Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 4, 1882
No. 63.
Mr. Trescot
to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Washington, D. C., June 10, 1882.
Sir: I herewith inclose a copy of a communication just received from Señor Alvarez, secretary for foreign affairs of the Provisional Government of Peru, and have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Señor Alvarez to Mr. Trescot.
Mr. Minister: The representatives of your excellency’s government in Peru, and those of the government of this country, have on various occasions informed your government of the cruelty and the acts of vandalism with which the Chilian forces carry on hostilities against our defenseless people. The recital of a portion of these acts of barbarity has now been published, being contained in the volume of official documents published by your excellency’s government, in relation to the war on the Pacific coast. The Hon. Mr. Christiancy, in giving an account of these acts, refers to them with deep emotion. I will quote a few passages from his communications:
“Last week a Chilian force of from two to three thousand men marched from Ilo to Mollendo, and with some marines who were near, or who arrived there about that time, they completely burned, sacked, and destroyed the town, railway, and railway station, wantonly destroying the lives of peaceable inhabitants.”
“The orders given by the Chilian Government to their fleet to destroy all the Peruvian ports can hardly be carried out without great inhumanity and even barbarity, and that towards neutrals.” (March 23, 1880, page 325.)
Referring to other outrages, he says:
“This mode of carrying on the war by Chili has produced a strong feeling here among all the representatives of foreign powers.
“I shall readily join in protesting against all such means as are supported only by savage or semi-barbarous practices of past ages, but condemned by the more humane codes of modern warfare. Humanity has some rights even higher than those of belligerents.” (March 24, 1880, page 327.)
“This is not war, but deliberate, wholesale murder, unprovoked by anything yet done by the allied forces, and, in the cause of civilization and humanity, calls for an indignant protest from all civilized nations.” (July 5, 1880, page 330.)
“If Chili chooses to employ savages as soldiers she must be held responsible before the world for all such excesses as would not have been committed by a civilized soldiery under proper discipline.” (February 2, 1881, page 438.)
Your excellency sees for yourself in the vicinity of Lima the traces of this barbarous warfare.
It now becomes my painful duty to call your excellency’s attention to a fresh outrage of this kind, which has just been committed in the province of Jauja by the Chilian forces which are overrunning that territory.
The commander of those forces, whose name is E. del Ganto, sent on the 6th of April last an artful communication to various towns in that province, telling them that the Chilian forces had not come for the purpose of making war upon the poor, but upon the rich, so as to compel them to sue for peace. (Inclosure No. 1.)
The object of this communistic proclamation was to induce the Indians to plunder the property of the wealthy classes in order that the Chilian forces might thus be supplied with beef cattle. To this wily missive intimidation was added, Mr. del Canto informing the Indians that he had caused their principal men in those districts to be placed under arrest.
Finding that his insinuations were of no avail, del Canto proceeded to commit an act of the most barbarous cruelty. He invaded those defenseless villages with a force of two thousand men and butchered the inhabitants, without sparing either age or sex. He drove those who escaped the murderous knife to the mountains, thus depriving them of shelter and of every means of subsistence. (Inclosure No. 2.)
The inclosed copies of reports received by the government will give your excellency a fuller view of these horrors. These copies are not authenticated, because the parties who sent them feared the evils to which they would have been subjected if the papers had been intercepted.
It seems scarcely credible, the war being de facto at an end, for the simple reason that Peru is unable to continue it, and in presence of your excellency’s mission of peace, that such acts of atrocity are possible.
Your excellency will observe that this officer, del Canto, molds the policy of his government in the most inhuman manner.
The revelation of such cruel proceedings and of such wicked purposes will, I hope, be an additional incentive to your excellency’s government to increase its laudable efforts to bring about a peace without usurpations on the part of Chili. It is not possible that your excellency’s government should witness unmoved the execution of this horrible design: “Either the conquest of a portion of our territory or the butchery of its inhabitants.” It cannot be that these atrocities are to go on year after year before the very eyes of the United States in spite of their denunciation by the Hon. Mr, Christiancy.
In the mean time I likewise hope that your excellency, with the sense of justice which characterizes you, will for the honor of humanity endeavor, so far as you are able, to put an end to these revolting deeds.
With sentiments of the most distinguished consideration, I am, &c.,
To the chief of the communities of Vinca, Moya, Cocra, Laran, and others on the heights of Chongos:
The Chilian forces have not come to make war upon or to oppress the poor. The sole object of their coming has been to compel the rich to sue for that peace which is so necessary in order that the poor may be able to pursue their labors without molestation.
In view of the fact that the Chilian forces have been living almost at the expense of the poor, and as the Government of Huancayo was badly disarranged the notables have been placed under arrest.
What is desired is that the rich should give what they ought; consequently, the chief of the communities on the other side is requested to send commissioners to the principal estates for the purpose of bringing beef cattle, so that those which have been taken from the poor may be restored to them, and that some may be left for the subsistence of the Chilian forces.
The chief of the communities is further requested to inform his people that they may retire to their villages with the certainty that the Chilian forces will do them no harm.
A reply is requested.
God guard you.