The Hawaiian gazette., 1891-11-17
CHILEAN AFFAIRS.
Letter From a Hawaiian Eye
Witness of the Final Bat
tie of the Capture of
Valparaiso.
TALcAHUANo, Chile, Sept. IA, 'sl.


numerous readers may feel interested
to know about the state of affairs here
in Chile. 1 send by this mail the
Chilean Times, published in Val
paraiso, which will inform you In
regard to same. The Congressional
Army landed to the north of VAL
paraiso, about ten miles distant, on
the Goth August, fought the Govern
ment troops, which with the aid of
the fleet, were signally routed, and
fell back occupying strong positions.
The opposition with their forces out
thanked, the enemy inland, struck
south, cut the railroad and telegraph
wires which connected Valparaiso
with Santiago, and then moved on
Valparaiso, attacking it on all sides by
land, and occupied it on the 2Sth ult.
The Dictator Balmaceda then turned
over the head of affairs to General
Baquedano in Santiago and fled.
Order and quiet are restored, and the
civil authorities and law have now
succeeded the military despotism that
existed.
President Balmaceda is, socially
speaking, gentlemanly and attractive,
but is consumed with an Overwhelnl-
ing vanity of himself, and although
an excellent orator, and having been
ostensibly a strong Liberal, he has
left a name for arbitrary, cruel con-
duct such as would make a Rosas
even astonished. He completely out
manouvered Congress by his bad
faith, and brought about a tyranny
that only armed resistance could
destroy. The tribunals of justice he
closed; suppressed the free press, lib
erty of speech, seized and imprisoned
anyone be or his minions chose; and
the jails and penitentiaries were
crowded with political prisoners,
amongst whom were members of
Congress and men eminent for their
virtues and for services to the Repub-
lie. Men were beaten even unto
death, and women also. They were
also tortured and murdered. The
I newspapers are now exposing the bar
barities of the dictatorship. The tele-
graph ribbons are being unravelled,
and their revelations published. Also
the official correspondence and orders.
One can imagine himself living in the
days of the InquisitiOn again, and of
how near Sheol was to us.
If the Congressionalists had been
beaten they intended to have gone
back north to Iquique, and to have
returned again later on with another
army. Thank God, they won! They
had an army of about 10000 men. Bal
maceda's papers claimed to have had
so, 200 men under arms of these
10000 were in the port of Coqulmbo.
Although there was a large army
drawing pay, they existed mostly on
paper. They were double the number
of the Congressional army, but ex-
cepting the troops of the line, were
mostly conscripts, whereas the army
of Congress were mostly volunteers;
the latter, however, were short of
arms, ETC., but fortunately obtained
some 1000 Austrian rifles, which were
repeaters and said to carry $500
meters. In the first battle the troops
of Congress numbered 10000; in the
next they augmented to 1900, and
so on. A good many batallions turned
over before the end came.
Since early in January last, eight
months since, we have lived under
martial law. Could not go out at
night without passport, and the
sudden change has astonished us.
Now only a few soldiers are seen as
police. We are all free to say or do
as we like. The Republic needs no
soldiers = there is no one to keep
down. The people are all SYM
pathizers with Congress, which has
represented the national will from
the start. Why the Congressionalists
were not recognized as beligerants
long since, as they ought to have
been, is incomprehensible.
The Itata case has made the United
States unpopular, which is greatly to
be regretted. Have we forgotten our
own history? Did not the immortal
Henry Clay obtain the recognition of
Chilean independence by our fore
fathers-we being the first of all
foreign powers to do this? Did not
Daniel Webster in one of his noblest
and greatest efforts demand in the
Senate of the Republic the recogni-
ton of Grecian independence; de-
mand that we should give them the
cheering of one friendly voice" in
their struggle for liberty. Moreover,
what had the United States to fear?
Are we not powerful enough to act in
such cases Independently? The little
Republic Of Bolivia was the only
nation that had backbone enough for
the occasion. l have not time to
write more now. Will write again,
soon. Your own correspondent.