The state capital., 1892-02-06
THE MESSAG


gress
THE MESSAGE. ~"
To THE SENATE AND House OF REPRESENTA-
rIvEs: | transmit herewith additional CORE
spondence between this government aid the
government of Chill. consisting of note of Mr..
Montt, the Chilian minister at this capital. to
Mr.. Blaine, dated January 23 a reply of Mr..
Blaine thereto, dated January 81 and dis
patch from Mr.. EGan, our minister at Santiago,
transmitting the response of Mr.. Pereira. the
Chilian m mister of foreign affairs, to the note
of Mr.. Blaine of January 81. which was re
ceiyed by me on the Goth instant. The
note of Mr.. Montt to Mr.. Blaine, though dated
January %, was not delivered at the state de-
partment until after IL o'clock meridian of the
18th, and was not translated end its receipt
notified to me until late in the afternoon of that
day The resrcnse of Mr. Pereira to our note
of the 2lst withdraws, with acceptable ex-
p1essions of regret, the offensive note of Mr..
Malta of the 1lth ultimo, and also the request
for the recall of Mr.. Egan. The treatment of
the lrc1dt mt Of the assault upon the sailors of
the Paltimcre is so conciliatory and friendly
that am of the opinion there is good pros
pect that the differences growing out of that
serious affair can now be adjusted upon terms
satisfactory to this government, by the usual
methods and without special powers from con
to me, as am sure il will be to the congress and
our people. The general support of the efforts
Of the executive to enforce the Just right of the
nation in this matter has given an instructive
and useful illustration of the unity and patriot
ism of our people.
Should it be necessary will again communi-
cate with congress Upon the subject.
BENJAMIN HARRISON.
Washington, D. c. Jan g. 1899.
rur,
The first document was Chili's answer
to the ultimatum of the 2lst inst, dated
January 25; and received at the state
departm ent at 8 n. m. January 26. 1t
is as follows:
SANTIAGO, Jan. 25, 1892.
To BLAINE WAsH1NGToN-I have to day re
ceived the following reply to my note of the 22l
inst:
SIR-The undersigned has had the honor to
receive your excellency's communication dated
ed inst, received in this department the 23d
and the duly authenticated copies of the instruc-
tions which the honorable secretary of state of
Washington has sent to your excelcncy by ca
BILE under dates of the 2lst inst. and the 23d of
October, 1891
In the instructions of the 21st inst. the hon
orable secretary of state informs your excel
lency that his excellency. Mr.. Harrison, after
carefully examining all that has been submitted
to him by the government of Chill with re-
spect to the event which occurred in Valparaiso
on the evening of the 10th of October, and tax
ing into consideration the testimony of the Off
GERS and crew of the vessel, the Baltimore and
of others who witnessed th3 event. has arrived
at the following conclusions:
First-That with regard to that assault there
has been no change whatever made in the char
acter given to it by the first report of the event
to wit: That it was attack upon the uniform
of the navy of the United States, which had its
origin and motive in a feeling of hostility to-
wards that government and not in any account
of the individual sailors belonging to it.
Second-That the public authorities of Val
paraiso evidently did not do their duty in pro-
tecting those sailors. and that part of the po-
lice and some Chilian soldiers and sailors rem
dered themselves guilty of unprovoked assaults
on the sailors of the United States before and
after the latter were arrested and that ne be-
lieves that Rggin was killed by the police or the
soldiers; and
Third-That he is consequently compeled to
carry the question back to the state in which it
was placed by the note of the Honorable Mr.
Wharton dated October 23d, and to ask for suit
able satisfaction and some adequate repara-
tion for the injury done the government of the
United States
lie uOuO1dDlt SeCTetlT OF SCaUe, MT. Blame,
regrets that the government of Chill has not,
from the very first, appreciated the gravity of
the question raised, and that it has attributed
70 it no other Importance than that of an ordi-
nary quarrel between sailors, adding that no
government which respects itself cen consent
to civil or military persons employed in its
service being maltreated or killed in foreign
territory on account Of resentment for acts
which it may have committed, or which may be
bp,,,, tod fa ,;,i.,
quate reparation. The Honorable Mr.. Blaine,
in this connection, recalls the fact that
the government of the United States have volun-
tarily recognized this principle, and has acted
accordingly when any injury has been commit
ted by its people against anyone holding an off
cial position of a foreign country, in cOnse
quence 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 reparation, but
has condemned such acts i'll vigorous and
energetic terms, and has never refused to
give other adequate satisfaction. The
honorable secretary of state, Mr.. Blaine, states,
moreover, that it is not his intention to discuss
the details of the incident Of October, but only
to set forth the conclusions at which his govern
ment has arrived. The honorable secretary of
state says I'VE have given every kind of op
portunity to the government of Chill to offer
or extenuating circumstances, and
we have given due consideration to the fact that
the government of Chill, during great part of
the time which has elapsed since the
10th of October, has been in n pro-
visional situation" He then adds that he
is directed by his excellency, 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 Chilian minister in
Washington, under date of December II, be-
cause, although they were not officially com
municated to his government. they received the
greatest possible publicity, and that, conse
quently, he demands the immediate withdrawal
of the said instructions as to those parts which
he considers offensive and adequate satisfa )
ton, in order that the diplomatic relations be-
tween the two nations may not be interrupted.
Without any intention of opening a discus
sion to the facts referred to by the communi-
cation, which l have extracted, and confining
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 Chill sees that
his excellency, the president of the United
States, finds reason to continue to regard the
incident of October as an attack caused by
hostile feeling towards the uniform Of the navy
Of the United States. The unfortunate
occurrence took place on sudden,
in district where the sailors of the vessels ly-
ing in the bay of Valparaiso are in the habit of
without distinction of national-
ty. From the nature of the incident 1T would
be impossible to prove that there was no doubt
Is to the special cause which served as it's
origin or pretext; but the undersigned can as
,ert that that cause was not a hos
tile feeling toward the uniform of the
navy Ct the United States, be-
,ause the people of Chill have always
esteemed and respected that uniform ever since
he time when it saw it figuring honorably in
he ranks of the soldiers and sailors who, in a
glorious struggle, gave it Independence and es-
ablished the republic. The undersigned admits
hat the occurrence Of October 16 was Of greater
gravity than those which usually occur in the
same district, between the sailors which fire.
luent it, and the fact of knowing
hat two deaths have resulted from it
among the sixteen wounded men of
he Baltimore. has sufficed to give it
In extraordinary character, and to induce the
government of Chill to hasten to adopt the