The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-26

| 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 legation
/ premises, maintained during most of the
| period Of the stay Of the refugees therein.
THE POLICE.
/ After date Of my annual message, and up
to the lime Of the transfer of the refugees
to the Yorktown, the legation premises
! seem to have been surrounded by police in
/ uniform, and police agents or detectives in
! citizens dress who extensively scrutinlzed
! persons entering or leaving the legation,
and on one or more occasions arrested men,
bers Of the Minister'S family. Commander
Evans, who, by my directions. recently vis-
tied Egan at Santiago in his telegram to
the Navy Department. described the lega-
tion as a 'yerItable prison." and states the
police agents or detectives were, after his
/ arrival. Withdrawn during his stay. 1t ap-
/ pears further from the note Of Egan OF No
yember 20 1891, that on one occasion at
/ least these police agents, whom he declares
| TO be known to him, invaded the legation
/ premises, pounding on its windows and
using insulting and threatening language
/ toward the persons therein.
FLAGRANT ABUSE OF MINISTERIAL RIGHTS
This breach of right of the Minister to
freedom from police es. ionage and restraint
seems to have been so fragrant that the AT
gentine Minister, who was Dean of the dip
lomatic corps, having observed it, felt
called upon to protest against it to the
Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs. The
Chilean authorities have, as will be OBJ
served from the correspondence, charged
the refugees and inmates of the legation
with insulting the police but it seems to me
/ incredible that men whose lives were in
jeopardy. ands whose safety could only be
secured by retirement and quietness, should
have sought to provoke a collision which
could only end in their destruction. or to
aggTayate their condition by intensifying
popular feeling. that at one time SO threat
ened the legation as to require Egan to aD-
peal to the Minister Of Foreign Affairs, not
in secondary way, as where a citizen is
[ injured and presents his claim through his
own Government, blt in a primary way.
precisely as if lis Minister, or Consul, or the
flag itself, has been the object Of the same
! character Of assaul:
/ The officers and sailors Of the Baltimore
were in the harb0r of Valparaiso under
order of their Government, not by their own
choice. They were on sho7e by implied in
Z ~. 4
with the approval Of their commanding 0tfi-
Ger, and it does not distinguish their case
from that of the Consul that his stay was
more permanent OF that ne holds the
express invitation Of the local government
TO justify mis- longer residence Nor does il affect
The question that tie Injury was the act OF a
mob. II there had been no participation by the
/ police or The military 10 This civil work, and no
Z neglect on their part 20 extend prOta ction, the
case would still be one, in my opinion, where its
! extent and character would be considered In
/ volYing International rights.
/ THE BALTMoBE's SAILORS
I But the most serious incident disclosed By the
correspondence is that Of Tie attack on Tie sail
oTs Of ;he Baltimore in the streets OF Valparaiso
ON ,he 1tth Of October last. IN my annual mes
/ sage, Speaking upon tie information tlen In my
/ possession, / said: $50 far as ] vet have been
able 10 learn, no other explanation Of this
bloody work has been suggested than that IL
had its origin ln the hostility to these men as
sailors of Tie Unit States wearing the uniform
Of their Government. and not IN any individual
act or personal auimOsity." We have now
/ received from the Chilean Government an alb
/ stract Of The conclusions Of the Fiscal General
upon the testimony taken by the Judge OF Crimes
/ in tie Investigation made 10 extend over nearly
! three months l very much regret 10 be com.
/ PEELED to say this report does not enable me to
modify tie conclusion announced in my aunuaI
message. ] am stl.l OF the opinion thar our sail
/ ors were assaulted, beaten, stabbed aud killed,
90, for anything they or any one of them had
/ done, DuJ for what The Government Of tile Uuiled
/ States had dOue, or was charged with having
/ done by its civil officers aud naval commander.
II tHat be tie true aspect Of tie case the injury
was TO lie GoYeinment OF the United States and
not 10 these Door sailors who were assaulted in a
manner so brutal aud c0wardly.
Before attempting 10 give an outline Of The
facts upon which this conclusion res s. ! think it
right 10 say word or IWo upon the legal aspect
OF tile case. Tie Baltimore was 10 the halboT OF
Valparaiso by virtue Of general invitation
which nations are held 10 extend 10 tie war YES
se5 OF O her powers with which thy have friend
ly relations. Ills invitation, think must be
held 10 ordinarily embrace privilege Of such
communication with the shore as is reasonable,
necessary aud proper for the comfort aud CON
veuieuce Of tic officers and men OF such vessels.
Captain Schley testiies that when his vessel To-
turned 10 Valparaiso September 14lu tie city Off
GERS, as customary extended the hospitalIiies OF
tie city 10 his officers and crew. Ii is not
claimed every personal collision or Injury n
which a sailor or officer Of such naval vessels
visiting Tie shore may be involved raises an IN
teInatUnal question, but ! an clearly Of the
opinion that where such sailors OF officers ate
assaulted by The resident uopulace animated by
hostility 10 tie Government whose uniform these
sailors aud officers wear, and in resentment OF
acts done by their Government. not by them,
their nation must take notice OF lie event as one
involving infracti0n Of its rights ana dignity.
THE SAILORS TESTIMONY.
The President then tells The story OF the at
tack on the sailors Of The BslllmO.e E. as related
IN tile testimony Of CAPTAIN Schley and others at
tie Investigation showing the sailors were sober
| aud behaving themselves, and evidenced further
/ by The fact that the Chilean police made no
arrests, and says: at Is remarkable the protract-
! ed Investigation Of The Judge Of Crimes did not
enable him 10 assign any more satisfactory ac-
! count Of Its origin than row between drunken
! sailors" lie then quotes the testimony OF Ap-
! prentice Talbot that the trouble originated IN a
Chilean sailor spitliHg IN Talbors face for which
! Talbot Knocked him down, then followed by the
/ general attack on Talbot and Riggln, win the
! result already known.
The President continues; There Is nothing
/ IN the report OF the Chilean Investigation made
! 10 us that seriously impeaches this testimony.
/ il appears from Chilean sources that almost IN
| stautly with a suddenu IS that strongly implies
! meditation and preparation. a mob, stated by
| the police authorities at one time 10 number
/ 2OO0 and al another 1000, engaged in an assault
! upon cur sailors who are represented as resist
/ Ing With stones clubs and bright arms The re-
/ port OF tie IuJeDd"n'e Of October 30th states
! that he fight began at O'clock In the evening
/ In three streets. which are named; that the in
/ formation was received at the intendencia at
! 6:l5 o'clock, and that the police arrived on the
scene at 80, fun half hour after the assault
/ began; lie says that at that time a mob Of 20OO
! men had collected, and that for several squares
there was the appearance OF a real battlefield.