New-York tribune., 1891-05-14

willing TO relinquish his oiice Wlthout securihs
| means for perpetrating his political power Iney
describe his Ministers as incapable ana corrupo
men. and his candidate for the frcsdentlai sue
cession as having scandalous record by as
solving Congress. deferring the elections, extend
ing the votes in supply and filling the CIVIL service
with mon Of the lowest character, he has defed
nublic opnion and established military Dictator
shin While the Senators and Deputies were inn
portunng him to change his Ministers ana 10
convolxe Congress, he was removing Governors OF
Provinces. brbing army officers, debauching the
public service and getting the political machinery
well-oiled in working order for carrying the elec
tions. When popular clamors against his arDl-
trary removal of experienced and reputable ONCE
holders arose. he prohibited public meetings ana
established q press censorship The Crisis came
when members of the political clubs were attacked
in the streets by soldiers, and one of them was as
sassinated. The revolution was planned as te iasc
resource, when all means Of constitutional agita-
ton and resistance were exhausted. The Deputles
and Senator'S met on January of this year, and
solemnly deposed the President for violating tne
constitution The proclamation was read on the
vessels of war in Valparaiso harbor The neet
revolted against the Executive authority. The
revolution opened.
Those in sympathy with the insurgents frankly
concede that the movement received in the hrst
instance very small measure of popular support
Valparaiso, while proud of the Navy, was dazed
and unsympathetic when the fleet turned against
the Government The police did not swerve from
their loyalty to the Executive. The army, instead
of ralyng TO the support of the CongressiohaI
leaders. remained in the barracks and criticised
the lack of common sense and PATRIOTISM
displayed by the politicians. Santiago
|
compression. There were few signs OIL dis
affection i'm the Southern cities. There was no
popular uprising against the military dictator
The masses OF the population waited to see what
would come of the naval revolt, and meanwhile
the President and his Ministers acted with In
flexible purpose. Martial law was proclaimed.
The officers of the insurgent fleet were denounced
as pirates. The army was heavily recrulted'
The prisons were filled with suspects. Private
houses were searched for discriminating CORE
spon1ence Men were fogged for refusing to re-
veal the hdng-places of prominent revolutlonistS.
The estates of members OF the Opposition In Con
gress were plundered, and their houses burned
Political leaders were prescribed and driven into
exile The election laws were modified to suit
the purposes of the Ministers. Business was
paralyzed. Disorder in the currency and natlonal
finances became confusion worse confounded.
increase in the cost of living Public order in the
cities was maintained by rigorous measures of re-
pression and terrorism the order of the day.
Balmaceda according to the apologists OF the
insurrection is demagogue who has established
a military despotism by unconstitutional methous'
and is responsible for reign Of terror. lie Is
supported by the Ignorant populace, because the
landholders and wealthy and influential classes
are arrayed against him. The revolution Is
stand made by patriotic citizens against personal
government and political usurpauioh. ine III,
surrents are fighting the battle OF constitutional
liberty and representative government ana are
supported not only. by the foreign community,
but also by the educated and industrial classes
Without attempting to reconcile partisan state-
ments which are both oondqsRg anu eDts of t5s
three months war. The insurgents, after fall,
ing to produce the impression which they S had
expected by their naval demonstraeIIiGh hase ra
of operations on the nitrate coast. where they
could obtain revenues for supporting tneir move,
ment. The war vessels anchored OF the OPEL opeini
body of volunteers, recruited by General Urruta,
occupied the town. The Government had garrl-
in the nitrate towns, and after sharp sH SKI
fghting The insurgents rallied their forces, and
after destructive bombardment by the neet ana
the burning of a, large portion OF the toWn, re-
gained the ground which they had lost. Balma,
ceda had 10000 soldiers under arms IN cehtIai
Chilli but hundreds Of miles OF desert COAST pre-
vented his reinforcing the gaLrisons when weae
Colonel Robles, his representative, undertook 10
retrieve his losses by determined attack upon the
insurgent forces near the. village of san Fran,
cisco. but was defeated after great slaughter on
both sides. Iquique was Immediately occupied
by the insurgents under cover of the fleet Colonel
Robles again met portion of the insurgent army
at Huaraz and after routing it, advanced to
Iquique, where there was desperate hgntlng LOT
twelve hours. The insurgent forces being hard
pressed by the assault the feet opened fire upon
tba and DESTROYED
tlce was arranged through the intervention OF the
English naval commander, and the Government
troops retired after drawn battle. Anotner en-
gagement speedily followed at Pozo Almonte, IN
which the Insurgents were completely victorious,
Colonel Robes after losing one-half of his force
was subsequently killed on the field by excited
soldiers. Antofagasta was left at the mercy OF
the fleet, and was occupied without q struggle
These are the principal military operations which
have been conducted up to this date, the ad-
vantage lying unquestionably with the insurgent
forces
trail Chilli and if the insurgents expect to Obtain
possession of the capital they must leave tnelr
base of operations In the north and take tne
field where the feet will not be BEHIND them.
To make this attempt prematurely would be to
court defeat by an army Of superior force and
organization, well supplied with artillery by
establishing themselves at Iquique. Pieg9a ana
Antofagasta the insurgent leaders have deliber.
ately chosen ground where they can hold out
for an indefinite period. With the heet under
to the nitrate coast by sea and prevent the trans
portation of Governme troops TO the seat OF war
With hundreds of miles of desert between
them and Santiago they are. reasonably secure
against attack from O superior force by land.
With the nitrate revenues under their charge they
have large source of revenue available for their
military expenses. They in secure position,
well intrenched by nature, and can afford to await
the termination of President Balmacedas term,
which will expire in a few months With their
feet aud their army OF 5000 or 5000 men, they
have adequate financial resources, while the Gov
ernment party, being cut off from the revenues
of the nitrate coast, is already reduced to great
straits.
II is only natural for Peruvians, who are con-
stantly arriving at the Isthmus, to speak of the
Chian war as dispensation of retrbutive justice.
The nitrate provinces were their territory before
the devastating war in which their country was
brought to the verge of ruin and left bleeding at
every pore. The loss of those provinces deprived
them of their main source of revenue, and COM
nfn nnfinnnI ha nlrrlInt