Los Angeles herald., 1891-11-03
A PROBLEM SOLVED.
Why Uncle Sam Supported
Balmaceda.
A British Correspondent Dis
covers the Facts.
He Rips the American Administra-
tion Up the Back.
Blaine and Egan Charged with Some
Very Shady transactions and
the American Admirals
Severely Scored.
Associated Press Dispatches.


LONDON, Nov. 2.-The Times Valpar.
also correspondent thinks he has solved
the problem why the United States,
contrary to its national traditions,
should have supported the cause of des-
potism in Chile. Regarding the state
ment that Minister Egan sought to ne
gotiate reciprocity treaty with Balma-
ceda, he asks: "What kind of treaty
could it have been to occupy them at
such a critical moment, especially aa
under the Mckinley act, the exporta-
tions OF only q few American articles
could benefit thereby"
The correspondent proceeds: "The
United States admirals have not dis
played the diplomatic talents Of the
French Admiral Gervais. McCann gave
Egan away by supplying the con-
gressional government with copy OF
Egan's letters. and Brown had shown the
greatest imprudence, while Gherardi
exposed the state department at Wash
ington to ignominious defeat and
damning publicity at Hayti, by declar-
ing Hyppolite bound to fulfill verbal
promises and cede st. Nicholas to the
United States for q naval station. Part
of the bargain was that aid be given to
Hyppolite to overthrow Legitime. Min
lister Douglass supplemented this by de-
claring the object for which the new
feet OF the United States was manned,
equipped and supported by the Ameri-
can nation, appeared to be in order to
overthrow one government in a friendly
state and erect another willing
to sell its birthright and in
dependence to the United States.
He added that there was an agent of a
New York business house who appeared
more fully initiated into the secrets of
the state department than he was.
practically, the policy adopted by
the United States toward Hayti was
identical with that followed in the case
of Chile in the discussion of treaty pro-
ceedings secretly ard Balmaceda intend
ing to initiate Hyppolite and deny his
verbal promises if it suited him, mean
while securing American support.
Both Egan and Blaine well know
that the congressional govern
ment would scorn to entertain
such treaty, so they recognized that
the American feet must needs be pros
tituted to the defense of despotism
against liberty. Worse even than in
the case of Hayti have been the private
interests which this policy was intend
ed to serve. Egan is openly
accused of having made enormous con-
tracts with Balmaceda, while Egan's
son openly states that he, not his father,
was the contractor. Comment is un-
necessary.
.Tn order that the magnitude
of this infraction of international
comfy may be clearly shown
to the civilized world. 1t must be borne
in mind that after the failure to carry
out the dictator's official order to de-
stroy by fire the great foreign interests
in the nitrate fields, owing to the cap
ture of Tarapaca by the Congressional
lists, Balmaceda endeavored to obtain
q loan from the United States upon the
security of the nitrate fields. This
was an attempt at gigantic rob-
berry, in which private American
interests, so crudely exposed by Mr..
Douglas, would participate. Where
those private interests would begin and
end, the American nation can best
judge.
4iHad Balmaceda performed his part
in the nefarious project, the United
States would have had dust
thrown in it's eyes by the acquisition of
naval stations in the Pacific. This
would serve as a blind to the private
and darker side of the picture. The
other civilized nations are supremely
interested in knowing whether the peo-
pie of the United States approve the ap-
plication of its new and formidable navy
to the support of this anarchical policy.
''It will be remembered that sup
posed drunken sailor, believed to be Bal
maceda, was hustled into the American
admiral's quarters on board the admir-
ais flagship. AS American bluejacket
uniforms do not strew the streets
of Valparaiso, have investi-
gated the matter, and learned
on good authority that the largest sail
or's uniform ON the flagship, was pre-
viously selected. and sent ashore, and in
this disguise Vidaurren, q Balmacedist
officer, who was implicated in the cold
blooded massacre of Chilean students at
Locanas was enabled to escape. Il
understood Admiral Brown has since
expressed regret that he saved Vidaur-
rem, but it is generally believed his re-
gret proceeds from the fact that he in
tended saving by means of the big uni
form, Balmaceda himself, whose height
was exceptional.
Affairs IN CHILE.