Why did President Benjamin Harrison do after American sailors were attacked and chili in 1891

This was called the Baltimore Crisis. Two American sailors were morethan attacked, they were killed along with dozens of others who were jailed. What Benjamin Harrison did was demandreparations, which is compensation in money, material and/or labor. The Chilean President balked at he idea and rejected it. Thus Benjamin Harrison resorted to threatening to break off diplomaticrelations. The US Government Administration reconciled diplomaticrelations and war was averted.