The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-01-30
A STEP TOWARD WAR
PRESIDENT HARRISON SENDS
HIS MESSAGE TO CONGRESS.
Gillian Correspondence Made Public
story of the Dispute over the Ha,-
timp-e Affair ToiL-IusuIt,
Ifeaped ON This Gov
tTnInPnt.

greas whether there shall lie war or not.
President Harrison delivered his
special message on the ChiIian outrage
and the subsequent diplomatic contro-
versy to both houses of Congress at noon
to-day. Accompanying the message
is digest of the extensive correspond
enCe which passed between this coun-
Try and Chill. II given in full
the correspondence would take up
more than TOO columns of an ordinary
newspapers. The publication Of tie
correspondence will serve as yindica-
ton of Minister Egan. as it shows that
his course has been moderate aud di.-
nltied, and a credit to the great nation
lie represents.
Following is the Presidents message
To TIE SENATE AND !IoT~f or E..t.EE-
sENfATINE>: IN my annual message. de
lNcrGd 10 Congress at the beginning OF the
present session after a brief statement
Of the facts then mthc possession OF
this government touching the as
Sault III the streets Of Valparaiso.
Chill, upon the sailors of the nitrd States
steamer Baltimore. on the cVenin. OF the
10Th of October last. said:
This government i now awaiting the result
OF an investigation which has been conducted
by the criminal court ut Val alparaISu. It l. re-
ported unotfcially that the investigation is
about completed and il Is expected that
the result Will soon lie communicated to This
government, together with some adequate ana
satisfactory response 10 the note by y hich the
attention OF Chill WAS called To this incident
If these inst expectations should be diSap-
pointed, or further needless nc,uv intervene !
viii by n special message. bI7ng this matter
again to the attention OF Congress Tor such ac-
liUu may he necessary
In my opinion. the time has come when
should lay before the Congress and the
country tine correspondence between tins
{
from tie time of the breaking out of the
revolution against Balmaceda, together
with all other facts in the possession of the
the executive department relating To this
matter. The diplomatic correspond-
cnc2 is hereby tran SmItted. to-
gcther with some correspondence
between the naval officers for the time in
command III thiliaH waters. and the Sccrc-
tary of the navy. and also the evidence
taken at the Mar" Island Navy ard SlnCe
the arrival of the Baltimore Al san Fran
cisco | do not deem it necessary III this
communication 10 attempt any full analy-
SIS OF the correspondence. or Of the 1NI-
dCncc. \ brief rc-Statcnrnt o. the inter
national question involved. and al the rca-
sons Why the responses OF the
Chiiian government are nnsatls-
factory l. all that | deem
Ii may bc Well at Tie outset to say that
whatever may have been SAID in this coun-
try or III tnlll III criticism of Mr., agan. our
siu istcr at Santiago. the true his
tory Of this exciting, PERIOD III thil--
IAN affairs. from the outbreak of
the revolution until tins time.
diScioses no action on the part al Mr.
Egan unworthy OF his position. or that
could justly he the occasion of serious an
nadyersion or criticism He has. think,
| on The whole, borne himself. in very trying
circumstances, with dignity. discretion
and courage and has conducted the cor
respOndcnce with ability. courtesy and
fairness.
II is worth while. also. Al the beginning,
To say that the right OF Mr.. E.gan To give
shelter III the legation II certain adhercntS
of the Baimageda government who applied
tu him for asylum has not been denied by
tbs ChIiian authorities. nor has any demand
been made tor the surrender at The r"tu-
gees. That tacre was urgent need of aSy-
lum is shown by Mr.. EganS noe of
August II 1871. describing the dis
orders that prevailed III Santiago
and by the evidence ot Capt. Schley as to
The pillage and violence that pTeSlIlcd at
Valparaiso. The correspondence dis
closes however. that the request OF Mr.
Egan for Il safe conduct from the country.
in behalf OF these refugees. was
denied. The precedcntS cted by
him IN Tie "orreSl londence, rartl"n-
larly the ease of the revolution
III Peru Ill lNt5. did no; leave the 4 hllian
g0N NcnLeut III position todcny the light
of aSN ItIm To- Poiltlcal refugees. and seemed
very clearly 10 support Mr. Egan contcn-
tion that safe conduct To neutral territory
was necessary and acknowledged Incl
dcmt of the asylum. These refugees have
very recently. without formal safe conduct,
hut ny the arqu!eScencc OF tie titillan au-
thoritIeS. been placed on board the York
town. and are now being conveyed To tai
lao. Peru.
Tins incident might be- considered Who'll
~ closed but for the dlSrrSpeCt manifested
toward this government by the close and
Offensive police surveillance Of the
legation premises. which was main
tanned during most OF thr period OF
the stay of the refugees therein.
hfter the date o. my annual message and
up to the time ot the transfer OF the reitl-
gees To the \ iGrktuWn, the Legation prem
ISeS seem - have been sun uunded by Po-
hce. III uniform. and police agents or dc
tcctiyeS III citizens dress. who ofen>Nely
ScrutiniZcd persons entering or leaving the
legation. and on one or more occa-
SionS arrested members OF the Minister, :
family. Commander Evans, who. by my
direction. recently visited santiago IN ms
telegram To the Navy Department de-
Scribed the legation as ''VcrItable prl>-
on, and states that the police agents. ur
detectives. Were, after his arrival with
drawn during his stay. Ii appears further
from the note of Mr. Egan of November
% 1921. thai on one occasion at least these
police agents. whom he declares To TIE
known To him. invaded the legation
premises. pounding ON lis WIN
dowS, using insulting ana threat
eninc language toward y rSonS there
IN This breach ot the right
of Il minister To freedom from police
espionage and restraint seems TO have been
50 tlagrant that the Argentine minister
who was Gean of III" diplomatic corps.
having observed it, felt called upon to pro
test against IL Ia the ChIllan minister OF
foreign affairs The Chllan authorities
have. a. Will hr observed from the
correspondence. charged the refugees and
he inmates of the legation with insulting
the police: but IL seems 10 me incredible
that men whose lives were III Jeopardy,
and whose safety could only he secured by
retirement and quietncSS. should have
sought To provoke collision which
could only end IN their destruction. or 10
aggrayate their condition by intenSlfymg a
popular feeling that at one time So threat
cned the legation as 10 require Mr. Egan To
appeal to the minister OF foreign affairs.
But the most serious incident disclosed
hY the correspondence l. that Of the at
tack ON the sailors of the Baltimore IN the
street of Valparaiso on the 10th ot pcto-
Der last. In my annual message, speaking
upon the information then IN my posses
sion. | said:
20 far ~ l have vet been able to learn. no
other PLANTATION OF this bloody work has been
suggested than that II had il origin IN hostility
10 these men sailors OF the lnited States,
wearing the uniform of their government. and
not IN any individual set or personal ami
mostly.
We have now received from the thilian
government an abstract of the conclusions
Of the Fiscal General upon the testimony
taken by the Judge OF crimes III an lnSestl-
CATION which was made 10 extend over
nearly three months | Very much
regret To be compelled 10 say
that this report does not enable me Ia
modify the conclusion announced III my
annual message. | am still ot the opinion
that our sailors were assaulted. beaten.
stabbed and killed. not for anything they
or anv one Of them had done. hut for
what the government cf the nlted
states had done. or was charged with haN-
inc done. by its civil officers and naval
commanders Ii that be the true aspect OF