Show BALMACEDA THE story of balmaceda it appears has after all a termination report has it that he shot himself in his bie room at the argentine legation in santiago chile on the idal the news of his bis death was occasion in that city for brilliant illuminations and boisterous rejoicings rejo icings all hope of escape having vanished balmaceda sooner than surrender himself to the junta committed suicide balmaceda left a letter written to his mother and also a statement to the new york herald in which he explains his attitude during the rebellion in it he be says that he be acted with the firm conviction that he be was right all through the war he complained of the treachery and mendacity of his hie generals geue rals say ing they were false to him his heart was in hla his country coun ay and he be bad hopes of making it in truth a real republic he also states that the bad deeds attributable to his orders was not known by him until after they had been he had hopes of triumph all along until after the battle of placilla in his death statement balmaceda makes one important admission relating to united states minister egan he says if he had taken egans advice matters chatters would be different egan advised him to make peace and retire from chile but thinking that he egan was in league with the junta the advice was ignored the new york keran heram correspondent at santiago says that egan gave him marked assistance si in obtaining copies of the last statements of balmaceda A short time ago major alfred F sears of portland oregon returned home from a four years sojourn in chile and other south american countries to the portland oregonia nim he gave his views on the right and wrong of the chilean trouble he says the american press has not treated treat ted balmaceda fairly simply be cause the prom press was not cognizant of the real situation in chile C hile major sears however admits that brutality and ferocity are the most marked characteristic traits of chilean character and thit that one side is as guilty as an the other and remarks if it were necessary to acknowledge and discuss tle the cruelty of balmaceda Balmac eds it should be sufficient to say that he be is is a chilean to recall the history of the chilean devastation of the peruvian coast under admiral lynch to refer to the conduct of men at piragua pisagua Pis agua where here the breathing and moaning wounded were thrown into a common pit with the lead dead and covered with earth I 1 among the mercies of god for which we w e ought on to be grateful grate fal at let us thank him m that we are not chileans Chi leans and that bat th the e face of the earth is not net blaek blackened efiM with only ohly of them and moreover in these latter days they have been instruments to kill off of each other inchild IB chile during the post past ten years the PO political situation was rather chaotic there were three sections of what was called a liberal party and one conservative party the first fi rat section of the liberal party though willing to divorce church and state and to curb the power of the clergy yet were opposed to lo extension of the franchise and to general education the second branch of the liberals was composed of men who howled loudly for freedom out but afterwards voted at the dictations of priests and plutocrats the third wing of this party advocated universal franchise entire divorce of church and state and aad the establishment of a general free school system of this branch balmaceda Balmac eds was the leader and expounder in 1886 he was elected president but though able to control the different branches of the liberal party at the mollp he be did not succeed in maintaining them at his bis side after his inauguration sl i taja r 9 franchise in chile is very limit there are educational and proper to which when rigidly enforced afe the nu number aber of voters to about 7 abar percent e cent of the adult male t balmaseda Balma Balms oeda oeds favored universal and public education he ej d the church of many of its fee and closed a number of ts to and monasteries being a he probably went too far owing 16 intensity and impetuosity of his lacter however when the true A of the chilean struggle comes C written ritten it will probably be found balmaceda was not as am black as he anted |