Mr. Egan to Mr.
Blaine.
Legation of
the United States,
Santiago, November 30, 1891.
(Received January 13.)
No. 242.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my dispatch of
20th instant, No. 236, in reference to the disrespect shown to this legation
by some of the police agents or spies by whom it is surrounded, and now beg
to hand you a translation into English (inclosure No. 1) of a note received
from the minister of foreign relations, to which I would call your
particular attention.
It will be seen that from the very beginning of those annoyances every
complaint which I have been obliged to make about disrespectful conduct
towards the legation has been met by insinuations or suspicions of
conspiracy or indiscretions of conduct against the refugees and even against
the employés of the legation, but up to the present the honorable minister
has not ventured to make a single direct, tangible charge, and for the good
reason that no such conspiracies as those insinuated have ever existed in
this legation and no such indiscretions have occurred.
The suggestion contained in this letter that the persons who knocked at the
window the legation on the night of the 15th instant, and who used foul
language towards the persons inside, were agents of the refugees is, on its
face, absurd. The Government has a number of its police agents, with whose
appearance I am perfectly familiar, around the legation day and night, and
it was those same men and no others who acted towards the legation in the
manner described in my notes to the minister.
I also beg to inclose copy of my reply to the note of the minister of foreign
relations, marked inclosure No. 2.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure 1 in No.
242.—Translation.]
Señor Malta to Mr.
Egan.
Ministry of Foreign Relations,
Santiago, November 23,
1891.
Sir: Half an hour after the interview between
the honorable minister plenipotentiary and the undersigned, on Saturday,
the 21st, there was received his note, dated 20th, in which was dealt
with the same disagreeable affair which, among others, was referred to
in said interview, whose termination would give to be understood other
things different from the reception of the note to which I have the
honor to reply.
I regret very much that the honorable envoy extraordinary and minister
plenipotentiary, when there occurred a case in which some police agents,
in a state of intoxication, had disturbed the peace of the vicinity and
even offended against the respect due to the legation, had not denounced
it immediately, for then the respective chief and the intendente of
Santiago should have done prompt and strict justice.
There are, outside the consideration due to the honorable minister
plenipotentiary, other reasons for regretting the delay in denouncing
the conduct which he now brings to the knowledge of this department, and
that is that the police agents, or spies, as the honorable minister
plenipotentiary terms them, may have been agents of the same persons,
refugees in the legation, having relation with others who disguise
themselves in such manner, and who may have had interest in provoking
this in a way very little agreeable for the legation and for this
department.
In all cases the facts having come to the knowledge of the undersigned,
even tardily, the required investigation shall be made, proceeding in
accordance with justice.
[Page 249]
In concluding this letter it will not he out of place to call the
attention of the honorable minister plenipotentiary to the fact that
some of the refugees in the legation, on account of their former
official positions, possess relations which might enable them to act
with other persons not connected with the legation, and they, by the
action and conduct which have taken place at times, might have assisted
to provoke those occurrences which, as well as not being in accordance
with the desire and official duty of the honorable envoy extraordinary,
can not be so to the undersigned.
Neither the acts which the honorable minister complains of nor those
which the undersigned suspects, and all of which are caused by the
abnormal situation and not very discreet conduct of refugees in the
North American legation, are, repeating the words of the honorable
minister, “calculated to promote the spirit of cordial friendship which
it is so desirable to cultivate between the two countries,” but which
shall not disturb the high respect and decided courtesy with which the
representatives of both will continue to treat the matter with which
they are charged.
Renewing to the honorable minister plenipotentiary the expression of my
high consideration, I remain,
His obedient servant,
[Inclosure 2 in No. 242.]
Mr. Egan to Señor
Matta.
Legation of the United States,
Santiago, November 30,
1891.
Sir: On account of a short visit to Valparaiso,
I have been obliged to delay my reply to the note of your excellency of
23d instant.
I am surprised to learn that my note of 20th instant only reached the
hands of your excellency after our conference on the 21st, referring to
one of the matters treated in said conference.
My note was delivered at the ministry of your excellency in the early
hours of the 21st instant, and naturally I supposed that your excellency
had already a knowledge of its contents when our interview took place at
about 3 o’clock p.m. of that day.
It does not correspond to me to inquire why the said note was not
presented in due time to your excellency by the employés of the
ministry, and I only state these circumstances now in order to make
clear the facts.
In replying to my note your excellency expresses and repeats the opinion
that the difficulties occasioned by the police agents or spies who are
surrounding this legation may have occurred as a consequence of the
conduct of some of the refugees who, being in relation with other
persons not connected with the legation, might have promoted those
disorders with a view to provoking conflicts and disagreeableness, such
as I have been obliged to complain of to your excellency.
I regret to be under the necessity to deny again, and for the last time,
to your excellency those assertions and fears, and I can do so the more
positively because I feel that I am well acquainted with and convinced
of all that occurs in this legation. I regret at the same time to have
to observe to your excellency that it appears strange and anomalous that
your excellency should ignore the permanent presence in the vicinity of
the legation of a number of agents of the secret police, in an official
character, and certainly without any participation whatsoever on the
part of the refugees in the legation. The irregular conduct of those
agents has provoked more than once actual disorders in this
neighborhood, and only last night they appear to have interfered with a
representative of the National Congress, who, in going out of a
neighboring house, was molested or offended by those same agents.
It would be idle to attribute to the refugees in this legation any
participation in those occurrences, since local authorities have at
their disposal ample resources and activity to put in prison any persons
whose conduct they may consider suspicious. Besides, it is entirely
unlikely that agents of the refugees, such as indicated by your
excellency, could station themselves in the public streets during entire
days with the object of creating disorders, and at the same time be, as
I have seen them, in constant and confidential relation with the regular
police force of the city.
I am in a position to assure your excellency that the persons about whom
I have made complaint, and whose presence and actions have been and
continue to be decidedly disrespectful to this legation, were
undoubtedly agents of the public authority, and could have had no
possible connection whatsoever with the refugees in this legation.
Renewing to your excellency the expression of my high consideration,
I have, etc.,
