 In 1891 , a diplomatic crisis arose in Chile that drove a wedge between Harrison and Blaine . The American minister to Chile , Patrick Egan , a political friend of Blaine 's , granted asylum to Chileans who were seeking refuge from the Chilean Civil War . Chile was already suspicious of Blaine because of his War of the Pacific diplomacy ten years earlier , and this incident raised tensions even further . When sailors from the Baltimore took shore leave in Valparaíso , a fight broke out , resulting in the deaths of two American sailors and three dozen arrested . When the news reached Washington , Blaine was in Bar Harbor recuperating from a bout of ill health and Harrison himself drafted a demand for reparations . The Chilean foreign minister , Manuel Antonio Matta , replied that Harrison 's message was " erroneous or deliberately incorrect " , and said that the Chilean government was treating the affair the same as any other criminal matter . Tensions increased as Harrison threatened to break off diplomatic relations unless the United States received a suitable apology . Blaine returned to the capital and made conciliatory overtures to the Chilean government , offering to submit the dispute to arbitration and recall Egan . Harrison still insisted on an apology and submitted a special message to Congress about the threat of war . Chile issued an apology for the incident , and the threat of war subsided . 
