The sun., 1892-01-15
Is AMERICA STOW 70 w.irH,
TIE C'hnisns Can Answer this 0uestioA-


To THE EDITOR OF The suS-Sr: II there
was any doubt on the subject before. tho prog
ress ofdiplomatic negotiations in tho difficulty
with Chilli has now served abundantiy to es-
tablish the fact that as q nation this country
Is eS 'eedingiy slow TO wrath-so slow. indeed.
that it is matter @: belief with several for
eign powers that in questions which other
people understand rs affecting the national
dignity and the honor OF the flag. this country
cannot be stirred to wrath at all.
It's now nearly three months since an open.
deliberate. and singing insult was offered to
our flag. IN the preconcerted attack on the
streets Of Valparaiso upon the liberty men OF
the man -of-war Baltimore. The facts are well
enough known now to everybody. though 1t
will only be few weeks before they
are forgotten In an effusion OF good
feeling toward the perpetrators OF the
insult. such is our national character. Foe
months the Baltimore lay in the harbor
OF Valparaiso. her officers and men strictly
confined to the shin not because II was unsafe
for foreign men-o..war to grant liberty. but
because 1t was unsafe for an American man
of-war to do SO. Her men were mobbed. beat
en-. killed In the streets. and hailed to prison
with lassoes around their necks. her officers
openly insulted and threatened whenever they
showed themselves on shore. while the press
OF Santiago rang with abuse OF this country
and taunts that the great inert nation dared
not or cared not to uphold the honor Of
its flag abroad. and not only could not protect
its citizens. but suffered the uniforms OF its
naval service to be provocation to mob vio-
lence in foreign port.
In the three months that have since elapsed
the country has suffered its Indignation.
which never reached dangerous point. to
be completely allayed by an lmpudent pretence
and a so-called judicial Investigation. and
1t now learns. without emotion. that the prlnci.
pal offender was one OK the very men attacked.
and that the police who killed Riggan did only
their duty. This finding. which Is in direct
conflict with the sworn testimony Of the Balti
nore's men themselves. who are the only cred.
ible witnesses to the affair. Is to be accepted
as sufficient explanation and apology. and the
abundant good feeling toward Chill will con-
tinue to increase until the next open outrage.
when the same farce will be repeated. except.
perhaps. that the armness and dignity Of the
demand on our part may be somewhat TEN.
pered by the fact that the Chilian navy will
then possess q ship in every way the superior
o; anything In the United States navy now
aioat-
Truly We are q great nation. Another great
nation. with navy. would have exacted re-
dress first and would have listened to the dip
lomatic explanation and receive the necessary
apology a!terward. But we have no navy and
We do not do things in that way. And all the
while the busiest people on a question touch
ing the national honor have been the British
Ministers at Washington and Santiago. And
people OF this country have not even WINGED
when it was openly hinted that. next to tho
British Minister. the busiest man in the affair
was cidevant ship chandler Of Callao. and
that the question OF tho honor Of the flag was
to be made a matter Of bargain with this in
dividuaL The Chilians. on the other hand.
and their foreign advisers. to whose interest 1t
has been TO stir up i'll feeling between the two
countries to point Just short OF open hostili-
ties. have proceeded consistently on the as
sumption that this country could not be forced
into a war. and it now appears that they have
been right al! the time. ].