Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-20

Charles Page, the chief legal adviser
on the coast for the Chilean insurgents,
has been served with copy oil the last
libel filed in the Southern California
district against the arms on board the
Itata.
ut seems Singular says Mr.. Page in
the San Francisco Chronicle, "that the
United States authorities should charge
us with having violated the neutrality
laws by committing an act which Whar-
toms Digest, work which is furnished
to the federal officers and which they
are expected to consult as guide in
such cases, expressly admits to be legal.
The authorities cited therein are numer-
GUS, and extend from the days when
Thomas Jefferson held the portfolio OF
state down to the time Mr.. Evarts was
in office. They uniformly hold
that the transportation of arms to
belligerents is not breach OF neutral
ity, either under international law or
the municipal law of the United States.
As to the Itata being man of-war, fit
ted out to cruise against the established
government OF Chile, that is all nom
sense. Even the small iifed cannon
with which she had been armed to de-
fend herself while acting as transport
was taken out before she left the coast
OF Chile for San Diego. The only cannon
she had on board was a small brass
piece for firing salutes. She had the
usual complement of men necessary to
navigate her-seamen, firemen, walters,
etc., seventy-eight in all. / have the
list here furnished me by petty officer,
who left her in San Diego just after her
first arrival there. They were not
armed to the teeth, nor were they armed
at all. 1t is true that some of the crew
wore military caps and a number of
the walters were attired in army blouses.
1t was crew picked up at random, and
military clothing is more common than
any other kind in Chile in these times"
Mr.. Page said that it appeared to him
from what inquiry he had made and
from facts which had recently come into
his possession that the whole trouble
has originated from our government
acting under a misconception of the
facts. There can be no doubt but they
have been imposed upon. The case
appears to have been manufactured out
of whole cloth. He had been informed
that the so-called deputy marshal, who
is alleged to have been carried off by the
Itata, although he was put ashore with
in the city limits before she left the
harbor, was paid for his services by
private parties. He was, in fact, a
private detective. It would prove very
unfortunate affair if, through the con-
nivance of interested parties, case had
been manufactured which had caused
the United States government to expend
a large sum of money, worked a most
grievous injury to the cause OF a people
engaged in struggle for freedom and
nearly embroiled us in foreign war.
1t was great disappointment. Mr..
Page continued, to his clients that from
necessity the case could not be heard
until September, as Judge Ross had ad-
journed his court until that time, hav-
ing been called to this city to sit in
Judge Hoffman's court. If it could be
tried now there was no question as to
the result-the government had no case,
and the evidence would show state of
affairs anything but creditable to those
who had engaged in baking the legiti-
mate purpose of the Itata's visit to San
purchase of supplies for the
Congressional party in Chile.