The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-29
No Need OF HeIp From Congress.

I NO y &c o. -le4p OOuEE55t.
In the message which the Presidsn sent
to congress yesterday the opinion is ex-
/ pressed that the executive Department Of
/ the government has no need of the aid Of
! congress IN the settlement of the trouble
/ with Chile. Toe answer OF the Chilean
/ minister Of foreign affairs 70 his ultimatUm
/ Of Jan. q he considers sufficiently salts
! factory 70 justify him in stating that the
! prospect for a speedy and peaceful settle
/ ment Of the trouble is now very promising.
/ In the ightof the correspondence which
the MORNING News publishes to-day, it
! appears that the President acted rather
hastily in sending 70 congress last Monday
a message which, although il did no. recon-
mend the beginning Of hostilities against
Chile, was a step In the direction OF war.
Had he waited a day, in accordance with
the advice which, it is understood, Secretary
Blaine gave him, be would have had no oc-
casion to communicate with congress at all.
The answer TO the ultimatum Of Jan. 81
was made before it was known in Chile that
the President had sent a message TO coD-
gress. The message, therefore, had no in
fluence IN shaping the character Of the an
swer, or in causing it TO be forwarded sooner
than it otherwise would have been.
II was believed very generally that the
message, on the day it was sent TO congress,
was timely, and the impression it produced
wss very favorable to the President Now
that it is seen, however, that there was no
reason for it, and that tho favorable condi-
tion of affairs that exists at present would
have existed had the message not been
written. the tendency is TO charge the Pres
ident with acting with unnecessary haste in
order TO make little political capital for
himself. II the favorable answer had been
the result Of the message the President
would have made a very strong point in his
own behalf, but as the answer was the re-
suit of the correspondence conducted by
Secretary Blaine, the latter will get the
most of whatever credit is due for the prom
ising outlook for happy termination OF the
trouble.
II entire reliance is to be placed upon the
statements Of the Chilean minister of for
eiRn affairs, the Chilean government never
entertained anything but feelings of esteem
and respect for this country. and never in
tended TO avoid frank and fair settlement
Of the Valparaiso affair. 1t only wanted
to do in its own way what was right and
to take as much time as it thought proper
to arrive at a conclusion as TO what II would
do. This is the Chilean governments side
Of the question, but that it is not the only
side ia shown by the fact that the Chilean
government had done virtually nothing in
eighty days. and the prospect that it would
do anything was far from promising The
Malta note showed disposition to be ugly,
and the banquet to be given 20 Malta to-
morrow night indicates that, notwithstand-
ing the fact that his act is not sustained by
the Chilean government. it is sustained by
the people.
The truth probably is that the Chilean
government thought it could do about as it
pleased until the ultimatutn of Jan. 81 was
received, and then it saw it had to do some-
thing very promptly. II couldn't afford to
risk war. and, therefore, it very discreetly
and wisely opened the way for a peaceful
settlement OF the trouble.