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THE CIVIL WAR OF 1891 339 by the supreme court. He ignored the court, which was no doubt in sympathy with the opposition. Pro- bably from the time he had dissolved congress on Oc- tober 5th, the president had been preparing his final coup d'etat. It is reasonable to suppose that he was not idle, and there is no doubt much truth in the charge that he increased the police force everywhere, obliged the officers of the army to pledge support to him and, in case of their refusal, dismissed or impris- oned them, broke up public assemblies, and it is likely may have been indirectly responsible for some citizens being shot down by the police. Some of the officers of the army who had been im- prisoned for refusing to pledge their support, appealed to the supreme court, and the court decided that they should be set at liberty. The court also decided that the army and navy had no legal existence after De- cember 31st, inasmuch as no congress had then passed the annual law granting supplies and enumerating the strength of the land and naval forces for the ensuing year. Probably the court was right, but Senor Bal- maceda was now dictator and refused to obey the su- preme court, which was in sympathy with the party opposed to him. Congress, which had a very ques- tionable legal existence, deposed the president, or de- clared him deposed, and empowered Jorge Montt of the navy to assume command provisionally; when a junta was formed aboard ship, consisting of Senor Montt, Waldo Silva, vice president of the senate, and Barros Luco, president of the chamber of deputies. On January 7th, following the publication of the president's letter, civil war began. The commanders of the "Blanco Encalada, " "Cochrane" and "Huascar, " the only ironclads in the navy, declared at once for congress ; the wooden vessels followed their lead. The