PERU, CHILI, AND THE UNITED STATES. 



7S8 



ported by the national Congress, which is a body rec- 

 ognized by the Constitution, and is an effort toward 

 the re-establishment in the country of a regular and 

 constitutional government. You are mistaken when 

 you say " the Chilians sympathize with it." No such 

 thing. It desires peace in common with the whole 

 country, but it win not sacrifice the national honor 

 nor will it cede territory in order to obtain it. Chili 

 desires and asks for Tarapaca, and it will recognize 

 the government which agrees to its cession. The Cal- 

 deron government will not cede it. It remains to be 

 seen whether that of Pierola will prove more pliable. 

 Meanwhile, under the system inaugurated in Aya- 

 .cucho and carried into practice by the prefects, the 

 Peruvians themselves are worse enemies of the Peru- 

 vians than are the Chilians, and the efforts of the 

 friends of Peru are paralyzed by their internal dissen- 

 sions. When the United States asks Chili why it 

 does not arrange peace, the answer is given that in 

 Peru there is no government with which to treat. 

 Would it not be better to put an end to this state of 

 aifairs, and that all true Peruvians should unite to 

 support a chief of the state whom all parties and fac- 

 tions would join hi supporting for the purpose of sav- 

 ino 1 the country from imminent ruin, restoring peace, 

 and the orderly and pacific reign of the Constitution 

 and laws ? S. A. HURLBUT. 



A. GARCIA Y GAECIA, Esq., Ayacucho. 

 The first public intimation of the views of 

 our Government in regard to the ineffective 

 negotiations for peace between President Cal- 

 deron and the Chilian representatives was con- 

 veyed in the following communication from 

 Minister Ilurlbut to General Patrick Lynch, 

 commander of the Chilian forces in Peru, sent 

 in September, and here given in a translation 

 from the Spanish original : 



MR. ADMIRAL : With the object of preventing any 

 misunderstanding as to the conversation I held yes- 

 terday with you in regard to the existing state of af- 

 fairs between Peru and Chili, I thought it would be 

 better to put in writing what I then stated. Without 

 referring to the cause of the war, I understand the 

 opinionof my Government to be, that all the legiti- 

 mate objects of the war were realized by the disas- 

 trous defeat of the Peruvian armies, the capture or 

 destruction of its vessels, and the occupation of the 

 capital and all the coast. When all organized and 

 formidable resistance has disapnearedj the state of 

 war should cease. The victory or Chili is so complete 

 that peace is a necessity for the national existence of 

 Peru, and it is to the interest of both countries to ad- 

 just a peace as speedily as possible. Commerce and 

 the ri"hts of neutrals have suffered enough, and the 

 large interest owned in Peru by foreigners (many of 

 whom are Americans) should not, for a longer time, 

 be exposed to an unnecessary prolongation of the war. 

 I must also declare that, although the United States 

 recognize all the rights acquired by the conqueror in 

 accordance with the law ot civilized warfare, they <ll 

 approve of war which has territorial aggrandizement 

 in view, or the violent dismemberment of a country, 

 unless as u last resource, and in consequence of su- 

 preme emergency. As a frontier question has never 

 arisen between Peru and Chili, because the two coun- 

 tries do not adjoin, and because Chili has publicly 

 and officially repeatedly denied any intention or de- 

 sign t' forcibly annex territory, wo are clearly of the 

 opinion that such a proceeding now would be incom- 

 patible with the dignity and public faith of Chili ? and 

 that it would bo calamitous to the future tranquillity 

 of both countries, perpetuating a serious grievance 

 which would constantly lead to trouble. The United 

 States admit as a principle of public right that <'|iili 

 possesses the right (in consonance with the code of 

 war) to a complete indemnity for the costs of the war, 

 and that Peru should pay such indemnity as might 

 be agreed on by the two parties, or determined by 



disinterested arbitration, in the event of disagreement 

 and such means becoming neoe^ary, should a time be 

 stipulated for the payment. But we are also openly 

 of the opinion that P'eru should have the opportunity, 

 with full and free discussion of the terms ot peace, of 

 offering said indemnity in a satisfactory shape, and 

 that it is contrary to tile rules which should prevail 

 among civilized nations to proceed at once, and as a 

 tine qua non condition, to incorporate into Chilian 

 jurisdiction territory which is undoubtedly 1'cruvian, 

 without having previously proved the incapacity or 

 unwillingness of Peru to meet the indemnity in some 

 other form. Such conduct on the part of < 'hili would 

 meet with the most decided disapprobation on the 

 part of the United States. We arc, therefore, of the 

 opinion that the act of taking poasv.vion ot' Peruvian 

 territory and annexing it to (hili, whether it lie exe- 

 cuted simply by force ot'unns or similarly dictated as 

 an imperative condition of a ec-satin !' 

 in open contradiction to former declarations of Chili 

 in this respect, will be justly considered by other 

 nations as an evident sign that Chili lias adopted an 

 aggressive and conquering policy for the purpose of 

 territorial aggrandizement. The" United States de- 

 sires, above all things, that peace should exist among 

 the South American republics, and that commerce 

 and industry should jointly serve to the development 

 of their wondrous resources, to their advantage and to 

 the benefit of the world at large : and we can not see 

 any good reason why the state of war should be fur- 

 ther prolonged, to the serious detriment of such right- 

 ful interests, nor can we see any well-founded cause 

 why peace, under just conditions, should not be 

 brought about, within a short time, without any un- 

 necessary humiliation on the one part, and to the en- 

 tire satisfaction of all legitimate claims on the other. 

 S. A. HfRLBUT. 

 To Rear- Admiral the Hon. PATRICK LYNCH. 



The publication of this memorandum occa- 

 sioned no little excitement on the west coast. 

 Among Peruvians it was believed to portend 

 a forcible interference in their behalf by the 

 United States, and the wildest rumors were 

 soon afloat. By Chilians, on the contrary, 

 Minister Hurlbut's letter was condemned as 

 undiplomatic and improper in form and un- 

 warrantable in tone. The excitement extended 

 to official circles, and SeQor J. M. Balmaceda, 

 the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Santi:i_M, 

 addressed a note on the subject to (ieneral Kil- 

 patrick, the United States Minister to Chili. 

 The Chilian Mini>tcr expressed his opinion that 

 the declarations of Mr. Hurlbut's memorandum 

 were not the "expression of tin- circumspect, 

 noble, and loyal policy which the I'nitcd 8 

 have observed toward the belligerents in the 

 Pacific. . . . The strange publicity given to 

 Mr. Hurlbut's document, " the Mini.-tcr further 

 stated, " compels me to direct myself to your 

 Excellency in order to obtain an answer which 

 shall officially re-e-tal>lish the truth mid tin- 

 sincerity of the relations which our respective 

 governments honorably cultivate. The speech 

 which Mr. Ilurlbut pronounced on presenting 

 his credentials to the now ex'inct (Jovcrnnienl 

 of Garcia Calderon ; the memorandum di: 

 to Admiral Lynch, when diplomatic matters 

 were not under discussion; his well-known 

 letter JUM'IIIS' Pierola, to whom Mr. Christioncy 

 was accredited, and whose plenipotentiaries de- 

 bated in Arica, in presence and with full c- in- 

 sent of the United States, may tend to produce 



