The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-01-29
The Affair With Chilli.

President Harrison on Monday submitted
to Congress message concerning the state
of affairs with Chilli, together with all the
correspondence and documents relating
thereto. The President, in a lawyer-like
way, makes, as itwere, an opening statement
of the case fromsour point of view, carefully
withholding anything touching Chilis side
OF the subject. We may, however, accept
President Harrison's account of the trans
actions which led to the present unkindly re-
lations with our sister republic as correct.
The President draws the line between an
ordinary assault upon an officer or sailor of
naval vessel visiting the shore and the at
tack upon the uniformed sailors of the cruiser
Baltimore by the populace and the police of
Valparaiso.
He gives detailed account of the tragedy,
which seems to have been Of unusual violence
and intensified by luminosity to the United
States. A number of acts of discourtesy
toward our sailors are also mentioned by the
President. The President likewise gives the
text of demand made upon Chill, on the 21st
instant, for the withdrawal of an insulting
note addressed by the Chilian government to
its minister in Washington. In this untima-
tum the President says he notified the Gillian
government that sunless this note is at once
withdrawn and an apology for the offense
made, will terminate diplomatic relations"
The President says that the demands made
of Chill by our government should be adhered
to and enforced.
The disposition of the affair has now pass
ed out of the Presidents hands into the hands
ofCongress, the representatives of the people.
simultaneously with the delivery of the
Presidents message dispatch was received
stating that the Gillian government had
sent reply to the ultimatum OF the United
States, agreeing to withdraw the offensive
note; to withdraw its request for the with
drawal of Minister Egan, and proposing to
submit the affair of the attack upon the Balti-
more's sailors to the arbitration of some
neutral nation or to the decision of the Su-
preme Court Of the United States.
The Gillian government, it appears, merely
desires to submit to arbitration the question
whether an apology and reparation should
be made for the Baltimore affair. The posi-
tion of our government is that wrong and in
suit has been done to the United States and
the only question to be submitted to arbitra-
ton is the amount of indemnity to be paid
by Chill. Before this can be done the Chill
ians must admit their liability to pay indem-
nifty.
They have not made this admission and it
is believed they are only playing for time in
order to make more effective preparations
for war. In the meantime our government
is exerting itself to the utmost to prepare for
whatever may happen.
The sober. minded, conservative people Of
the United States are not anxious for war
with Chilli and are willing to overlook the i'm
pertinent remarks of her ministry-which do
US no harm-provided she will consent to a
proper arbitration of the matter.
1t should not be forgotten that our minister
to Chill is said to have made himself obnoxious
by meddling with the political affairs of that
country, and that it was his indiscreet course
which reused the Chilians to such pitch of
fury against the United States.
A war with even 30 small power as Chilli
would add millions of dollars to the public
debt and afford pretext for higher tariff
than Is now imposed on the necessities of
life. It would cost several thousand lives
and bring sorrow and distress to many homes.
A few men engaged in the manufacture of
vessels, munitions of war, &C., would make
fortunes, but when the war ended the people
of the United States would have to foot the
bills. This would mean increased hardship
to the farming and laboring classes.
Therefore, we say, let US go slow in this
matter. Let every honorable means to avert
war be first exhausted before we plunge into
it. Let US be sure we're right before we go
ahead but once engaged in an unavoidable
war let us prosecute it to victorious end as
rapidly as possible.
The latest dispatches are to the effect that
Chill has made an ample apology, and grim
visaged war can smooth his wrinkled front.