Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-04
soME IMPORTANT FACTS.

| SOME IMPORTANT FACTS.
The war boomers of General Horace
| Porter's stripe have been aptly character
| lied as the ''war-for-the-fun-of- it, party.
| Ii is not necessary to waste much logic for
the gentry who desire to set out for the
| conquest of Chile under the impression
that they are going On picnic A more
| important fact is that in the background
somewhere there is an interest which with
| equal pertinence can be called the "war-
/ for-the-contractS'' party, and that the
latest performance of the organs of this
! party is to begin an attack on Secretary
| Blaine for recognizing the possibility of
| a pacific termination of the dispute.
Yet in no respect has Secretary Blaine
shown more clear and accurate judg-
ment, nor more completely refuted the
charge of his enemies that he was given
up TO Jingoism. He appeals to the sound
sense of the American people by the posi-
| ton that the extension,of our commerce
with South America is more to our advan-
! tage than winning by senseless war. He
has planted himself on the basis of sound
| principle by the practical avowal that we
| cannot lay down one theory yoffnternational
| duty for our own benefit and deny it for
| the sake of attacking Chile. Finally, he
has the sense and discretion to perceive
that by comparison of the Chilean course
with reference to the Valparaiso riot, and
our own course with regard to the New
| Orleans mob, Chile is shown to have full
| filled and even surpassed the rules of
| international obligation laid down by the
| United States in the New Orleans matter.
! The comparison in the light of recently
published documents - carefully sup
pressed by some one for over two months
shows the following facts:
Fjrst-At the very inception of the dis
pute the Chilean authorities officially in
formed our representatives that the guilty
parties, whoever they might be, should be
punished.
Second-The Chilean Government held
| that the investigation of the crime must
be conducted according to the regular
methods of Chilean jurisprudence, and in
vited the cooperation of the diplomatic
! and naval representatives of the United
States in that investigation.
Third-The investigation thus promised
was instituted, the testimony of witnesses
on both sides heard, and arrests were
| made, due information of these steps being
communicated at the time to the Minister
of the United States.
Comparing this with the position of the
State Department in the New Orleans af-
fair, we perceive that a practical dis
avowal of sympathy with the rioters was
made: that Chile, like the United States,
held that the trial of the rioters must pro-
ceed under the regular judicial system;
but that the criminal system of Chile en-
abled that Government to give an asSur-
ance of punishment, while the State De-
partment of our Government was obliged
to explain that our judicial system per-
mitted no such assurance; and that the
Chilean courts have made such a judicial
investigation, to which the United States
representatives have furnished testimony,
with the result of arrests of the rioters,
while the utmost that the United States
has been able to do in the New Orleans
matter is President Harrison'S recon-
mendation to Congress of an alteration in
our laws. Much of this is due to the diff
ference in our Constitution and judicial
system from the Latin system, which pre-
walls in Chile But when it is known that
Chile has gone further in the direction of
Furnishing the rioters in two months than
we have been able to do in ten, sensible
people will see that to declare that we
have cause of war with Chile is to utterly
condemn our own attitude with Italy.
Of course, such considerations have no
weight with the organs of the war-at-any-
price party that are suppressing these
facts even after they have been published
in other papers. But, as the Buffalo E.r-
press removes itself from that class by
publishing fair abstract of the Chilean
version of the riot, it is pertinent to reply
to its comment as follows: "But, even
if it is true, it does not excuse
the Chilean Government for neglect
ing to express regret for the occur
renee and to promise courteOu sly that it
should be investigated, instead of surlily
telling us, in effect, that it was none
of our business. On this view of the
case, our contemporary may fairly be
called upon to state whether it is not
cogent that in the very documents from
which it obtained the Chilean version
there are no less than three references in
the Chilean communication to the riot
as "lamentable" and ''regrettable;" that
there are half a dozen official assur-
ances, not that an investigation would be
made, but that it was already in progress;
that there were at least two official state
ments that the guilty parties should be
punished: and, finally, as already pointed
out, that the investigation has been made
in accordance with those promises.
Finally, we will ask our cotemporary
to say whether it finds no significance in
the fact that, while everything in these
very documents of two months ago that
would create an unfavorabIe impression
in this country was promptly sent here by
cable, these indications of willingness to
do justice were carefully suppressed, and
would not be known to-day, if their trans
mission had depended on the United States
Minister at Santiago.
AN ABANDONED FUNCTION.