Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1892-01-28
MUST APOLOGIZE.
President Harrison's Message on
tho CHILEAN Imbroglia.
Minister Egan's Acts Upheld-The
Uitlmatum-Reparation Insist
ed Upon.
TEXT OF THE MESSAGE,


WASHINGTON, Jan. 25.-The follow
Ing is President Harrison's message on
the Chiliau situation sent to congress
to-day:
10 THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENT
ATlvES In my annual message, delivered to
congress at the beginning of the present ses.
sion, after brief statement of the facts then in
The possession Of this government touching the
assault in the streets Of Valparaiso Chill, upon
the sailors of the United States steamship Bal
umore on the evening OF the 10th of October
last, said: This government is now awaiting
the result OF an Investigation which has been
conducted by the criminal conrt at Valparaiso.
1t Is reported unofhcially that the investigation
Is about completed, and it is expected that the
result will soon be communicated to this gov
ernment, together with some adequate and sat-
iSfactory response to the note by which the atten-
tion OF Chilli was called to this incident. II
these just expectations should be disappointed,
or further needless delay intervene, WILL by q
special message, bring this matter again to the
attention of congress for such action as may be
necessary.
In my opinion the time has now come when I
should lay before the congress and the country
the correspondence between this government
and the government of Chilli from the time OF
the breaking out of the revolution against Bal
maceda, together with all other facts in the
possession OF the executive department. relat-
ting to this matter. The diplomatic corre-
spondence is herewith transmitted, together
with some correspondence between the naval
officers for the time in command in Gillian wa
tiers 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 Fran
cisco. do not deem it necessary in this COM
munication to attempt any full analysis Of the
correspondence or Of the evidence. A brief re-
statement of the international questions in
yHn1t
the Gillian government are unsatisfactory is all
that deem necessary.
1t may be well, at the outset, to say that
whatever 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 period
in CHILEAN affairs, from the outbreak of the rev.
olutlon until this time, diScloSeS no act on the
part of Mr.. Egan unworthy of his position or
that could justly be the occasion of serious an
1madverslon or criticism. He has, 1 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.
1t 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 Balmaceda
government who applied to him for asylum has
not been denied by the Gillian authorities nor
has any demand been made for the surrender of
these refugees. That there was urgent need Of
~, 1891, describing the disorders that prevailed
in Santiago, aud by the evidence of Capt.
Schley as to the pillage and violence that pre-
vailed at Valparaiso The correspondence dis
closes, however, that the requestof Mr.. Egan for
n safe conduct from the country in behalf of these
refugees. was denied, The presidents cited by
him'in the correspondence particularly the case
OF the revolution in Peru in1S65 didnot leave the
Gillian government in position to deny the
right OF asylum to political refugees and
seemed very clearly to support Mr.. Egan's con-
eentlon that q 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 ac
quiescence Of the Gillian authorities, been
placed on board the Yorktown and are now
being conveyed to Callao, Peru. This Incl.
dent might be considered wholly closed but
for the disrespect manifested toward this gov
eminent by the close and offensive police sur.
vellance OF the legation premises which was
maintained during most of the period Of the
stay of the refugees therein. After the date
OF my annual message and up to the time 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 de-
7ectives in citizens, dress who Extensively
scrutinized persons entering or leaving the
legation and one or more oc-
casions, arrested members of the
ministers family. Commander Evans, who
ny my direction recently visited Mr.. Egan at
Santiago, in his telegram to the navy depart
ment, described the legation as ''a yeritable
prison. and states that the police agents or de-
rectives were, after his arrival, withdrawn dur.
ing his stay. 1t appears further, from the note
of Mr.. Egun of November 20, 1891,
that on one occasion at least these
police agents, whom he declares to be
known to him. invaded the legation premises,
be observed from the correspondence, charged
DOnn1inp Is w nd nd Gil
and threatening language towards persons
therein. This breach of the right of a minister
TO freedom from police espionage and restraint
seems to have been SO fragrant that the Argen.
tine minister, who was dean Of the diplomatic
corps, having observed 1t, felt called upon to
protest against 1T to the Chilien minister Of for.
eign affairs. The Chilean authorities have as will
the refugees and the inmates of the legation wit
insulting the police; but it seems to me incredi.
BILE that men whose lives were in jeopardy and
whose safety could only be secured by retire
ment and quietness should have sought to pro-
woke collision which could only end in their
destruction, or to aggrayate their condition by
intensfying popular feeling that, at one time,
so threatened the legation as to require Mr..
Egan to appeal to the minister of foreign af-
fairs.
But the most serious incident disclosed by the
correspondent IS that Of the attack upon the
sailors of the Baltimore in the streets of Val
message, speaking upon the information then in
my possession said: $50 far as I have vet
been able to learn, no other explanation of this
bloody work has been suggeSte ted than that it had
its origin in hostility to these men as sailors of
the United States, wearing the uniform of their
government. and not in any individual act of
personal animOsity."
We have now received from the Gillian GOV.
ernment an abstract Of the conclusions of the
fiscal general upon the testimony taken by the
Judge Of crimes in an investigation which was
made to extend over nearly three months. I
very much regret to be compelled to
say that this report does not enable
me to modify the conclusion announced in nv
annual message 1 am still of the opinion
that our sailors 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 it's civil officers and naval
commanders. II this be the true aspect Of the
case the injury was to the government of the
United States, not to those poor sailors who
were assaulted in manner SO brutal and so
cowardly.
Before attempting to give an outline of the
facts upon which this conclusion rests, 1 think
1t right to say word or two upon the legal
aspect of the case. The Baltimore was in the
harbor Of Valparaiso by virtue of that general
invitation which nations are held to ex-
tend to the war vessels of other pow
ers with which they have friendly
relations This invitation, think, must be
held ordinarily to embrace the privilege of
such communication with the shore as is rea-
sonable necessary and proper for the comfort
and convenience OF the officers and men of such
vessels. Capt. Schley testifies that when his
vessel returned to Valparaiso on September ID,
the city officers, as is customary, extended the
Inequalities of the city to his officers and crew.
1t is not claimed that every personal collision
or injury in which a sailor or officer of such
naval vessel visiting the shore may be involved
raises an international question, but am clearly
OF the opinion that where such sailors and off,
GERS are assaulted by a resident popuace, ami.
mated by hostility to the government whose
uniforms these sailors and officers wear and
In resentment OF acts done by their government,
not by them, this nation must take notice Of the
event as one involving an infraction of it's
rights and dignity; not in a secondary way, as
where citizen is injured and presents his claim
through his own government, and in primary
way precisely as If it's minister or consul or the
nag itself had been the object Of the same char
qCtor nj 90 md ,,i1o, ~,