The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1892-02-17

We presume no gentleman in thu
United States will read these re
marks of Mr.. Blount, the chairman
of the house committee on foreign
affairs, on the Chilian apology, with
out hearty concurrence 81 wal
almost smitten with a feeling o
pity that people who seemed to bt
animated by such generous senti
ments should be placed i'm the po
sition Of making so humble on apol.
ogy." But we are sure that every
gentleman who agrees with Mr..
Blount will feel something besides
pity, namely, shame over the means
employed TO extract this apology
The president is at this moment an
object of ridicule i'm congress. and
in fact all over the world for having
sent q war message to congress
without waiting for the answer Ia
an ''ulhmatum." as the warriors
called it,which he had sent to Chill
The ultimatum was sent on Thurs
day, the 21st. 1t was not received
in Santiago till the 23d. An answer
was Immediately made asking fol
two days delay in replying-thai
is.until Monday as president Montl
was absent in the mountains. This
ultimatum made peremptory de-
mands, compliance with which was
sure to be felt as more or less hu.
initiating by a high-spirited people
1t was, in fact, the communication
of duellist asking for "satisfac-
tion." But it did uot emanate
from a due!list. 1t emanaied from
the president of a peaceful Christian
republic. himself a prominent
church member. and was addressed
to a little republic Just emerging
from a bloody civil war. As Mr
Allen Of Mississippi pointed out in
congress yesterday,a duellist in his
state is bound to wait a reasonable
time, on pain OF social disgrace, for
an answer to a "hostile message. y
But our president did not obey even
the duclling code. After having re-
ceived this request for brief delay
on Saturday, lie deliberately sent a
message 10 congress on Monday, the
% h, virtually asking for authority
to attack the Chilians with his fleet,
and bristling with gross insults to
the Chilian government. He gave
the lie to nearly all its assertions
touching matters Of fact and dis
credited the decisions of its courts
of law. 1t was, in fact, such com
munication rs is never addressed
to a disputant or antagonist, even
by duellists, except with the view
Of forcing q quarrel.
More than this: he sent this war
like message 10 congress at twelve
O'Clock on Monday, either knowing
or not knowing that an important
communication had been received
that morning at the state depart
ment from the Chilian minister in
Washington, touching the matter in
hand. ii he knew it was there, but
determined not 10 wait for il, hav-
ing his own document all ready.
his conduct deserves to be charac-
terized in stronger terms than we
care to use. If he did not know of
it, and failed 10 make any inquiry
about il before launching a misslye
which might consign thousands of
men 10 destruction, what are we to
say of the way in which he and his
secretary of state conduct the busi-
ness of q great nation on q question
of peace or war? Think Of an Ell
der in a Christian church getting
mp on Monday morning, after a
Sabbath's reflection, and deliberate
iy suggesting a bloody war TO con-
gress without asking. up 10 noon,
whether the enemy, from whom he
was expecting TO hear, had been
heard from. What are we to call
this in the United States, in the
year of our Lord, one thousand
eight hundred and ninety-two
We began the process Of aliena-
ting and irritating the Chilians by
the appointment Of Egan rs our
lninisler-in itself contomptuous 10
the verge of insult We continued
it by open displays OF sympathy
with Balmaceda during the civil
war by our seizure and pursuit of
The 1tata, in disregard of tho law as
laid down by our state department !;
by permitting our naval officers
during four months to sneer at, A.
buse, defy, and threaten the Chill
ians, with the permission or ap-
proval OF our navy department and
the loud encouragement Of our gov
ernment press. When the riot oc-
currcd, we forced on the Chilians,
with an absolute disregard Of the
decencies Of diplomatic intercourse,
view OF governmental RESPONSE
bility for mob violence, which we
had ourselves a short time previous
" utterly repudiated. That all
this should end in an attempt 10
forestall an apology by snap dec
laration of war 10 simply what con-
sistency called for.
The Chilians, with The exception
of Senior Malta. have acted All