The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1892-01-30
MESSAGE To CONGRESS
The President Sends the Promised
Chill Communication.
The Message Promptly Referred to the
CeWhiIttee on Foreign Affairs of the
House and Taken Under I'm
mediate Consideration.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26:-The follow
ing Is President Harrison's message on
the CHILEAN situation sent Ia congress
yesterday:
To the Senate asd h;o~., ~ Representatives:
In my annual nAessage. delivered 10 con
gress at the beginning If ire present session.
after a brief statsrieht Of the facts then in the
possession rf tSe government touching the as
ssult N the Streets Of Valparaiso, Chill, upon
the sailors Of the United States steamship Bllti-
more 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 Mt
Valparaiso. 1t is reported unoficially that the
investigation Is about completed. and il IL cx-
pected that the result viii soon be communi.
adequate and satisfactory response, 20 the
note by which the attention Of Chill was called
to this incident. II th.sp expectations should
be disappointed. or further needless delay in.
tervene, ! will. by a special message, bring ithis
matter again tn the attention Of congress for
such action. as may be necessary
In my opinion the time has now come when l
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
maceda, together will all other facts in the pos
session Of the executive department relating to
this matter. The diplomatic correspondence Is
herewith transmitted. together with some cor
respondence between the naval Officers for the
time in mi In Gillian waters and the sec
rotary Of the navy, and also the evi1 ,ncc taken
at the Mare Island navy yard. since the ar
rival Of the Baltimore at San Francisco. do
not deem II necessary in this communication to
attempt anv full analysis OF the correspondence
or Of the evidence. A brief restatemento of the in
ternational questions involved. and of the rea-
sons why the responses Of the Chilian govern
ment are unsatisfactory. is all that I deem
necessary.
II may he well. at the outset. to say that.
whatever may have been said in this country or
in Chill in criticism Of Mr.. Egan. our minister
at Santiago. the true history of this exciting
period in Chilian affairs, from the outbreak NJ
on the part Of Mr.. Egan unworthy OF his posi-
tiOn or that could Justly be the occasion of seri-
Gus animadversion or criticism. He has. |
think, borne himself, in very trying rircum-
stances, with dignity. discretion and courage.
and has conducted the correspondence with
ability, courtesy and fairness.
II is worth while, also. at the beginning To Say
that the right of Mr.. Egan TO give shelter in the
legation to certain adherents of the Bslnaceda
government who applied to him for asylum has
not been denied by the Chilian authorities. nor
has any demand been made for the surrender Of
these refugees. That there was urgent need Of
asylum l. shown by Mr.. Egan : note of August
"a, ls9l. describing the disorders that prevail d
in Santiago. and by the evidence Of Capt. Schley
as TO tn" pillage and violence that prevailed
At Valparaiso. The correspondence dis
closes. however. that the request of Mr.
Egan for a safe-conduct from the country.
in behalf OF these refugees. was denied. The
precedents cited by him in the correspondence.
particularly tn ease of the revolution in Peru
in isfl. did not leave the Chilian government in
a position to deny the right for asylum to pnlit-
teal refugees and seemed very clearly to sup
port MIR. Ezan : contention that a sate-condurt
10 neutral territory was a necessary and &C
knowledged incident of the asylum. These ref
uge-S have very r%ecentlv. without formal safe
conduct. but by the acguIescance of the Chilisn
authorities. been placed on board the Yorktown,
aud ara now being conveyed to CallaO, Peru.
This incident might be considered wholly
closed, but for the disrespect manifesto to xard
this government by the close and offensive po-
lice surveillance 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 tim .
