Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-28
Mr.. Egan to Mr.. Elaine.

CReceived at State Department 3 q m. Jan. 26.)
To Blaine, Washington:
have today received the following reply to
my note of I'D instant:
Sir: The undersigned has had the honor TO
receive your excellency's 'scommunication dated
22d instant, received in tins department the
23d, and the duly authenticated copies OF the
instructions which the honorable Secretary Of
STATE o. Washington has sent to your excel
leney by cable under dates OF the 2ls; instant
and the 23d OF October 1891. In the instruc-
tions of the 2lst instant the honorable Secre-
tary OF State informs your eXcellency that his
eNcel!ency. Mr.. Harrison, after carefully cx-
aiming all that has been submitted TO him by
the government OF Chile with respect 20 the
event which occurred in Valparaiso on the
evening of the 10Th of October. and taking into
consideration the testimony of the officers
and crew of the vessel. the Baltimore and OF
others Nho witnessed the event. has arrived at
the following conclusOns:
LIST. That with regard 20 that assault there
has been no change whatever made in the char
acter given 10 II by the first report of the event
TO VIII. that AZ was an attack upon the uniform
OF The navy OF the United States which had its
origin ana motive IN a. feeling of hostility
toward that government aud not in any act u
the individual sailors belonging TO it
2 That the public authorities Of Valparaiso
evidently did not 40 their duty in protecting
those sailors. and that part OF the police aud
some Chilean soldiers and sailors rendered
themselves guilty OF unprovoked assaults on
the sailors of the United States before and after
the latter were arrested. and that he believes
that RiSgin was killed by the police or soldiers;
and,
3. That he is consequently compelled 20
carry tire question back TO the state IN which
1t was placed 10y the note of the Honorable Mr.
Wharton, dated October % and TO ask for suit
able satisfaction and some adequate reparation
Tor the injury done the government of the
United States.
The honorable Secretary of State, Mr.. Blaine,
regrets that the government OF Chile has not
from the very first appreciated the gravity Of
the question raised ana that IL has attributed to
ii no other importance than that Of an ordinary
quarrel between sailors, adding that no gov
ernment which respects itself can consent TO
civil or military persons employed in it, sery-
ice being maltreated or killed IN a foreign ter
rltory on aecountof resentment for acts which
1t may have committed or which may be i'm
puted 10 it without requiring adeauate repara-
tion. The Honorable Mr.. Blaine in this
connection recalls the fact that the government
of the United States has voluntarily recognized
this principle and has acted accordingly when
any injury has been committed by its peor,le
against any one holding an ofiiciai position OF n
foreign country IN consequence of acts which
had aroused resentment. In such cases the
United States has never sought words of little
weight or ambiguous meaning IN order TO make
repair ton. but have condemned such acts in
vigorous and energetic terms. and have never
refused TO give other adequate satisfaction.
The Hon. Secretary of State. MIR. Blaine Ut ates.
moreover, that II is not his intention to dis
cuss the details of the incident of October but
only to set forth the conclusions at which his
government has arrived. The honorable Sec
rotary of State says: I'VE have given every
kind OF opportunity to the government OF
Chile TO offer explanatory or eXtenuating cir
cumstances and we have given due CONSIDERS
ton TO the fact that the government of Chile
during great part of the time which has
elapsed since the ltth of October, has been in
a provisional situation"
He then adds that he is directed by his excel
ency, Mr.. Harrison. TO say that he has been
compelled to take notice of the instructions
sent by Mr.. Malta, minister of foreign affairs
to the Chilean rni:.Ister in Washington, under
date OF December IL, because. although they
were not officially communicated TO hia
governmei-i. they received the greatest possi-
bic publicity, and that consequently he de-
maucs tine Immediate withdrawal o. the said
Instructions to those parts which he con-
siders offensive. and adequate satisfaction, in
order that the dip ploInatic relations between The
two nations may not be interrupted.
without any intention Of opening a discus
SION as to the facts referred 10 by the commu-
nication which have extracted, and confinine
himself to the first part of the instructions of
the honorable Secretary of State the UNDER
signed must state to your excellency the regret
with which the government of Chile sees that
his excellency the President Of the United
States Lnds reason to continue to regard the
incident of October as an attack caused bys
hostile feeling toward the uniform Of the navy
OF the United States. That unfortunate occur
renee took place on a sudden in district where
the sailors of the vessels lying in the bay Of
Valparaiso are in the habit of assembling with
out distinction of nationality.
From the nature OF the incident il would b.
impossible to prove that there was doubt -
TO the special cause which served a. its origin
or pretext; but the undersigned can assert thas
thai cause not hostile feeling toward the
uniform of the navy OF the United States, be-
cause the people OF Chile have always esteemed
and respected that uniform since the
time when IT it figuring honorably in the
ranks of the soldiers and sailors who, in glori-
ous struggle, gave it Independence and es.
tablished the repubiic. The undersigned
admits that the occurrence of October l6 was
of greater gravity than those which usually
occur in the same district between the saiiors
who frequent 1t, and the fact OF knowing that
two deaths have resulted from it among tho
sixteen wounded men Of the Baltimore has suf-
feed TO give il an extraordinary character and
to induce the government Of Chile TO hasten 20
adopt the measures necessary TO discover and
punish the guilty parties, to offer in duo
time, il there should be ground for 20
doing, such reparation ~ might be due
he preliminary examination WAS commenced
on the morning which followed the night of the
conflict, some days before you presented your
complaint. but the investigation could
not be finished with the rapidity
that the governments Of Chile do