The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-10-31
mon wearing tho uniform OF tho United

mon wearing tho uniform OF tho United
States.
II Great Britain Is influential in Chile
| tis believed that Its power could be OK
ercised beneliclally to bring the Chilean
authorities TO their senses. Tho gov
ernmcnt cannot take any immediate
action ut Valparaiso TO enforce ITS dc.
mand. Tho Baltimore alone would not
DO equal TO tho task Of compelling
Chile to mako n speedy and satisfactory
answer. Several weeks must pass be-
lore tho fleet can be greatly increased.
Tho interim may be used to reach nm
amicablo settlement and II is possible
TINT 1t " Ill DO employed by Chile in
preparation for sustaining It's attitude
oil defiance and apparent hostility.
a MESSAGE FROM CHILE.
Senior Pcdri Montt. the official repre-.
sentative Of the Chilean government at
Washington, has just received tho fol-
lowing dispatch from the Chilean min.
lister OF foreign affairs:
SANTIAGO, CHILE, Oct. so.
Investigation instituted Immediately
andcontinucs with all diligence and is
not yet finished. Tho trouble began in
Clave street and it became tumult at
p. IN, Regular soldiers, police and the
special guard OF the intendentc restored
order. Uf the combatants, thirty Ameri-
cans and eleven Chilcans were commit
ted before the judicial authorities. They
fought with knives, stones and every
thing they could lay their hunds upon.
There was one killed and several wound
cd. 1t is estimated that there were 100
American sailors from the Baltimore on
shore at the ;imo OF tho tumult.
ABSURD RuMoRs.
During the afternoon all kinds OF sen.
sational, and in many cases maniicstly
absurd, stories were tclegraphed to
Washington from othor cities in this
country and Europe for confirmation or
contradiction. In the latter category
was the startling announcement cablcd
to Europe by scnsation-mongcring
news agency, that tho Presidents cab
met had decided to declare war on Chile.
One Of the assistant secretaries, after
characterizing the story as absurd, re-
marked that the author had overlooked
the fact that under the terms OF section
5 OF the constitution, the Congress OF the
United States alone has power to declare
war. and that the President and his
cabinet had no share OF this power. So,
too, the story that Minister Egan had
been recalled was promptly declared to
be an invention without foundation in
fact.
The Navy Department officials evil
IDENTIFY have no expectation OF an immc-
diate outbreak OF war. Commodore
Ramsay, in charge OF the naval bureau,
without whose knowledge not naval
ship moves, said that so far rs he knew
there had not been single order issued
bearing OH the Chilean situation during
the past week.
The naval officers in charge OF the
various bureaus in tho different navy
yards also stated that there was no un-
usual preparations going on in their re-
spcctive departments.
Altogether there was an air OF seren-
ity and everyday humdrum about the
State and Navy Departments, which, no
less than the oral denials, afforded an
emphatic contradiction of any and all
sensational reports OF warlike disturb
anceS.
A BATTLE PREDICTED.
"Should there be hostilities," said
one OF the diplomats, "and 1 do not
easily see how they can now be avoided,
you need not look for any great naval
engagement III Chilean waters. Your
enemy seeks loud sounding glory, and
he would send one or two OF his best
ships to your Pacific coast. No one
would know whittier they had gone un-
til they appeared in San Diego or San
Francisco harbor, and then there would
be trouble. You do not think men who
are not ignorant could be so foolish,
but you do not know these Chileans.
Their bravado is something wonderful
insane, l grant you, but nevertheless
wonderful. Such q conflict would have
but one rcsult-Chilean arrogance would
be laid in the dust-but these hot-heads
would have caused infinite damage to
some OF our coast cities, for you have
no iortiGcations worthy the name. You
have many fine war ships, though, and
to us who know those who desire to be
our antagonists, it would not be sur.
prising il 4 naval engagement in one of
your California harbors were to take
place within sixty days"
4 reporter saw Senator Cullom after
he had had an interview with Secretary
Tracy. Speaking OF the Chilean affair
the senator said: "The situation looks
ugly. Those little chaps down there
are very sassy and l think We shall bo
lesson. If they do not change their
tactics at once the only thing for lis is
to send our war ships down there and
give them the mischief"