The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-01-21

|
HWr pears to Be tn
-</1A3 question our gov
.'a,4<MNf ernment official
M are considering
and the result cannot be foreshadowed
The following article will perhap.
throw some light on the subject giving
our readers a more definite idea Of th'
situation as it is. The article is pre-
faced by some remarks by Mr.. w. r
Henry, who says:
EDITOR GOLD LEAF We had beel
led to believe that the possibility o
war between the United States ant
Chilli had passed, but examination o.
the officers and men Of our man of wa
the Baltimore made in the harbor o
San Francisco, some of whose mel
were assaulted and murdered shor
time ago, discloses the fact that th'
BaIimo,e's men were not drunk O
disorderly at the time and that the at
tack upon them by the Chilians il
Valparaiso was premeditated and in
tended as an insult to our flag. Hence
during the last few days greater activ
ity has been noticed in army and nav,
circles of the United States.
As the matter now stands the sub
joined notes of Chilli together with {
clipping from a recent weekly touch
ing the present status, may prove o
interest to some of your readers.
The word Chill is from an ancient
Peruvian word, Schile, meaning snow
and is the name of a strip of land or
tine western side of South America, &C
to 200 miles wide; area, 218,o25
square miles, but by the annexation, ir
1882, of Peruvian province increased
to 900, 900 square miles, or about six
times the area of North Carolina, OF
just 10000 square miles more than
the State of Texas. Chilli has a popu-
lation of two million one hundred and
fifty thousand, therefore not twice thai
Of our State and about the same as
that Of New York City. Santiago is
the capital, with population Of $780,
900, and Valparaiso is the principal
port, with 10000 or thereabouts.
Her regular army in time of peace
is $500 men, but during her last wal
she enlisted 10000. Her sailors and
soldiers are noted for their firery cour-
age. The masses are extremely poor
and indolent, the latter because of the
climate. The country is exceedingly
mountainous, but yet has 1,1oo miles
of railroad.
Chill has strong navy, being about
fifth in order, much stronger than that
of the United States until we get our
new ships in the water.
The following is the clipping to
which l referred, and it will repay the
reading:
"To understand the gravity Of the
present misunderstanding between the
United States and Chill it is essential
to keep in view the precise offense OF
which the United States government
complains. Our State Department
does not contest the right Of the San
tiago authorities to request that per
son more acceptable to them than is
Mr.. Egan should be sent as repre-
sentative OF American interests. AS a
matter of fact, no official request to
that effect has yet been received in
Washington. When it is made, there
is no doubt that we should treat the
wishes Of Chill with as much Difference
as we should those Of any other power.
Neither do we profess ourselves ag-
grieved at the unwillngness of the
Santiago government to recognize the
right of asylum, asserted by Mr.. Egan
IN behalf of the adherents of Balma
ceda, who have taken refuge in the
American Legation. 1t IS for experts
in international law ID settle the linn
its of the right of asylum; and, should
they fail to agree upon the subject,
the question is obviously one for arbi-
tratlon. The act which has drawn
forth indignant remonstrance from the
United States, and for which they are
determined to have redress, is the bru-
tai and murderous assault to which
seaman wearing the American uni
form have been subjected in the streets
of Valparaiso. Not only was a large
number of sailors belonging to our
cruiser Baltimore arrested and i'm
prisoned, but many ,were seriously
wounded, Of whom two have since
died.
Far from availing ourselves of our
immense superiority in wealth and
population, to browbeat a weaker
power, we have evinced extraordinary
patience under a.grievous provocation.