The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-02-04
EVERYTHING SERENE.
Chile's Reply One That No Civil
lied Nation Could Refuse.
A MOST COMPLETE, ABJECT APOLOGY.
The Saucy Republics Respect for Our Flag
and Uniform.
PRESIDENT HARRIsON's MESSAGE.

1t Speaks in No Uncertain Tone
the Indignity Offered Our Nation
by the Assault on the Baltimore's
Sailors. Demands the Withdrawal
Of Senior Matta's Offensive Note,
and Immediate PREPARATION and
Apology-Chile's Further NegIec
to Answer Would Have Resulted
in the Immediate Severance Of
Diplomatic Relations.
The message of the president is in sub
stance as follows:
The Time to Speak.
In my opinion the time has now come
when should lay before the congress
tween this government and the govern
ment of Chile, from the time of the
breaking out Of the revolution against
Balmaceda. together with all other facts
in the possession Of theexecutive depart
ment relating to this matter.
The diplomatic correspondence is here
with transmitted, together with some
correspondence between the naval Off
GERS for the time in command in Chilean
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.
1 do not deem it necessary in this COM
munication to attempt any full analysis
of the correspondence orN6f the evidence.
A brief restatement of the international
questions involved and of the reasons for
which the responses of the Chilean gov
ernment are unsatisfactory is all that
deem necessary.
Egan's Course Commended
It may be well at the outset to say
that, whatever may have been said in
this country or in Chile in criticism of
Mr.. Egan, our minister to Santiago, the
true history Of this existing period in
Chilean affairs, from the outbreak of the
revolution until this time, disclose nc
act on the part of Mr.. Egan unworthy
of his position or that could justly be the
criticism. He has, l think, on the whole,
borne himself, in very trying circum-
stances, with dignity. discretion and
3: courage, and has conducted the CORE
spondence with ability, courtesy and
fairness.
/ It is worth while also at the begin
ming 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 Chilean authorities,
nor has any demand been made for the
i surrender Of these refugees.
! That there was urgent need of asylum
is shown by Mr.. Egan's note of Aug. "a,
1891, describing the disorders that pre-
vailed in Santiago, and by the evidence
of Captain Schley as to the pillage and
| violence that prevailed at Valparaiso.
| The correspondence discloses, how.
i ever, that the request of Mr.. Egan for a
safe conduct from the country III behalf
of these refugees was denied. The pre-.
cedents cited by him in the correspond.
ence, particularly the case of the revolu-
ton in Peru in 1885, did not leave the
| Chilean government in a position te
deny the right of asylum to political
refugees, and seemed very clearly te
| support Mr.. Egan's contention that d
| safe conduct to neutral territory was 8
necessary and acknowledged incident OF
the asylum.
These refugees have very recently
| without formal safe conduct but by the
acquiescence of the Chilean authorities,
been placed on board the Yorktown and
are now being conveyed to Callao, Peru
| Disrespect to Ou. Lega. ion.
| This incident might be considered
wholly closed but for the disrespect man.
| ifested towards this government by the
! close and offensive police surveillance OF
the legation premises which YVES mani
tested 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 detectives, in citizens dress, who Of
! fensively scrutinized persons entering OF
leaving the legation and, on one or more
| occasions, arrested members of the min.
isters family.
Commander Evans, who, by direction
recently visited Mr.. Egan at Santiago
in his telegram to the navy department.
described the legation as "a veritable
prison" and states that the police agents
or detectives were, after his arrival,
withdrawn during his stay.
| It appears further, from the note o1
Mr.. Egan of Nov. 20, 1891, that on one
| occasion at least these police agents
| whom he declares to be known to him
invaded the legation premises, pounding
upon its windows and using insulting
and threatening language towards per.
| sons therein.
| The Chilean authorities have, as vii
be observed from the correspondence
, charged the refugees and the inmates OF
the legation with insulting the police
but it seems to me incredible that men
whose lives were in jeopardy and whose
safety could only be secured by retire
ment and quietness, should have sought
to provoke collision which could only
end in their destruction.
! The Attack on Our Sailors.
But the most serious incident disclosed
by the correspondence is that of the at.
tack upon the sailors of the Baltimore in
the streets of Valparaiso ON October Is
last.
! We have now received from the Chill.
can government p: abstract of the con.
! clusions of the fiscal general upon the
testimony taken by the judge of crimes
in an investigation which was made te
| T