Passaic City record., 1892-01-30
MATTA's OFFENSIVE NOTE
Full Text of the Chilean Minister'S
Insulting Missive.

One of the gravsst issues in the contro-
.versy between the United States and Chile
mas been the Malta note to Chilean Ministers
abroad. This was sent by Malta, at that
time Foreign Minister to Chile, to the Chill
san Minister at Washington with the sane
tion Of the President of Chile, was read in
the Chilean Senate, and pu ,lished in all the
Chilean papers. Its text in full is as fol-
lows:
ssHaving read the portion Of the report of
the Secretary of the Navy and of the mes
sage of the President of the United States,
think proper to inform you that the state
ulents on which both report and message are
based are erroneous or deliberately incor-
rect. With respect to the persons to whom
an asylum has been granted, they have never
been threatened with cruel treatment, nor
has it been sought to remove them from the
legation, nor has their surrender been asked
for. Never has the house or the person of
the Plenipotentiary. notwithstanding tndis-
retions and deliberate provocations been
subjected to any offsnse, as is proved by the
eleven notes OF September, October and No
vember
with respect to the seamen of the Balti-
more, there is, moreover, no exactnsss or
sincerity in what is said at Washington.
rne occurrence took place in bad neighbor-
hood of the city, the NJ Intop OF Valparaiso,
and among people who are not models OF
discretion and temperance. When the po-'
lica and other forces interfered and calmed
the tumuit, there were already several hum
ired people there and 1T was ten squares or
more from the place where it had begun.
Mr.. Egan sent, on the Goth OF October,
note that was aggressive in purpose and
virulent in language as is seen by the copy
and the note written in reply on the 9th. !.
.sOn the 18th the preliminary examination
had already been commenced it had been
delayed owing to the non-appearance OF the
officers Of the Baltimore and owing to undue
pretentions and refusals Of Mr.. Egan him
self. No provocation has ever been accepted
or initiated by this department.. Its atti
tude. while it has ever been one of firmness
nd prudence has never been one of aggres
siveness, nor will it ever bs one OF humtlia-
tion, whatever may be or has been said al
Washington by those who are interested in
justifying their conduct or who are blinded
by erroneous views
3 The kilograms, notes, and latters which
have been sent to you contain the whole
truth in connection with what has taken
place in these matters, in which i'll will and
the consequent words and pretensio1s have
not emanated from this department. MIR.
Tracy and Mr. Harrison have been led into
error in respect to our people and Govern
ment: the instructions recommending iui-
partiality and friendship have not
been complied with, neither now nor before.
Ii no official complaint has bsen made
against the minister and naval officers, it is
because the facts, public and notorious both
in Chile and the United States, could not,
although they were well proved, be urged
by our confidential agents. Proof of this Is
furnished by the demands of Balmaceda and
the concessions made in June and July. the
whole Itata case the San Francisco at Qun-
tero. and the cable companies. The state
ment that the North American seaman were
attacked in various localities at the time Is
deliberately incorrect
stAs the preliminary examination Is not
yet concluded, it is not yet known who and
how many the guilty parties are. You no
doubt have the note OF November 9, written
In reply to Minister Egan. in which
request him to furnish testimony which
he would not give, although he had said
that he had evidence showing who the
murderer was and VINO the other guilty
parties OF the 10th OF October were: That
and all other notes will be published here.
You will publish translation Of them in the
United States. Deny in the meantime every
thing that does not agree with these stats
ments, being assured OF their exactless, as
we are Of the right, the dignity. and the
Anal success OF Chile notwithstanding the
intriguss which proseei from 80 low "a
source) and the threats which came from SO
high IA source.)"