The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-10-30
The CHILEAN situation.

The State Department has received from
Minister Egan the reply Of Chilli TO our de-
mand for reparation for the Valparaiso out
rage, and its substance appears in this morn
ing's dispatches. While, perhaps, it Is
putting 1t too strongly to call 1t defiance, 1t
Is far from conciliat0ry. 1t charges the UNI
ted States with making threats, aud while it
forbears to least them back with acrimony''
1t very Enthusiastically resents them. In sub
stance, the reply is, that the Gillian govern
ment recognizes the right Of nobody but its
own courts to judge and punish the guilty In
Gillian territory; that 1t is making an in
vestigation and when it is connluded it will
make the result known to the United States,
not as matter of right but of courtesy.
There is certainly nothing conciliatory in
this kind of talk.
1t is.not quite easy to see what basis there
is for the allegation that the United States
had advanced threats provided Mr.. Egan
obeyed the instructions of our government
The representations he was ordered to make
are contained In the following despatch from
Assistant Secretary Of Stats Wharton:
DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
WASHINGTON, October %, 1891.
10 o., iHsgdn, American Minister, Santiago.
Immediately upon receipt of information
OF the assaults made, on the 10th inst, In the
streets of Valparaiso, upon a number of
American sailors belonging to the United
States man-of-war Baltimore, now in that
harDor the commonder of that vessel, Cap
tain W. y. Schley, was directed to cause an
Immediate and thorough inquiry to be made
into the origin and incidents Of that tragic
affair and communicate the results simultan-
eously to this Government and to you. His
report, under date of yesterday, has Just
been transmitted to this Department by the
Secretary of the Navy, who advises me that
copy OF the report was forwarded by Cap.
tain Schey to you.
You will observe that the board of officers
selected by Captain Schley to investigate
armed and gave no provocation; that the as
saults upon them were by armed men, great
~ superior In numbers, and, as we must con-
clude, animated in their bloody work by
nostillty TO these men as sailors Of the Unit
cd States. You will also notice that the
character OF some Of the wounds indicate
tnat the public police, or some of them, took
part In the attack, and will also observe that
other American sailors were without
any apparent fault arrested and for some
time held by the authorities. The friendly
efforts OF few Of the public officers to give
succor to our men furnish the only redeem
Ing incident OF this affair. This cruel work,
SO injurious TO the United States. took place
regret or OF a purpose to make searching in
quiry, with view to the Institution of
proper proceedings for the punishment of
the guilty parties has been, so far as am
advised, offered to this government.
You will at once bring to the attention of
the government of Chilli the facts as reported
to you by Captain Schley, and will inquire
whether there are any qualifying facts In
tne possession OF that government or any
explanation to be offered of an event that
mas very deeply panied the people of the
United States, not only by reasons of the re-
sulting death Of one of our sailors and the
pltlless wounding OF others, but even more
as an apparent expression Of an unfriendl-
ness toward this government which might
pat In peril the maintenance Of amicabe re,
lions between the two countries. II the
1actsare as reported by Capt. Schley, this
government cannot doubt that the govern.
ment OF Chill will offer prompt and full re-
paratlon. You will furnish the foreign
oft1ce full paraphrase of this dispatch and
report promptly to this government.
WHARTON.
III Mr.. EZan fairly paraphrased the lam
guage, he advanced no threat; and the alle-
CATION to that effect, made in the Gillian re-
ply, is unfounded.
What the reply of the State Department
VIII be, and what new instructions will be
sent to Minister Egan, remains to be seen.
The situation appears to be critical, but 1t is
to be hoped that some solution NAV be
found short of resort to force.
The people Of the United States
do not want conflict with Chilli, unless 1t is
absolutely necessary to maintain our honor
Our government cannot afford to resort to
force until every method Of peaceful settle
ment, consistent with the preservation of our
honor, has been exhausted. We are popu-
lous, powerful and enlightened nation, while
Chill is comparatively feeble and her people
not very far advanced in civilization. She
Is also just emerging from a revolution In
which the passions Of the people have been
greatly stirred up, and the present govern
ment is not yet fairy seated. Fort these and
other reasons she Is entitled really to more
forbearance than nation like England,
where the government is ficmly established
and the people are enlightened and so less
likely to become the victims of passion. So
far, unless Minister Egan exceeded
Mr. Wharton's instructions, the Chilians
have no good ground for complaint in the
letter or spirit Of any representation made
by our government. 1t is to be hoped that
the same will be the case in future represen-
tations, and that If force has to be resorted to
to compel Chilli to make the reparation.
which 1t Is her duty to make voluntarily. Il
will be perfectly apparent that she has driy-
en- us to that disagreeable exit entity.