Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-29

I
! many times and very bitterly to me. You
are too well skilled in diplomatic usage to be
| reminded that when a nation is pleased 70
| declare that a minister is persona non grata
| she is expected to assign a reason therefor.
| We have twice had occasion to ask Great
| Britain TO recall her Minister, and in each
| case we gave reason why the Minister nae
| ceased to be useful 1t is hardly necessary
to observe that conditions which we CON-
! piled with ourselves would likewise De e1'
acted of Chile.
Mr.. Blaine closes by saying:
| l have thus frankly endeavored to correct
some miSapprehensions OF yours, in order
| that the record of the State Department of
| the United States shall be kept exact and In
all its proceedings shall be consistent.
The Answer to the UItimatum.
Following is in substance the reply of Min
lister PereIra to the ultimatum dated Santiago,
Chile, January %, and forwarded through
Minister Egan to Secretary Blaine:
SIR: The undersigned has had the honor
to receive Your Excellency's commu-
nication, dated the ed instant, re.
ceived in this department the 23d, and
the duly authenticated copies OF the
| instructions which the Honorable secretary
| of State at Washington has sent to Your FIX
| cellency by cable under da ties of the 2lst Id
| slant and the Esd of october, 1891. In the IN
| structions of the 2lst instant the Honorable
Secretary of State informs Your Excellency
| that His Excellency, Mr.. Harrison, after
| carefully examining all that has been sub
mitted to him by the Government OF Chile.
with respect to the event which occurred in
Valparaiso on the evening of the 10th OF
October, and taking into consideration the
testimony of the officers and crew of the
vessel. the Baltimore, and OF others who, wit
messed the event. has arrived at the follow
ing conclusions:
First-That with regard to the assault
there has been no change whatever made IN
the character given to it by the first report
OF the event, to-wit: That 1t was an attack
upon the uniform OF the navy OF the United
States which had its origin and motives in Il
feeling of hostility toward that Government
and not in any act of the individual sailors
belonging to it.
Second-That the public authorities of Val
paraiso evidently did not do their duty in
protecting those sailors and that party of
the police and some Chilean soldiers and
sailors rendered themselves guilty of unpro-
yoked assaults uponthe sailors of the United
states before ana after the latter were ar
rested, and that he believes that Riggin was
killed by the police or soldiers; and
Third-That he is consequently compelled
to carry, the question back to the state in
which it was placed by the no-e of the Hon.
Mr.. Wharton, dated October 3, and to ask
for suitable satisfaction and some adequate
reparation for the injury done the Govern
ment of the United States
The Attack or the Sailors.
Minister Pereira then quotes from Mr.
Blaine's letter concerning the gravity of the
attack on the sailors and his intention to
discuss the conclusions at which the United
States had arrived. He also quoted Mr..
Blaine's words in which he said he had been
compelled to take notice of the Malta in
structions, and continues:
Without any intention of opening a dis
cussionasto the facts referred to by the COM
municst ton, which l have extracted, and
contining himself to the first part OF the in
structions of the Honorable Secretary of
State, the undersigned must state to Your
Excellency the regret with which the Gov
ernment of Chile sees that His EXcellency,
the President OF the United States, finds
reason to continue to regard The incident of
October as an attack caused by hostile
feeling toward the uniform of the navy or
the United States.
That un. ortunate occurrence took place
on a sudden, in a district where the sailors
of the vessels lying in the Bay OF Val
paraiso are in the habit ofassemblins, with
out distinction of nationality. From the
nature of the incident it would be impossi-
bic to prove that there was no doubt as to
the special cause which served as its origin
or pretext; but the undersigned can assert
that that cause was not a hostile feeling to-
ward the uniform of the Navy of the United
States, because the people of Chile have al
ways esteemed and respected that uniform
ever since the time whenit saw it figuring
honorably in the ranks of the soldiers and
sailors who, in a glorious struggle. gave it
independence and established the Republic.
The undersigned admits that the occur
renee of October l6 was of greater gravity
than those which usually occur in the same
district between the sailors which frequent
it, and the fact of knowing that two deaths
have resulted from it among the l6 wounded
men of the Baltimore, has sufficed to give il
an extraordinary character, and to induce
the Government of Chile 10 hasten to adopt
the measures necessary to discover and pun
ish the guilty parties, to offer in due time,
If there should be ground for so doing, such
reparation as might be due.
The Occurrence Is Lamented.
After saying that he is sorry that the laws
of Chile did not permit a more speedy in
vestigation, Mr.. Pereira says:
In view of your communication, and con-
sidering that, up to date, il has been impos-
sible Tor the trial initiated by the Judge of
the Criminal Court of Valparaiso to be de-
cided, the undersigned regards it as his duty
to declare once more that the Government
of Chile laments the occurrence of October
l6 and by way of showing the sincerity of
his feeling and the confidence which he has
in the Justice of his cause, he declares his
willingness not to await the decision q: the
examining Judge and proposes to the United
States Government tnat the case be submit
ted to the consideration of the Supreme
Court of Justice at Washington, TO the end
that that high tribunal, with its learning
and iInpartiality, may determine, without
appeal. whether there is any ground for
reparation, and in what shape it should be
made.
The undersigned would remind YOU, re-
ferring to the conduct of the Valparaiso au-
thorities, that it appears from the prelimi-
nary examination that they sent without
DELAY to the scene of the conflict all the
forces at their disposal belonging to the
special guard of the lntendencia and to the
police. Swanson, Cose, Nichols, Daronv
HOMES, Cunningham, Williams, Talbot, Hal
lard, Hodge, Butler, etc, Seamen belonging
to the crew of the Baltimore, stated to the
interpreter of that vessel that the object of
the police in arrestin- them was to shelter
them from any attempt at attack by the ex-
cited people.
The undersigned thinks that the action
of the police in this matter should be con-
Sidered with due allowance for the civil war
which had recently been brought to close.
The body was not vet properly organized
nor did it have the force that was required
to put down n disorder of such proportions
in short time. In this connection it is
proper to recall the words used Dy the Hon
orable Secretary of State at Washington in |
his note addressed to the Marquis Imperiali.
and bearing date of May 81, 1891: There is |
no Government, however civilized it may |
be, however great the vigilance displayed |
by its police, and however severe its crimi- |
nal code may be, and however speedy and |
inflexible may be its administration of JUS
tice. that can guarantee its own citizens !
against violence growing out OF individual |
malice or a sudden popular tumult." |
Chile Acknowledges theouession's Gravity.
This was precisely the situation of the ad- |
authorities at Valparaiso on |
the occasion of the occurrence which took /
place in October. The undersigned hopes |
that the foregoing will convince the Honor
able Secretary of State that tine Government |
Of Chile attaches due importance to the |
question now under discussion; that he docs |
not for a moment hesitate to condemn, in
virorous terms. the act committed onthe |
18th of October, or to offer such reparation |
rs is just, and that he has not neglected the |