Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-25
No Disposition Shown by Chile
toexpress Regret or Apology
FOR THE BRUTAL OUTRAGE


a
regard TO the Chilean difficulty Is as follows:
To the Senate and House OF Representatives;
In my annual message, delivered to Congress
at the beginning OF the present session. after a
brief statement of the facts then in the poe
session of this Government; touching the as
sault. in the streets of Valparaiso. Chile upon
the sailors of the United States Steamship Bal
timore, on the evening of the 10th Of October
last, said:
This Government isnow awaiting the result
OF an investigation which has been conducted
b. the criminal court at Valparaiso. IL is re-
! ported unoftcially that the investigation is
aoodt completed, and II Is expected that the
result viii soon be communicated to this Cow
ernment' together with some adequate end
| satisfactory response to the note by which the
! attention OF Chile was called 10 this incident
/ Il these Just expectations should be disat-
pointed or further needless delay intervene.
WlA, bya special message, bring this matter
again 10 the attention OF Congress for such
action as may be necessary"
| In my opinion she time has now come when
should lay before the Congress and the
| country the correspondence between this Cow
ernment and tie GOyernment of Chile from
| the time Of the breaking out OF the revolution
| against Bamaceoa. together with all other
| iacts IA the possession of the Executive De-
! partment relating TO this matter. The diplo-
malc correspondence IL herewith transmitted
/
| the naval officers for the time i'm 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. do not deem II necessary i'm
| TINS communication TO attempt any full analy-
els of the correspondence or OF the evidence
| A Drlel re-statemcnt OF the international dues
lions involved and OF the reasons why the re-
| hlonses OF the chilean government are unsat-
lsfactory Is all that deem necessary
l Ii be we'll at the ,ntzaf 10 =, slas
Whatever may have been said in this country or
IN Chile an criticism of Mr.. Egan, our minister
at Santiago. the true history of this exciting
period IN Chilean affairs from the outbreak ~
| the revolution until this time, dscloses no act
| on the part OF Mr.. Egan unworthy of his posi-
ton or that could justly be the occasion Of seri-
ous anlmadyersion or criticism. He has
think, on the whole. torne himself, in very try-
ing circumstances, With dignity. discretion and
courage. and has conducted the correspondence
with ability. courioyy and fairness.
RIGHT TO SHELTER NOT DENIED
tbs worth while slso at the beginning to saw
that the right of Mr.. Egan to give shelter in the
legation TO certain adherents of the B.lmaceds
Governmentwho applied to him for asylum has
not been denied by che Chilean authorities. nor
has any demand been made for the surrender
| OF these refugees. That there was urgent need
| of asylum Is shown by Mr.. Egans note Of Au-
gust "A, 1891, describing the disorders that
prevailed in Santiago. and by the evidence OF
Capt. Schley TO the pillage and violence that
prevailed at Valparaiso. The correspondonce
discioses, however that the request of Mr..
EGan for a sale conduct from the country, in be-
half OF these refugees, was denied. The prece-
dents cited by him in the correspondence par
| ticularly the case OF the revolution in Peru in
1865, did not Leave the Chilean Govern
| ment in position to deny the right of asylum
1 to political refugees and seemed very clearly
to support Mr.. Egsns contention that n safe
conduct to neutral territory was n necessary
aud acknowledged incident OF the asylum.
| These refugees have very recently, without
| formal safe conduct. but by the acauiescence
| of the Chilean authorities. been placed on board
| the Yorktown and are now being conveyed to
| Callao, Peru. Thin incident might be consid-
cred wholly closed, but for the disrespect mani
| Tested toward this Government by the close
and offensive police surveillance 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 detectives. in citizens dress
who extensively scrutInized persons entering %
/ leaving the legation, and on one more occa-
nons arrested members of the minister S FAM
| lily. Commander Evans, who. by my 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. IL ap-
pears further, from the note of Mr..
Egan 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, pounding upon its win.
cows and using insulting and threatening Ian.
guage toward 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 Argentine minister, who was
dean Of the diplomatic corps having observed
1t, feat called upon to protest against it to the
Chilean minister Of foreign affairs. The Chilean
authorities have, as VIII be observed from the
correspondence, charged the refugees and the
inmates of the legation with insulting the Do
lice; but 1t seems TO me incredible that men
whose lives were in jeopardy and whose safety
could only be secured by retirement and quiet
ness should have sought to provoke a collision
which could only end in theiI destruction, or
to aggravate their condition by intensfying Q
popular feeling that at one time SO threatened
the legation as to require Mr.. Egan TO appeal
to the minister of foreign affairs
THE ATTACK on THE BALrIMoRE's SAILORS.
But the most serious incident disclosed By
the correspondence is that Of the attack upon
the sailors of the Baltimore in the streets Of
Valparaiso on the 10th Of October last In my
annual message, speaking upon the informs-
ton then In my possession, / said:
80 far as have yet been able to learn, no
other explanation of this bloody work has been
suggested than that il had its origin liz hostility
TO these men as sailors OF the United States,
wearing the uniform of their Government and
not in any individual act or personal ami
mostly"
We have now received from the Chilean Gov
ernment an abstract of the conclusions Of the
Fiscal Generalupon the testimony taken by the
judge OF crimes In an investigation which Was
made to extend over nearly three months. 4
very much regret to be compelled 10 say that
this report does not enable me to modify the
conclusion announced in my annual message.
I 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 charged with having
done. by its civil officers and naval COM
manders. II that be the true aspect Of the case
the injury was to the Government of the United
States, not to these poor sailors who were as
saulted in . manner SO brutal and so cowsrdly.
Before attempting to give outline Of the
facts upon which this conclusion rests, I think
il right to say word or two upon the legal
aspect Of the case. The Baltimore was in de-
harbor Of Valparaiso by virtue of that general
invitation which nations are held 10 extenA 70
the war vessels Of other powers with which
they have friendly relations This invitation,
I think, must be held ordinarily TO embrace the
privilege Of such communication with the shore
a. 10 reasonable, necessary, and proper for the
comfort and couyeuieuce Of the of6c<rx and