The times., 1898-01-24
SENATOR QUAY Will ACT
McCord Indemnity Claim TO Be
Pushed.
One Way This Government Protects
Its Citizens in South Ameri-
can Countries.

Senator Quay will today ask the Sen
ate TO call upon the State Department
| for its correspondence with the govern
| ment of Peru upon the subject of Victor
III. McCords claim against that coun-
try for indemnity.
1t will, perhaps, do no good, as this
Administration is not lying awake
nights to protect it's citizens, but it will
| at least result in the exposure of very
black page of Americas diplomatic
records.
Victor H. McCord is a native of
Pennsylvania. In 1885, during the revo-
luton in Peru, he was q railroad agent
in that country. He was acting super
intendent of the Arequipa and Cuzco
railroad. He was directed to place a
train at the disposal of Peruvian Off
GERS and soldiers. and did so. Through
the perfidy of the engineer the train was
delivered into the hands of the reyolu-
tionists.
Mr.. McCord was at that time a con-
sular agent for the United States
Notwithstanding this he was thrown
into prison and brutally treated. That
was in June, 1885. The authorities at
Arequipa had not the slightest shadow
of proof against him. 1t was enough
that he was in charge of the railroad.
A court was convened, and, without
trial he was ordered to be shot, and
was marched out at midnight for exc
cution. But the suggestion of money
caused a slight delay. Residents of
the city paid $4,000 to the authorities
and Mr. McCord was released.
Mr.. McCord stated his case to Mr..
Rayard Secretary of State in Mr..
CleveIand's first Administration. Min
lister Buck, resident in Lima, reported
that at the time OF the outrage Peru
was in a state of armed revolution,
that the Prefect, Manuel San Ro-
man. who was charged by Mr..
McCord with responsibility for his in
juries, was colonel in the Peruvian
army and a revolutionary chieftain
The perpetrators of the outrage in
December. 1885. referred the matter to
the Peruvian government, at Lima
The government Endorsed the act OF
violence. thereby making the act its
own.
The Peruvian authorities in 1888
again seized Mr.. McCord. He was i'm
prisoned in his own Office for five days.
so that s3,G06 might be @extorted from
him. His captors ukept him without
food or water for. .twebey-seven hours
MT. MCADitl uStu lpl biVb VI tii~ ~ 49,
of Mr. Thorndike. o. New York man, as
the offices of the United States con-
sular agency. On September 26, 1883,
an armed force seized the Offices, closed
the consulate and took down the
American shield ii
For these insults TO the United states
Government and indjsnities TO one of
its citizens, who was a, governmental
official. Minister Buck demanded repa-
ration of the Peruvian government. No
notice was taken of theGdemand.
In tire latter part Of 1888 Mr.. Me-
Cords attorneys filed with the Secre-
tary of State memorial in the shape
of a bill in chancery asking our Gov
ernment to demand reparation of Peru,
asking for 100000 Indemnity.
The memorial has been pending ever
since, as an illustration of the Harri-
n-Cleveiand- Mckinley way of pro-
tecting American citizens.
The Guiana interests of the first
named. the general Indifference TO
American rights of the second and the
fear of Wall street disapproval by the
third kept each in turn from sending
a warship TO Peru and demanding sat
isfaction.
1t is understood that Mr.. Quay viii
urge vigorous action on the part of the
Government