Smyrna times., 1892-01-20
The Affront of Chill to the United
States, and Our Duty in
the Case.

Our readers who have not kept up
with the CHILEAN difficulty in the daily
papers, will find the following, from
the Morning NelOs, very clear state
ment of the case:
There has been a decided growth of
opinion during the last week or ten
days, that something will have to be
done with Chill. The testimony given
by the sailors and officers of the Balti-
more at San Francisco, has been clear
and direct. 1t has shown the uuprO-
VOked nature of the deadly assault on
our sailors in the streets of Valparaiso,
the precOncerted nature of this assault.
the impossibility of our sailors escap.
from the deadly pursuits of the Chill
ians even in the most respectable
streets of Valparaiso, and with the
malignant hatred and contempt which
the mass of Chilians regard an Amer
lean uniform. In the light of this
testimony, the feeling has grown that
Chill is not likely of its own accord, to
make such apologies and reparation as
will convince the people Of that coun-
try and of other South American states
that a uniform of the United States
must be treated with respect wherever
it appears and by whOmsoever it is
worn. IRdeed there is no sign as yet
that Chill is disposed to make any re-
paratiOn whatever.
1t is obvious, we should suppose, that
the United States cannot allow the
men in its service to be killed with
mere wantOnness, and outside of war,
with impunity. A great deal is said
about Chill by those who are trying to
discourage any act on our part looking
toward making Chill do her duty in
this matter. They say that Chill is a
small country that she is weak that
it is shameful for a great country like
this to contemplate forcing so small a
country like that to make reparation,
and so on. All this is beside the point.
Chill might be half barren island, in
habited by handful of savages, but if
these savages had deliberately murder
ed some of our sailors simply because
they wore the uniform of the United
States, as was undoubtedly the case at
Valparaiso. this country would be
bound to exact due reparation, not on
account of the savages in question, but
on our own account.
1t is not Chill we are bound to con-
slider in this affair, but the United
States. Chill may be strong or weak,
she may be great or small, but all this
has nothing to do with the plain neces-
sity of making it certain that any man
anywhere ESQ long as he does not
violate the municipal law of the local
ity), can serve under the flag of the
United States in times of peace, with
entire safety. Our duty may be dis
agreeable-and it certainly is annoy
ing to have to proceed to extremities
with Chili-but our duty is plain.
We must protect the men in our SER
vice at all hazards, from every lawless
attack, and where, as in this instance,
an attack has been made, we must
exact such a penalty as will teach
| ignorant and hasty men everywhere
that no man, while peacefully serving
the United States, can be injured by
them except at their own peril
It has been shown by the examina-
ton of the men of the Baltimore, which
consisted Of III men, we're threatened
while they we're rowing to shore, by
! the sailors of the Gillian men-of-War