The latest news is that we are on the
verge of war with Chilli. This is the
sum total of three years Of Blaineism.
We have had a Pan-American congress,
treaties and legislative exemptions pro-
vided, that we might draw closer to the
Spanish republics to the south of us,
and break the monopoly what England
has on their commerce.: and the out
come of all this much vaunted labor is
our flag insulted, an apology demanded
and refused, and a cabinet meeting to
devise measures for the preservation of
our national honor. This is reciprocity
with vengeance. 1t is a reciprocity of
arms, not reciprocity of commodities {.
And this is what JAMES G. BLAINE-ha
achieved for us. He has used his ap-
pointiye power to name an Incapable
adventurer as our minister to Chilli.
Enamored of charlataniSm, he has kept
him in office in spite of the charges of
corruption and folly which have been
made against him. He has upheld him
while he has violated the pledges of
neutrality which it was our duty to
maintain. He has allowed distressed
and harassed sister nation to be driven
to frenzy and excess by our unwarranted
interference in its domestic concerns.
And now he has on his hands a quarrel
instead of an alliance, and ships laden
with arms instead of wheat will be
headed for Valparaiso. There will be
no war, but there is and there will be
hate where there ought to be friendship,
and aversion where there ought to be
union. There is no denying BLAINE's
qualities as an advertiser, but, even in
his old age, his is an unsafe hand to