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Show Iy ' The Fleet's Visit to Valparaiso. H We are glad that the battle-ship fleet made that swing in the lower bay of Valparaiso. The groat bulk of the people of Chili are within easy distance from Valparaiso and Santiago, and all who could be, were down to see and hear that fleet. The Chllanoes are a proud race that is the higher class they are a brave race too, and believe it is their mission to dominate all the west coast of South AmrIca. Again, on occasion, they are prone to be saucy and they have been nursing a thought for a quarter of a century, that if necessary, they could whip the United States as easily as they did Bolivia a fow cars ago when they took away her coast line and loft her pretty nearly a subject country with no outlet save through foreign soil. What was done in Manila bay and Off Santiago (Cuba) steadied their self-esteem self-esteem a good deal; what was done when the great earthquake rent, their coast, touched their hearts, a good deal, but still they needed the object ob-ject lesson of the spectacle of the battle-ship fleet to caution them not to carry chips on their shoulders shoul-ders when dealing with the gringos of the United States.. As those ships, one after the other roared their salutes, among the thoughtful ones there must have stolon the thought: "What if those monsters were in earnest, what if those blank cartridges were real shells, and they were turned upon the city?" They were never treated to such a spectacle before; never before were they ever given an idea of the power which must be behind such a fleet as that, and a thrill must have vibrated in their souls at the thought that were Chili menaced by any foreign power and her integrity as a nation assailed, as-sailed, those ships and more like them, would unbidden un-bidden come and all those guns would be roaring in her defense. Chili for many years has treated American sailors, who might be on shore, with scant courtesy. cour-tesy. She will be more careful in future, for her petty ofllcors will be instructed that it has been determined to bo more, friendly with the gringos who can send a fleet like the battle-ship fleet to their waters. |