Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-02-04
APOLOGIZE OR FIGHT.
President Mirison's Message 20 Congress
Deprecasang she Attac,S on Our sailors
Minister Egsn Upheid--Iseparation and
Apology Demanded.
uncle .sam.s Demands.

brief tine ,declara ation of President Harrison
whose long1promised message, with the macs
of correspondents bearing upon the issues 1n-
yoived, hss been submitted TO Congress. The
ultimabum, which w8a made public points dis
tinctly TO aTosort to arms unless an apology -
forthcoming. The capital now rings with talk
of bloody war. Battles on the seas and bloody
confic 8 on lillian soil are thought to be clio Q
at hand. And everybody enjoys the prospect OF
the Just ,ehastiseine nt,of the south American
bantam that for months past has dared 10 hap
its wingsinthe face OF your forbearing Uncle
Sam.
Speaker Crisp called tho House to order,
struck the desk and the business OF the y be-
gan with the usual prayer rom the blind chap
referenceto them IN the expectation OF nst<n
ing 70 the Dhilian correspondence and the
Presidents message large crowd filled the
galleries TO OVERLOOKING.
Private Secretary Pruden. with a large bundle
under serm. pushed the doors aside ana en-
tered the House. Speaker Crisp at once sus-
pended the call Of States for the Introduction OF
bills and nodded to, the Presidents private sec
!retary. The latter MADE the usual announce
ment that he bore a message of the President.
and handed the armful, consisting OF the mes
sage and correspondence, to the doorkeeper,
who carried the heavy load TO the speaker. Ihe
ibabble OF tongues, which had been 80 loud as to
drown the. voice of the clerk, ceased. hush
.fell upon the House. and amid stiffness which
could not have been greater had the big cham
her been empty, the clerk began to read. The
reading OF the precious document, printed in
pamphlet form, was listened to with rapt at
THE MESSAGE SUBMITTED.
To the Senate and House OF Represent atives:
In my annual message, delivered TO Congress
tat the beginning Of the present session. attef a
brief statement of the facts then in the pos
ssession OF this Government touching the as ssault
itn the sstreets of Valparaiso, Chill, upon the
sailors of the United states steamship bal Il
more on the evening OF the 10th of October last.
-This Government Is now awaiting the result
of investigation which has been conducted
by the Criminal Court at Valparaiso. 1t Is re-
ported unoficially that the investigation is
about completed, and 1t is expected that the
result will be communicated to this Govern
ment together with some adequate and salts
factory re- ponse to the note by which the at
tention OF Chill was called to this incident. II
these just expectations, should be disappoint-
cd or further needless delay intervenes will,
by.a special message bring this matter again
70 the attention OF Congress for such action as
may be necessary"
In my opinion the time has now como when
should lay before the Congress and the country
the correspondence between this Government
and and the Government of ehili. from the time @ OF
maceda, together wit all other facts in
the possession of the Executive Depart
ment relating to this matter. Tho diplo-
matic correspon lence is herewith trans
mitted, together with some correspond
ence between the naval officers for the
time In command In lillian waters and the
Secretary of the Navy, and also the evidence
taken at the Mare Island Navy Yard since the
arrival of the Baltimore at San Francisco.
do not deem 1t necessary In this communica tion
to attempt any full analysis OF the correspond
ence or or the evidence. A brief restatement OF
the INTERNATIONAL questions involved ana OF the
reasons why the responses of the Gillian
government are unsatisfactory is all that
deem necessary.
1t may be we'll at the outset to say that what
ever 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 pc
rtod IN Chtlian affairs. from the outbreak OF the
revolution until this time, discloses act on
the part OF Egan unworthy of his position or
that could Justly be the occasion OF serious an
tmadyersfons or critic SIM He has, think, on
the whole, borne himself. in very trying circum-
stances, with dignity, discretion and courage,
and has conducted the correspondence with
ability, courtesy and fairness
IL is worth while also at the beginning to say
that the right of Mr.. Egan to give shelter in the
legation to certain adherents of the BalmRceda
Government, who applied to him for asylum.
has not been denied by the Chilian authorities,
nor has any demand been made for the surren-
der of these refugees. That there was urgent
need of aylum is shown by Mr.. Egans note Of
August "A, 1891, describing the disorders TINT
prevailed in Santiago, and by the evidence OF
Captain Schley as to the pillage and violence
that prevailed at Valparaiso. The corre-
Bpondence discloses, however that the request
OF Mr.. Egan for a safe conduct from the coun-
try in behalf of these refugees, was denied.
