The San Francisco call., 1898-01-17
HOW CHILE
 VAS QUICKLY
 CALLED DOWN Diplomatic Acts Are Disclosed by the
 Archives. Negotiations Made Rela- tive to the Settlement
 of Claims. Threat of Giving Moral Sup port to Argentina Was Made. BUT SITUATION CHANGED Then It Was That the Little South American Republic Was
 Brought to Time.
Threat of Giving Moral Sup port to Argentina Was
 Made.
BUT SITUATION CHANGED.
Then It Was That the Little South American Republic Was
 Brought to Time.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


 NEW YORK, Jan. 16-A Washington special to the Herald says: The eX- elusive announcement in the Herald a few days since that the conference for the settlement of all outstanding claims between Chile and the United States, negotiated by MT. Olney and sent to the Senate last winter, had myster- iously failed and lapsed by limitation because of the failure of the Senate to sanction the matter, has caused no lit tie commotion in diplomatic circles. The conference had as it's purpose the revival of the tribunal of 1S9S-94, and the sum involved amounted to more than $3,0O0,000. The proposed tribunal was to adjudicate and settle among other claims that of the South Ameri- can Steamship Company of Valparaiso against the United States for detention and seizure of the steamer Itata in Chilean waters in 1893. On a point of law the former commission held in fa- vor of the claimant company, and 1t has been intimated that owing to cer- tain possible contingencies arising out of our present relations with Spain it was deemed desirable by the Senate l Committee on Foreign Relations that | the question OI lldDlillS 4OI pursuit. | seizure and search at sea outside of the national jurisdiction be left open for a ! time.
 | Behind the whole subject there is an | interesting train of events disclosed by 1 the secret archives of the State De-
 partment now made public. The origi- | nal conference for the settlement of
 mutual claims was made through the office of MT. Foster, Secretary of State during the last year of MT. Harrison s administration. At that time the re- lationS between Chile and Argentina
 were strained, and Mir. Foster took ad- 1 vantage of this, leading the Santiago | United States not appeased its moral | support might be given to Argentina. Senor ErraZuriz. Minister of Foreign
 Relations of Chile, acceded to MT. Eos ter's invitation to arbitrate all pending ! claims. The conference was signed ir | Santiago on August :, 1892, by MT
 Egan on behalf of the United States
 and by Senor ErraZuriZ on the part Ot
 Chile. Under it's terms notifications
 were to be exchanged at Washington
 within six months.
 The State Department received, 1T
 January, 1893, secret information tha'
 though the Chilean Congress and thu
 powers to exchange notifications haC
 been drafted and signed by the Presi
 dent, the papers were pigeon -hOled il
 the Santiago foreign office. MT. FoSte
 cabled to the legation in Santiago tt
 inquire about the matter. Assurance were given that the papers would go ol the next steamer. A few days late MT. Foster was advised that they hat . missed the steamer. Thus the treat. would arrive too late for the exchang of notifications.
 The situation was clear enough. Tn
 relations between Chile and Argentin;
 were now pleasant and there was m
 reason for completing the treaty Tn State Department sent an intimatiol , to Chile that notifications must be eX ! changed, treaty or no treaty, suggest , ing that proper powers be given tn Chilean Minister in Washington b. cable The Santiago Government, re , alizing that it's subterfuge had becom { known, cabled the desired powers. Tn form of exchanging notifications wa } gone through on January 26, thoug two copies of the treaty and the pow 1 CTS were not really exchanged until te ! days later. Out of courtesy to Chile tn l CnnTraSSp6