The Portland daily press., 1892-01-26
Case of Minister Egan.

and Perhaps War Must Follow-The
Case of Minister Egan.
WASHINGTON, January 25-The mes
sage of the President, in reference to the
Chilian matter, sent to Congress today,
follows;
To the Senate and House of Representa-
tiUes:
In my annual message, delivered to
Congress at the beginning of the pres
ent session, after brief statement of the
facts then in the possession of this gov
ernment, touching the assault in the
streets of Valparaiso, Chill, upon the
sailors of the United States ship Balti-
more on the evening of the 10Th of Octo-
ber last, | said:
"This government ir now awaiting the
result of an investigation which has been
conducted by the Criminal Court at Val
paraiso. 1t is reported unofficially that
the investigation is about completed, and
it is expected that the result will soon
be communicated to this government, to-
gether with some adequate and satisfac-
| tory response to the note by which the
attention of Chill was called to this in
cident. If these just expectations
should be disappointed or further need
less delay intervene, [ will by a special
message bring this matter again to the
attention of Congress for such action as
may be necessary.
In my opinion the time has now come
when I should lay before Congress and
the country the correspondence between
this government and the government of
Chill from the time of the breaking out of
the revolution against President Balma-
ceda, together with all the other facts in
the possession of the executive depart
ment relating to the assault in the streets
of Valparaiso, Chill, upon sailors of the
United States ship Baltimore, on the ev-
ening of the 10th of October last.
1T may be well at the outset to say that
whatever may have been said in this
country or in Chill in criticism of Mr.
Egan, our minister at Santiago, the true
history of this exciting period in Chilian
affairs, from the outbreak of the revolu-
ton until this time discloses no act on
the part of MI. Egan unworthy Of his po-
sition OF that could justly be the occasion
of serious animadversion or criticism.
He has, | think, on the whole, borne
himself in the very trying circumstances,
with dignity, discretion and courage, and
has conducted the correspondence with
obliging, courtesy and fairness.
It is worth while, also, at the begin
ming to say that
The Rig hit of Mr. Egan
to give shelter in the legation to certain
adherents of the Balmaceda government,
who applied to him for an asylum, has
not been denied by the Chilian authori-
ties nor has any demand been made for
the surrender of these refugees. That
there was urgent need of an asylum is
sohwn by MI. Egan's note of August "a
| 1891, describing the disorders that pre-
vailed in Santiago, and by the evidence
| of Captain Schley as to the pillage and
violence that prevailed at Valparaiso.
The correspondence discloses, however,
that the request of Mr.. Egan for a safe
conduct from the country in behalf of
these refugees was denied. The prece-
dents cited by him in the correspond
ence, particularly the case of the revolu-
| ton in Peru in 1866, did not leave the
| Chilian government in a position to deny
the right of asylum to political refugees
and seemed very clearly to support Mr..
Egan's contention that a safe conduct to
neutral territory was necessary and ac-
knowledged incident of the asylum.
These refugees have, very recently, with
| out formal safe conduct, but by the ac-
ouiescence of the Chilian authorities,
been placed on board the Yorktown and
are now being conveyed to Callao, Peru.
This incident might be considered
wholly closed, but for the disrespect
manifested towards 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 he Yorktown the legation premises
seem to have been surrounded by police
in uniform and police agents or detec-
tives, in citizens dress, who Extensively
scrutinized persons entering or leaving
the legation, and on one or more occa-
sions, arrested members of the minister S
family