The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-14
The CAlIIAN WAR.

|
| WASHINGTON, June 13.-Dr. Richard j.
/ Trumbull, a member of the Chllian con-
| gress, who is under Indictment for vio-
| lation of the neutrality laws of the United
| States in connection with the ltata incl
| dent is at the capital. DR. Trumbuil IS a
Connecticut Yankee by birth, and his mis-
! sion to Washington is to intercede with
| the American government In behalt OF tne
| Chllian insurgents. In conversation with
| Il reporter he gave the history of the orl-
| gin and development of the present CIVIL
war, from an insurgent standpoint.
The picture which DR.. Trumbull draws
| of President Balmaceda is strong one, IN
| which the shadows are unIelleved. Ac-
cording to Dr. .Trumbull, Chill. for the
first time in almost sixty years, has been
plunged into the horrors of internecine
strife simply for the personal gain OF Bal
maceda and his friends. Entering upon
his career as president with an unanimous
congress to support him, Balmaceda, by
allowing his administration to become
honeycOmbed with frauds and corruption,
reached that point where congress refused
to appropriate any money or pass any
laws until a new and honest ministry was
named. At first Balmaceda did not heed
this threat, but there was such an uproar
that new cabinet was formed. When the
ministry wanted TO remove the chief OF
police of Santiago for influencing elections
cabinet resigned.
1.-The climax came" said Dr. Trumbull,
"when it was seen that Balmaceda intend
ed to secure the election, as his successor,
of stock broker named San Fuentes.
You cannot appreciate here how such
result could be accomplished by the presl-
dent, but IN Chill the chief executive
wields more patronage than any officer IN
the world. He appoints everybody, from
the cabinet and foreign ministers and navy
officers to the janitOrS Of the public bulld-
inos, and, of course, can accomplish any
thing he wishes by distributing this inn
mense patronage In certain directions.
Other presidents in Chilli have always been
conservative, patriotic men. who did not
take advantage of the power in their
hands"
Glow long had the revolution been
brewing?"
"The first signs were visible about two
years ago. and before the president dis
solved congress and proclaimed himself
dictator, he shut up the newspaper offices,
destroyed their presses, would not allow
the people to gather in mass meeting, and
worse than all closed up the courts on the
grounds that it was not convenient for
him to have them open. 1t was such high
handed acts as these that forced the peo-
pie into a revolution. They did not rise
against the government until its head had
away their constitutional rights and priv
ileges. When he dissolved congress, he
intended to exile every member of it on
the desolate Easter island, in the Pacific,
but nearly all of us escaped Those who
did not were shot or hung"
What is the present condition OF at-
fairse"
Il do not eXaggerate the facts when
say that every decent man in Chilli is on
the side of the people, or the insurgents, as
they are called Four-fifths of the men,
berS of the congress which he dissolved are
against him. His brother and his brother
in-aw are on our side. The navy, which
embodes the most intelligent men in the
official service. came over to us in 3 body.
The army officers were imprisoned or they
would have been with US also. All the
Americans in Chill are with u.s. and so are
most of the other foreigners. We have the
wealth, the intelligence and the ability of
the republic. The decision OF the supreme
court that the presidents acts were illegal,
shows that we have the judiciary with US,
and this accounts probably for the sum-
mary closing of the courts. Balmaceda, it
is true, has the bulk of the army but this
is composed of the scum of Chili-men who
are with the president only for the plunder
which they can secure"
"Then how can he prolong the WARP"
"At present he is engaged in imprison-
luB dlA ING IiCI Ik6il anu NOLlGu UPON
whom his hirelings can lay their hands
and keeping them incarcerated until they
secure their release by purchasing their
ransom at high figure. Ladies of high
families, brought up amid refinement and
culture, have been subjected TO these in
dignities."
How long will the war last?"
Neither side will surrender. The strug-
gle is too bitter for any compromise or an
armistice. | am confident of the fina! sue
cess OF the insurgent party, but the end
may not come for few months yet. Bal
maceda can never win. His government
is now a military despotism. All the po-
litical parties in Chilli irrespective of their
former opinions, are arrayed against him.
In the largest social club of Santiago,
out of 500 members only six agreed with
the president. This shows you how small
his following is"
DR.. Trumbull says that the refusal of
the United States TO allow the arms for
the insurgent forces to be landed from the
Itata was a severe blow to the patriotic
people who are trying to resist Bal
maceda's expressions 1T is a matter of
surprise TO me-" he added, that some en-
terprsing manufacturer in this country
does not send a shipload OF arms down to
Chill and sell them as he would sell -four
or any other merchandise. They would
be readily purchased, and, with 5000
arms" he added, I'VE could wipe Bal
maceda's hireling army from the face of
the earth"