Mr. Egan to Mr. Blaine.
Santiago, December 14, 1891. (Received January 22, 1892.)
Sir: I have the honor to inclose a copy of a telegram* sent on 12th instant, transmitting copy of a telegram forwarded by the minister of foreign relations to the Chilean minister in Washington and read by [Page 271] the minister in the Senate here, with, as he stated, the authority of the President and after consultation with his colleagues of the cabinet. I telegraphed the document in Spanish as published, and as you must have in the Department the necessary datum to enable you to judge of its entire want of veracity, as well as of its animus, I did not deem it necessary to accompany it with any denials or comments of my own, nor do I think it necessary now to do so beyond giving one illustration of the entirely careless manner in which this gentleman flings statements and charges of bad faith, deliberate misrepresentations, and want of truth and loyalty against all with whom he happens to differ in opinion from this legation and the officers of the Navy to the President of the United States.
In one short paragraph of his telegram to Señor Montt there are, as can be seen from the correspondence now on file in the Department, two misstatements, one of them of a serious nature, in reference to me. He says:
V. S. debe tener la nota de 9 de Noviembre contestaudo al Ministro Egan, como aquella en que se le pidió testimonio que no ha querido dar, sin embargo de haber dicho que el tenía las pruebas para senalar el homicida y otros culpables del 16 de Octubre,
which, translated, reads
You should have the note of 9th November replying to Minister Egan, being the; one in which he is ashed for testimony which he has not been willing to give, notwith-standing having said that he had the proofs, in order to indicate the murderer and the other criminals of the 16th October.
In the first place, the communication of the minister of 9th November was not a reply to one of mine, but an original note, and in the second, there is no record of my having said, and I never did say, that “I had the proofs in order to indicate the murderer and other criminals of the 16th October.”
As can be seen by reference, the note of 9th November was not based upon anything that I said or wrote, but upon a communication of Capt. Schley to the intendente of Valparaiso, dated 1st November, which is fully dealt with in my No. 245 of 4th December instant, and in which he said:
I am of opinion that if application be made to him (the United States minister) your excellency will be supplied with the names of several individuals who will be able in their turn to give you other names of persons who saw the killing of Riggin and the wounding of a number of others of my men during the lamentable disorders of the 16th ultimo.
In consequence of the most extraordinary terms of this telegram I addressed to the minister, under date of 12th instant, a note* requesting to be informed if the text as printed in the Ferrocarril was authentic, to which I received to-day the reply† of the minister informing me that with the exception of some slight words and letters the telegram as printed was the one transmitted by the minister of foreign relations, and that it is an official act of the Government of Chile which must-serve as the rule of conduct of Señor Montt in Washington in reference to the matter referred to.
This telegram, which was read in the Senate the 11th instant, accompanied by a very bitter speech from Minister Matta, was published in the Diario Oficial with, as stated by the minister, the authority of the President of the Republic and after consultation with the other members [Page 272] of the cabinet, and has been telegraphed by the Chilean minister in Buenos Ayres to all the Chilean legations in Europe.
I forwarded by telegraph, without abbreviation and without ciphering, my note to minister of foreign relations and his reply. I forward copy of telegram as published in the Diario Oficial.*
As the telegram to Señor Montt, which having been read in the Senate by the minister, printed in the Diario Oficial, telegraphed to the various Chilean legations, and published broadcast, has become an official reply of the Chilean Government to the message of the President of the United States, is not only injurious to the officers of the United States Navy and to this legation, but offensive to the Secretary of the Navy and to the President himself, I feel that I should, until the language of the telegram be withdrawn or until I may receive your further instructions, avoid exchanging communications with this Government.
I have, etc.,