St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-01-28
THE PRESIDENTS GILLIAN MES.
SAGA MANLY DOCUMENT.

President Harrison's message on
the CHILEAN affair was submitted to
Congress on Monday. While its
length precludesits appearance in full
these columns, we believe that sew
eral extracts therefrOm will be of
interest to our readers, touching as
it does upon a matter which has ex-
cited much discussion all through the
country for several weeks past.
The message is a manly, dignifed
document, which puts before con-
gress the correspondence and all the
facts attendant upon our relations
with Chill since the unpleasantness
began; and through it all is e1npha-
sized the Importance of a firm main
tenance of the honor of our nation
and a refusal to submit to continued
insults from a country of which he
says, at one point:
eve do not covet their territory. We
desire their peace and prosperity. We
look for no advantage in our relations
with them, except the increased ex-
change of commerce pom a basis of
mutual benefit. We regret every civil
contest that disturbs their peace, and
paralyzes their development and are al
ways ready to give our good Offices for
the restoration of peace"
The president begins by referring
to his message to congress at the be-
ginning of the present session, in
which the facts then in the posses
sion of the government concerning
the attack on the sailors in the
streets of Valparaiso were given and
the curse of Minister Egan fully de-
fended-the chief magistrate COM
menting thus on that officials con-
duct:
ut ma be well at the outset to say
that, whatever may lave been said in
this country or in Chill In criticism of
Mr.. Egan, our minister at Santiago,
the true history OF this exciting period of
Gillian affairs, from the outbreak of the
revolution until this time, discloses no
act on the part of Mr.. Egan unworthy of
his position or that could justly be the
occasion of serious animadversion or
criticism. He has, l think, on the
whole, borne himself, in very trying Cir
cumstances, with dignity, discretion and
courage and has conducted the cores
pOndence with ability, courtesy and fair
ness"
The conceded right of asylum is
touched upon, and the refusal of Mr..
Egan's request for a safe conduct out
of the country for the Balmacedan
refugees; as we'll as the continued of
fensive police surveillance of the U. S.
legation, which the president charac-
t%erizes as so fragrant a breach of a
minister's right to freedom from
espionage that the Argentine minister
felt called upon to protest against it
to the CHILEAN minister of foreign
affairs.
The attack of the Gillian mob on
the sailors of the Baltimore is review
ed at length-an attack which, as the
evidence on both sides clearly proves,
was wholly unprovoked by any Of
fensive action on the part Of the
sailors themselves; an attack which
was extremely brutal and seems to
have grown out of an intensely bit
ter feeling on the part of the Chilians
towards the representatives of the
United States navy an attack which
was directed not against the men be-
cause of any acts of violence by them,
but because they wore the United
States uniform-and consequently to
be regarded as an attack upon the
national honor itself.
President Harrison says that the
origin of this hostile feeling is prob
ably to be found in the seizure of the
steamship Itata for an alleged VIOLA
ton of the neutrality law and after
setting forth the himsiness of such a
pretext, says:
I'VE cannot consent that these incidents
and these perverS1onS of the truth shall
be used to excite a murderous attack
upon our unoffending sailors and the
government of Chill go acquit of a re-
sponsiblity. In fact, the conduct of this
government during the war in Chill
pursued those lines of international duty
which we had so strongly insisted upon
on the part of other nations when this
country was in the throes of a civil
conflict. We continued the established
diplomatic relations with the govern
ment in power until it was overthrown,
and promptly and cordially recognized
the new government when it was estab-
1ished."
Referring to the correspondence be-