The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-29
MONTT TO BLAINE.
Text of the Reply of the Chilian Represen-
tative.

Text of the Reply of the Chilian Represen-
tattve.
The communication sent by Senor Montt.
Chilian minister at Washington. to Secre-
tary of State Blaine. spoken of in the above
message, is as follows:
LEGATION OF CHILL, WASHINGTON, Jan. 23
Sir: have had the honor to receive your
note of yesterday, as also the enclosure
which you we're pleased to transmit to me
covering the instructions sent to Egan on
the day previous to the conferences with
which you have been pleased to favor me-
I have been informed that Immediately
after the occurrence of the events of Oct.
lG at Valparaiso, which my government
most sincerely dsplores. the judicial author
tiles instituted an investigation necessary
to throw light on the facts and to detect
and punish the guilty parties. From
was able to collect at the very outset, it ap-
peared that the disorder of Dot. 16 began
by quarrel among drunken sailors, which
assumed considerable proportions owing to
the condition of the locality in which it
originated, and the police performed their
duty by re-estabilshlng trahauiAty ana
placing persons who seemed to have been
concerned in the disorder at tho disposal of
the court. The government of Chill has no
data authorizing it to think the quarrel due
to any dislike Of the uniform of the United
States, or that the police failed to perform
| their duty. On the contrary. it is we'll
demonstia ated fact that sailors get lntoxi-
Gated when they 90 on shore after having
been on board their vessel for long time.
This is also quite natural
The intoxication of seRnen and the dis
orders to which it gives rise, although they
may assume serious proportions ana occa-
sion very lamentable otfenses, as nnfortn-
| - 4 \. Mails, icrN( (lNt
cannot constitute otfense to the nation i'll
whose service are the men who have taken
part in the disorder, although they Ger
tainly do not Justify the otfenses COM
mitted during the disorder. The govern
ment of Chilli could not, however, form a
| final opinion concerning the nature OF the
occurrence in question, or AZ to whether
the police had or had not improperly par
| ticipatcd therein, or had failed to perform
| it's duty, until the termination of the ju-
dicial inquiry initiated without delay,
and which was pushed forward as
speedily as compatible with tho provisions
of the law. With tho obligation of COL
! lectine all the elements of proof that it was
possible to collect, and in order to throw a
| full light upon the matter, and with the
necessity of furnishing the perpetrators 8 OF
tho outrage which had been committed and
which had been III part suffered by persons
in the service of friendly nation, it was
Gu6 desire anu uuly VI tu0 RoSeIulueLV "
Chill to discover the truth in order to make
it's future proceedings conform thereto,
and in order that the United States govern
ment might be satisfied that sDotning had
been neglected in order to secure full JUS
tics. You were pleased with your high
sense OF rectitude to remark to mo that this
proceeding of the government of Chill was
correct and although tou desired that
the judicial investigation might be
brought to close with rs little delay ms
possible, you understood it WIS necessary
that the ordinary legal proceedings, which
are not al rapid in Chilli az i'll the United
States should be held.
have taken occasion at suudry times to
infol m you of what the Chilian authorities
were doing to bring the investigation to a
close. In the criminal trial held at Val
| pnraiso. not only have landsmen been
heard, hut also the seamen of the Balti-
more. Both have been confronted with each
other and tho reporta of physicians and ex-
per ts have been called for; tho opinion oi
the surgeon OF the cruiser had likewise been
invoked; and. i'll u word, nothing had been
neglected that could tend to bring the
whole truth to light.
The seamen OF the Baltimore made their
statement with the assistance Of nn inter-
prefer designated by themselves, who was
an officer OF the cruiser, so thar the oath
taken by the witnesses at their confronta-
tion with each other, tho reports of the ex'
perts concerning the cause and nature ol