Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-01-26
OUR POSITION
Concerning Chili's Insult to
the Stars and Stripes.
President Harrison Submits a Mes.
sage to Congress,
Giving the Administrations
Views on the Subject.
AFTER A TIME PATIENCE CEASES TO
VIRTUE"
THAT TIME HAS COME, AND CHILLI
MUST LOOK OUT.

Estimated from 1000 to 1000.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.-The following
is President Harrison's message on the
Chilian situation, sent to congress Mon
day:
To the Senate and House of Represent
ativeS:
In my annual message, delivered to con
gress at the beginning of the present ses
sion, after a brief statement of the facts
then in the possession of this government
touching the assault, in the streets of Val
paraiso, Chill, upon the sailors of the
United States steamship Baltimore, or
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 at
Valparaiso
at is reported unofIicially that the in.
vestigation is about completed, and it is
expected that the result will soon be com
municated to this government, together
with some adequate and satisfactory re-
sponse to the note by which the attention
of Chill was called to this incident. If
these just expectations should be disap-
pointed or further needless delay inter
vene l will, by a special message bring
this matter again to the attention of
congress for such action as may be neces-
sary."
In my opinion the time has now come
when | should lay before the congress a d
the country the correspondence between
this government and the government of
Chill from the time of the breaking out
of the revolution against Balmaceda to-
gether with all other facts in the posses
sion of the executive department relating
to this matter. The diplomatic CORE
spondence is herewith transmitted, to-
gether with some correspondence be-
tween the naval officers for the time in
command in Chilian waters and the secre-
tary of the navy, and also the evidence
taken at the Mare Island navy yard since
the arrival of the Baltimore at San
Franci SEQ.
| do not deem it necessary in this COM
municaton to attempt any full analysis
of the correspondence or of the evidence.
A brief restatement of the international
questions involved, and of the reasons
why the responses of the Chilian govern
ment are unsatisfactory, is all that 1 deem
necessary
1t may be 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 of the revolu-
tion until this time, discloses no act on
the part Of Mr.. Egan unworthy OF his po-
siton, or that could justly be the occasion
of serious animadversion or criticism
He has / think, on the whole borne him
self in very trying circumstances with
dignity, discretion and courage, and has
conducted the correspondence with
ability, courtesy and fairness.
1t is worth while also at the beginning
10 say that the right of Mr. Egan TO give
shelter in The legation to certain adher-
ents of the Balmaceda 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 is shown by Mr.. Egan' 8
note of Aug "a, 1891, describing the dis
orders that prevailed in Santiago, and by
the evidence of Captain Schley as to the
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, waR denied.
The precedents cited by him in the CORE
spondence, particularly the case of the
revolution in Peru in 1865, did not leave
the Chilian government in position 20
deny the right of asylum to political ref
ugees and seemed very clearly TO support
Mir Egan's contention that q safe conduct
to neutral territory was a necessary and
acknowledged incident of the asylum.
These refugees have very recently, with
out formal safe conduct, but by the acqui-
escence of the Chilian authorities, been
placed on board the Yorktown, and are
now being conveyed to Callao, Peru. This
incident might be considered wholly
closed, but for the disrespect manifested
toward this government by the close and
offensive police surveillance of the leSa-
ton premises which was maintained dur
ing most of the period of the stay of the
refugees therein. After the date of my
annual message, and up to the time ofthe
transfer of the refugees to the Yorktown,
the legation premises seem To have been
surrounded by police, i'll uniform, and po-
lice agents or detectives in citizens dress,
who Extensively scrutiniZed persons en-
tering or leaving the legation, and, on one
or more occasions, arrested members OF
the minister's family.
Commander Evans, who, by my direc
tion recently visited Mr.. Egan at Santi-
ago, in his telegram to the navy depart
ment, described the legation as a ''verita-
BILE prison." and states that the police
agents or detectives were, after his ar
rival, withdrawn during his stay. 1t APP
pears further, from the note of Mr., Egan
of Nov. 20, 1891, that on one occasion at
least these police agents, whom he de-
clares to be known to him, invaded the
legation premises, pounding upon its
windows and using insulting ana threat
ening language toward persons therein.
This breach of the right Of minister to
freedom from police espionage and re
straint seems to have been so ilagrant
that the Argentine minister, who was
dean of the diplomatic corps, having OBJ
served it, felt called upon 10 protest
against il to the Chilian minister OF for
eign affairs.
The Chilian authorities have, as will be
observed from the correspondence,
charged the refugees and the members Of
lie legation with insulting the police: but