Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-01-28
IN CONGRESS- HANDS.
The Chilian Affair Placed Before
That Body.
SPECIAL MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT.
To Uphold the Dignity of the Nation
We Are Bound to Enforce Our De-
mand for an Apology and Repara-
ton from Chill.
TEXr oF rHE MESSAGE.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.-The follow
ing is President Harrison's message on
the Chilian situation sent to congress
yesterday:
To THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENT
ATIvEs: In my annual message, delivered 10
congress at the beginning of the present ses-
sion, after brief statement of the facts then in
the possession OF this government touching the
assault in the streets Of Valparaiso, Chill, upon
the sailors of the United States steamship Bal
timore on the evening Of the 10th Of October
last said: This government is now awaiting
the result of an investigation which has been
conducted by the criminal court at Valparaiso.
1t is reported unoficially that the investigation
is about completed, and it is expected that the
result Will soon be communicated to this gov
eminent, together with some adequate and sat
isfactory response to the note by which the atten
ton of Chilli was called to this incident. If
these Just expectations should be disappointed.
or further needless delay intervene, viii, by
special message, bring this matter again 10 the
attention of congress for such action as may be
necessary
In my opinion the time has now come when
should lay before the congress and the country
the correspondence between this government
and the government of Chilli, from the time Of
the breaking out OF the revolution against Bal
nlaceda, together with all other facts in the
possession Of the executive department relat-
spondence is herewith transmitted, togeth =
with some correspondence between the naval
officers for the time in command in Gillian wa
tiers and the secretary of the navy and also the
evidence taken at the Mare Island navy yard
since the arrival of the Baltimore at San Fran
cisco. do not deem it necessary in this COM
municatiOn to attempt any fun analysis of the
correspondence or Of the evidence. A brief re-
statement of the international questions in
volved and of the reasons why the responses of
the Gillian government are unsatisfactory is all
that deem necessary.
1t may be well, at the outset, to say that,
whatever may have been said in this country or
in Chilli in criticism of Mr.. Egan, minister at
Santiago, the true history of this exciting period
in Gillian affairs, from the outbreak of the rev.
olution until this time, discloses no act on the
part of Mr.. Egan unworthy of his position or
that could justl1 be the occasion of serious an
imadversion or criticism. He has, l think, on
the whole borne himself, in very trying eircum-
stances with dignity discretion and courage,
and has conducted the correspondence with
ability, courtesy and fairness
1t is worth while also at the beginning to say
that the right of Mr.. Egan TO give shelter in the
legation 70 certain. adheren.s nf the B8lHaceda
government who applied to him Tor asylum has
not been denied blythe Gillian authorities nor
has any demand been made for the surrender of
these refugees. That there was urgent need of
asylum is shown by Mr.. Egan's note of August
"a, 1891, describing the disorders that prevailed
in Santiago and by the evidence of Capt
Schley as to the pillage and violence that pre-
vailed at Valparaiso. The correspondence dis
closes, however that the requestof Mr.. Egan for
safe conduct from the country in behalf of these
refugees, was denied. The precedents citedb by
himin the correspondence, particularly the case
of the revolution in Peru in1S65, didnot leave the
Gillian government in a position to deny the
right of asylum to political refugees and
seemed very clearly to support Mr.. Egan's con-
tention that a safe conduct to neutral territory
was a necessary and acknowledged incident of
the asylum. These refugees have very recently,
without formal safe conduct but by the ac-
quiescence of the Gillian authorities, been
placed on board the Yorktown and are now
being conveyed to Calao, Peru This Incl
dent might be considered wholly closed, but
for the disrespect manifested toward this gov
eminent by the close and offensive police sur
Vigilance of the legation premises which was
maintained during most Of the period Of the
stay of the refugees therein. After the date
of my annual message and Up to the time of the
transfer of the refugees to the Yorktown the
legation premises seem to have been surrounded
by police in uniform and police agents or de-
tectives in citizens dress who extensively
scrutinized persons entering or leaving the
legation and on one or more oc
casions, arrested members of the
minister's family. Commander Evans, who
by my direction recently visited MIR. Egan at
Santiago in his telegram to the navy depart
ment, described the legation as "a veritable
prison, and states that the police agents or de
tectives were, after his arrival. Withdrawn dur
ing his stay. 1t appears further, from the note
of Mr.. Egan of November 90 1891
that on one occasion at least these
police agents, whom he declares to be
known to him, invaded the legation premises,
pounding upon its windows and using insulting
and threatening lanpnapa
therein. This breach of the right Of minister
to freedom from police espionage and restraint
seems to have been so fragrant that the Argen-
tine minister, who was dean of the diplomatic
corps, having observed it, felt called upon to
protest against it to the Gillian minister of for
eign affairs. The Gillian authorities have, will
be observed from the correspondence, charged
the refugees and the inmates Of the legation with
insulting the police; but it seems to me incred-
bic that men whose lives were in jeopardy and
whose safety could only be secured by retire
ment and quietness should have sought to pro-
woke collision which could only end in their
destruction, or TO aggrayate their condition by
intensifying popular feeling that, at one time,
so threatened the legation as to require Mr.
Egan to appeal TO the minister of foreign af
fairs.
But the most serious incident disclosed by the
correspondent is that of the attack upon the
sailors of the Baltimore in the Streets of Val
b ''A7O VA biiC AptIl VI OCtpDtI idSi III dftuAl
message, speaking upon the information then in
my possession, said: $50 far as / have yet
been able to learn, no other explanation OF this
bloody work has been suggested than thatit had
its origin in hostility TO these men as sailors of
the United States wearing the uniform of their
government, and not in any individual act OF
personal aniInosity.n
We have now received from the Gillian gov
eminent an abstract Of the conclusions Of the
fiscal general upon the testimony taken by the
Judge of crimes in an investigation which was
made TO extend over nearly three months
very much regret TO be compelled to
say that this report does not enable
me to modify the conclusion announced in my
annual message. 1 am still Of the opinion
that our sailors were assaulted, beaten, stabbed
On l-illad the. Of