The precedents cited by him In the correspond
ence, particularly the case of the revolution in
Peru in 1865, did not leave the Cnilian Govern
ment In such position to deny the right of
asylum to political refugees and seems very
clearly TO support Mr.. Egan's contention that a
safe conduct TO neutral territory was necessary
and acknowledged incident Of the asylum.
These refugees have very recently, without
formal safe conduct but by the acqui.
placed on board the Yorkto town and now be-
Ing conveyed TO Callao. Peru This incident
might. be considered wholly closed, but for the
disrespeot manifested toward this Government
by the close and offensive police surveillance of
the legation premises which main tanned
during most of the period Of the stay OF the
refugees therein. After the date OF myannual mes
sage and up to the time Of the transfer Of the
fngees to the Yorktown, the legation
premises to have been surround
ed by police I'm uniform, and police
agents or Detectives in citizens dress. who
extensively scrutinized persons entering or
leaving the legation, and, on one or more oc-
,casions, arrested members of the Minister'S
family. Commander Evans, who by my d.
Iection recently visited Mr. Egan at Santiago,
dn his telegram to the Navy Department, de-
scribed the legation as a -veritable prison, and
after his arrival, Withdrawn during his stay. It
appears dnrther from the note OF Mr. Egan OF
Nov. 40 1891. that on one occasion at
declares % A'to to Be known - to him. him. ine ne
vaded the legation premises, pounding ON
sne Language towards persons therein' This
breach Of the right,of q Minister to freedom
from pohoe espionage and restraint seems to
have been so fiagrani that the Argentine Minis-
ter who was Dean Of the diplomatic Corps,
having obaerxed it, felt called upon to protest
Affairs. The Chilian authorities have, as
Will be observed from the correspond
eDoe, charged the refugees and the In
mates of the legation with insulting the
police; but IL seems to me incredible that men
whose Hives werei In jeopardy and whose safety
could only be secured by retirement and quiet
ness should have sought to provoke Q collision
which could end only In their destruction, or to
aggTavate their condition by intensi fvfnQ a
popular feeling that, at one time. so threatened
the legation as to require Mr.. Egan to appeal
20 the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
But the most serions incident disclosed by
the CORES spOndence is that of toe attack on the
sailors of the Baltimore In the streets of Val
paraiso on the 10th OF October last. In my last
annual message, speaking upon the informa-
tion then In my possession, said: $50 far as
have yet been able to learn no other explana-
tion OF this bloody work has been suggested
than that IL had its origin in hostility to these
men as sailors Of thu United States wearing the
uniform Of their Government and not In any
individual act or personal animosity.-
We have now received from the CHILEAN Gov
eminent an abstract of the conclusions OF
the Fiscal General upon the testimony taken
by the Judge OF Crimes in an investigation
three months @ T very @ eIsSn mash % et nearly so bss
compelled to say that this report does not
enable me to modify the conclusion an.
stiIi Of the opinion that ''vs oES sa,,ara am
were assaulted, beaten, stabbed and killed not
for anything they or any one of them had done,
but for what the Government of the United
States had done. or was charged with having
done, by its civil officers and naval command
ers. II that be the rue aspect of the case, the
injury was TO the Government of the United
States. not to these poor sailors who we're as
saulted In n manner so brutal and so cowardly.
Before attempting to givo an outline OF the
facts upon which this conclusion rests. think
II right 70 say word or two upon the legal
aspect of the case.
The Baltimore was in the harbor Of vaIpa-
raraiso by virtue Of that general invitation
which nations are held to extend to the war
vessels Of other powers with which they have
friendly relations. This invitation. 1 think,
must be held ordinarily TO embrace the privi-
lege Of such communication with the shore ne
is reasonable. necessary and proper for the