The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1892-01-28
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS
The President Sends the Promised
Chill Communication.
Tho Message Promptly Referred to the
Committee on Foreign Ansirs of the
House and Taken Under I'M
mediate Consideration.

yesterday:
TO che Senate and nouse Of Representatives
In my annual message, delivered "a CON
H m ssganSS9e Sf shs present Session
possesston OF the government touching tho Is:
the sailors e the United States Ftsamship galti.
last, said "Th,s seSernment Is now awaiting
the fesnt OF an nsiaveetIsstse - which mas
b9ch Conducted by tho criminal court at
investigation Is about completed, and II js a.
pected that the result win sooe be tofhmani-
Gated to this government, together with some
note by wbieh the attention Of chili was called
to this incident. II these expectations should
be disappointed, or farther needless delay IN
tervene, will by eppeisl message, bring this
matter again to the attention Of congress for
such action, as may be necessary" . |
In my opinion the time has now come when I
tho correspondence between this government
nad tho govcrninent Of Chilli from the time of
the breaking out of the revolution against Bal
insceda, together will all other facts in the pos
session Of tho executive department relating to
this matter. The diplomatic correspondence ID
herewith transmitted. together with some cor
tipro in command in Chilian waters and the sea-
rotary of the navy, and Also the evidence taken
at me 70 Mare Isand navy yard since the ar
not deem II necessary In this communication I'd
attempt any, full analysis OF the correspondence
or the Ss sna 4, Of the In
sons why the responses OF the Chilian govern
mont are unsatisfactory, is all that I deem
It may be well. at the outset, to say that,
In Chill in criticism, of MI Egan, our minister
at santtaFg IT, the true history of thi. exciting
the revolution until this time, discloses no act
on the part Of Mr.. Egan unworthy of his posi-
ton or that could justly be the occasion OF seri.
III no
think, borne himself, In very trying circum-
stances, with dignity; discretion and courage,
snd has conducted the correspondence with
1t is worth while, also, at the beginning to say
that the right Of Mr., Egan TO give shelter in the
government who applied to him for asylum has
not been denied by the Chlian Authorities, nor
has any demand becn made for the surrender 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
Ra 5nde dis
closes, however, that the request Of Mr.
Egan tor . safe.conduct from the country,
rre>edents cited by him in the correspondence,
particularly the case Of the revolution In Peru
IN 1855, did not leave the Chilian government in
position to deny the right for asylum 10 polit-
ical refugees and seemed very clearly to sup
port MIR. Egan' contention that safe. conduct
20 nsHtrs territory was necessary and &C.
ugees have very recentlv, without formal safe
conduct but by the acquiescence of the Chilian
authorities, sns been placed on board the Yorktown
This incident might be considered wholly
closed, but for the disrespect manifested toward
lice Surveillance of the legation M premises % which
was mnihtained during most OF the period OF
the stay of the refugees therein. After the
of the transfer Of the refugees to the York
town, the legation promises seem to have been
surrounded by police In uniform, and police
fensively scrutnised persons entering or loav-
ing the legation, and, on one or more occa- =
siohs, arrested members of the minister's
mmily. Commander Evans, who by my direc-
'tion, recently visited Mr.. Egan at Santiago, in
his telegram TO the navy department. described
the legation as, "a vcritable prison, and states
that tue police agents or detectives We're, after
his arrival, withdrawn during his stay. 1t APP
pears further, from the note of Mr.. Egan OF
November ~, 1891. that on one occasion, at
least, those police agents, whom he declares to
be known to him, invaded the legation premises
pounding upon its windows and using insulting
and threatening language towards persons
therein.
This breach Of the right of a minister to free
dom from police espionage and restraint seems to
have been so fragrant that the Argentine minis
ter who was dean of the diplomatic corps, hay
ing observed 1t. felt called upon TO protest
against it to the Cbilian minister of foreign af-
fairs. The Gillian authorities have, as will be
observed from the correspondence, charged the
refugees and the inmates OF the legation with
insulting the police; but it seems to me incrcd.
liable 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
intensfying popular feeling that, ut one time
30 threatened tine legation as to require Mr.
Egan to appeal to the minister of foreign Affairs
But tine most serious incident disclosed by tho
correspondence is that of the attack upon the
sailors of the Baltimore in the streets OF Val
paraiso on the 10th of October last. In my an
no Inf NU,an fInV,
have yet beoD. able TO- learn, no other
ssspanrSn ssspn d san hs hS SSady wGa sa h %
origin in hostility to these men as sailors OF the
United States, wearing the uniform Of their
Personal luminosity" We have % now ' received t ed
from the Chilian government an abstract of tho
conclusions Of the iscal general upon the testi-
yestigation which was made to extend over
nearly three months. l very much regret to
be comPeled to say tina, this report does
sion announced in my annual message.
l :. am still of the opinion that our
sailors were assaulted, beaten, stabbed and
thom had done, but for what the government Of
the United States had done, or was charged
h asvdsg d0ps It's Iy officers and
case the injury was to the government of the
United States, not to those poor sailors who
were assaulted in manner so brutal and 80
Before attempting 70 give an outline Of the
facts upon which this conclusion, rests, /
think snan i tbs right to ssy word or two
Valparaiso by virtue q that general Invitation on
which nations are held to extend to the war
friendly relations. This invitation, l think,
must be held ordinarily to embrace the privi-
lege Of such communication with the shore as Is
reasonable, necessary and proper for the com:
such vessels. Capt. Sehley testiies that when
his vessel returned to Valparaiso ON September
II, tho city officers, as is customary, extended
the hospitalities OF tho city to his officers and
crew.
II is not claimed that every personal collision
or injury IN which sailor or officer of such ma
val vessel visiting the shore may be involved
raises an international question; but am clear
GERS are assaulted by resident populace ami
mated by hostility to the government whose
uniform these sailors and officers wear, and in
not by them this government must take notice
Of its rights and dignity; not IN a
seconds. secondary "a way. Is "a where ,s 80, "a citizen s is
government but In a primary way, precisely as
II its minister or consul or the flag itself had
been the object OF the same character OF assault.
in tho harbor OF Valparaiso under the orders Of
their government, not by their own choice
They were upon the shore by the implied invita-
tion OF the government of Chill and with the APP
proval Of their commanding ofhcer; and It
does not distinguish their case from that Of a
consul that his stay Is mora permanent or that
he holds the express invitation Of the local gov
ernmeent sane to 70 justify his long residsnce. Nor
the act Of mob. II there had been no partioi-
patton by the police or military In this cruel
worK. and no neglect on their part TO extend
aninion rhan ita ertsnt and 'ch.ractar - - , a,x