The record-union., 1891-11-16
THE CASE OF ADMIRAL BROWN.

Admiral Brown has telegraphed an
emphatic mo" to Secretary Tracy's in
quiry if in any way at any time he served
Balmaceda as spy. 1t must have been
very irritating to so faithful an officer to
have been subjected even to questioning
upon such subject. The Congressional
hot heads who charge him appear to have
forgotten that in all of his dispatches to
the exact truth concerning the Congress
sIonal situation, and that at no time dur
ing the struggle did that party find cause
OF complaint against the Admiral. All of
his accounts were colorless. AS far back
as July Sd he reported the insurgents as
in quiet possession of Pisagua, Calleta-
Bueno, Iquique and Antofagasta, and as
maintaining orderly civil government at
those places, as if no war existed.
About the same time he complained
that Balmaceda's torpedo boats, the Con-
dell and Lynch, bombarded Iquique
without notice, aided by the Imperiale.
In the same month he forwarded a favor
able report upon the condition of the
insurgent forces and of their resources
and general conduct. His letter to Mr..
Egan shows that he went to Quinteros
harDor on the strength of information
received from Admiral Viel that battle
was about to take place there between the
insurgent and the Balmacedan forces.
But no battle was fought there, and he
returned to Valparaiso and reported, as
in duty bound, to Secretary Tracy. But
the dispatch was in cipher, though it con-
tanned nothing not already widely
known upon the streets Of the city, from
which troops had moved toward Quin-
teros before his return to Valparaiso.
The Chileans charge that he carried
one of Balmaceda's officers to Quinteros,
but the German Admiral, Valois. testifies
that he alone accompanied Admiral
Brown. 1t does not appear to have sug-
gested itself to the Congressio1falists that
Valois was as capable of reporting news
to Balmaceda as any one else. though it
is not thinkable that so high-minded a
man as the German commander would
have descended to the level of a spy.
We notice with regret, spiced with in
dignation, that certain American papers
which seem to think some political point
can be scored against the administration
by abusing Brown, cultivate the idea that
the American Admiral's conduct was
suspicious. The truth is that he acted
precisely as he had a right to do. In fact,
it was his duty to go to Quinteros land
ing and see for himself that he might cor
rectly inform the Washington authorities.
He was first to report the success of the
insurgents, and for week kept the Sec
retary Of the Navy and the President in
formed of the situation at and about Val
pariso when Mr.. Egan was as dumb as
an oyster and appeared not to know that
a revolution was in progress and that
the Junta's forces had triumphed. All
presumptions should be in favor of Ad-
miral Brown in the American mind; it is
the meanest order of ittleness to accept
the charges as true laid against him by
the Chilean southern press, which up to
the time of Balmaceda's overthrow We're
the hot partisans of the dictator. But il
all were true that these trucking papers
charge what excuse would that be for
the killing of American blue-jackets in
the streets of Valparaiso?