Of the transfer OF the refugees to the York
town, the legation premises seem 70 have 10 zen
surrounded by police in uniform. and police
agents OF detectives, in cItLZrns dress. who o.
fensively srrutinized persons ent ring or lalv-
ing the legation. and. on one or more Occa-
Sons. arrested memberS of the mini>t RS
family. Commander Evans. who 10y my direc-
ton. recently visited Mr.. Egan ut Santiago. in
his telegram to the navy department. described
the legation as, "a veritable prison. and states
that the police agents or detectives were. after
his arrival. withdrawn during his stay. II ap-
pears further, from the note of Mr.. EGan of
November ~, lSgl, that on one occasion. at
least. those police agents. whom he declares -
I've known TO him. invaded the legation premises,
pounding upon its windows ana using insulting
III threatening anehdSt Wal ItESpuS
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. hav-
ing observed it. felt called upon 10 protest
again Il it to the Chilian minister OF foreign af-
fairs. The CHILEAN authorities have, rs 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-
liable that men whose lives were in jeopardy. and
whose safety rDuli only Ia Sacurtsd h. rstrrp-
ment and quietness. should have sought to pro-
woke a collision which could only end in their
destruction. or TO aggrayate their condition by
intensifyinSa popular feeling that. ut one time,
81 Threatened the legation a to require DIR.
Egan TO appeal to the minister of foreign Affairs.
But tine most serious incident disclosed by tn
correspondence is that of the attack upon the
sailors of the Baltimore in the streets of Val
iaiaiso on the 18th Of October last. In my an
nuai message. speaking upon the information
thcn in my possession, | said: so far as |
nave yet been able to learn, no other
been suggested than that it 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 or
personal anImosity.' We have now Received
from the CHILEAN government an abstract of the
conclusions of the f-cal general upon the testi-
mony taken by the judge Of crimes in an in
vestIgation which WAS made to extend over
nearly three months. 1 very much regret to
b. compiled to say that this report does
not enable me TO modify the conciu-
sion announced in my annual message.
! am still Of the opinion that our
sailors were assaulted, beat N. stabbed All
killed. not for anything they or any ole of
them had done. but for what the government of
IT,. United States had done. or was charged
with having done, by its civil officers and naval
commanders. IL that b. the true aspect Of the
case the injury was to the government of the
United States. not to those poor sailors who
were assaulted in a manner so brutal and 50
cpwardly.
Ig.F.-, attAp.ytinr 70 .ri,-a ~ .trt1,V,a 81
facts upon which this conclusion rests. /
think IT night to say q word or two
npon the legal aspect of the case:
Tire Baltimore was in the harbOr of
Valparaiso by virtue of that general invitation
which nations are held TO extend to tn, war
vessels Of other lowers with which they have
friendly relations. This invitation, / think.
must b. held ordinarily to embrace the priv
lere IF such communication with the shore as is
Reasonable. necessary and proper for the com
fort and convenience of the officers and men of
such vessels. Capt. Schley t~estifiss that when
his vessel returned TO Valparaiso. on September
H.. the city officers. as is customary. extended
the hOspitalitias Of the city to his officers and
crew.
or injury IN which a sailor or officer of such ma
val vessel visiting the shore may he involved
raises an international question:: but ! am clear
~ OF the opinion that where such sailors or Off
GERS ar. assaulted by a resident populace. ami
mated by hostility to the government who's
uniform these sailors and officers wear. and in
t~FlAIH III VI dflS uput 10y IurlT RONtTUIltnt.
not by taen. this government must take notice
of the event rs one involving an infraction
Of its rights and dignity: not in a
secondary way. A. where a citizen is
injured. and Presents his claim through his own
government. but in n primary way. precisely as
If Its minister or consul or the flag itself had
been the object of the same character of assault.
The officers and sailors of the Baltimore were
in the harbor Of Valparaiso under the orders of
tn lr government. not by their own choice.
They Were upon the shore by the implied invita-
ton Of tha government Of Chill and with the ap- |
pruvai of their commanding officer: and it
does not distinguish their case from that of a
consul that his stay is more permanent or that
he holds the express invitation Of the local gov |
eminent to justify his long residence. Nor
does it affect the question that the injury was
the act of a mob. If there had been no partici-
patton by the police or military in this cruel
work. and no neglect on their part to extend
protection. The case would still he one. in my
opinion. when its extent and character are con-
involving international right. The in
cidcnts of the affair are. briefly. as follows:
On the 18th of October last, Capt. Schley, com 1
the United States steamship Balti-
more. gave shore leave to liz petty officers and
sailors OF his ship. These men left the ship
about l::S =. m. No incident of violence occur
red: none of our men were arrested: no com
plant was lodged against them; nor did any
OF outbreak occur until about o p IN.
Can't. S.hley states that he was him