The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-04-30
THE SOUTH AMERICAN WAX.
The Origin ana Cause Of the war He
tween El,ill ana BOilvia.
lNaw York Herald

studying the progress oi pImn.a sluoa . II
III EilrpI,e and also I'll this country, ~ now IN
this city for the purpose OF gathering Oil
information bearing on the special ana I'M
portant task Entrusted to his care, ~ , col,
versaton with representative q oIls .leam
yesterday Senior Nunez, who 10 o gentleman
we'll versed In all matters pertaining 70 tne
South American republic, stated e. t1at Inc
contest now raging between Chin bo aisl
tion Of the civilized world 70 . larger extent
| than was anticipated, evenly those Wno KEEP
| themselves generally well posted ~ W e.
| fairs In the southern part Ut this hemlspnere..
troubles. said Senior Nunez, we must 70 baek
somewhat and remember that 40 l5lu, hl.s I
tho war I'll Independence, where Peru anu
Chill became republics, there remained, =,
province between Peru, Brazil and emu;
Gen. Bolivar, the. George washington ~. 2.
South America, called II Bolivia, though Ine
truth Is that regardless OF any other CONSIST u
this territory by drawing, 90 ~ m, speak, h III
| sword across the map, saying. This Will 9e
Bolivia Chill had occupied for years tnis
| territory, and LIS citizens had Tor O long ZINE
| worked Iii tho Desert of Atacama IN mining
and III yguano works, as taI down ~ w. ths
BAY Of MajiIlones. In 1850 Bolivia for the
first time claimed ownership. OF the north o.
tho Desert Of Ataeama, and, further, deinana-
| ty-tlfth degree. After considerable trouble
i trrenty was Mt last concluded In 1866 between
Chill md Bolivia. That treaty provided that
theneeforward the. Legitimate frontiers ~
the twenty Fourth degree but at the same
/ time tbnt Tho Immediate country lying be-
tween the twenty-third and twenty-f0urt Sc
A 9rees, Though by right and law belonging 20
It's income upon gtluno and all matters OIL that
sort, with the Gillian government.
now TREATIES ARE MADE no DE TORN.
Instead of acting up TO the provisions OIL
this treaty, Bolivia on the contrary, dld not
ray d single cent III this revenue to Chill be-
tween The years 1866 and 1874. LII should Do
remembered that this very treaty was obtain
, ed from Chill ut tlme that Spanish ,flgaless
, were bornbardng CHILEAN ports, and that Nal-
, paradise Ut the time suffered terribly q
lime passed on, however. 1t waaa very dilil-
cult matter for Chill to induce Bolivia to live
M to her agreement or even TO urge her W
, such action. No less than $4,000 Ghiiinns had
, settled themselves In places actually belong
occupied by working the rich silver mines {. II
7 CaraEoles and the saltpetre districts With
, | a generosity but seldom equaled In the aita1is
, of nations, the Chilan government suddenly
receded from the position previously held a,d
made Bolivia d present III OIL thu, duties she
Chilli ought to have received In eight years,
, and agreeing, further, to a stipulation that In
the future IL should be Bolivia's right 70 re-
csive the whole pf these duties. This Chilian
! generosity was, however, accompanied with Q
, request that Bolivia should not collect o tax
. frpm the Ghilians working In Bolivian silver
, and saltpetre mines for twenty-tive years.
! This, indeed was the substance Oh u new
. treaty In 1874.
, IMMEDIATE CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE.
! n was In March, 1878. that Bolivia issued q
decree ordering that saltpetre. should pay ten
Q cents per quintum 200 pounds) as minimum
o for export duty. Chill said she could not 90
: this, according to the treaty; but Bolivia ~
D sisted upon IL. AT the same Time bolvla y.
against CHILEAN salpetre company IN hn .,y9
d fagasta, and the government ordered that this
I company should pay 500, 600 on saltpetre eS,
ported from March up 70 Movehner is9 ,a n
/ discussing with the Bolivian Foreign Minis
ter the illegalty of this proceeding anu the
, impO5siblity OF enforcing such decree, the
, Bolivian government was actually seaI l lis
: dered public auction sale 81 this property,
!. to take place on February 10, 1879.
OPENING OF HosTibrTtEs.
9 On the fourteenth Of February, however
. the day before the great sale. four Chillar
men.of-war entered the haInor Oh anson" t,a,
@ possession, not only Of the town but OF tht
saltpetre works and the silver mines, abon,
one hundred, twenty miles distant. II mus
: be remembered that the population OF Anto-
fagasta and Of the adjoining mines IS COM IN
/. posed OF Chilians, numbering NJ least l5,uuU
Z and there are only 300 Bolivians IN the entlr.
! district. The mel-of-war, whose arrival SEM
a Joy to the hearts OF the inhabitants, OF Anto
]. fagasta, were the two iron-plated, frlgate'
]. Lord Cochrane and BIane0 EnCalada, carry
!. nv slx guns each, and both built In England
I and the two corvettes OHigglns and Chaca
b huco. Chilli Mt once issued a manifesto Il
! which she recited that by the treaty 81 ls6
|. she had ueded to Bolivia ths entire territory
I on condition that Chilans should not pay
taxes; but In SO far as Bolivia had violated
h that treaty the compact was now considere'
u broken and ut an end. Chill then said
a "There Is no treaty and Chill occupies Inc tef
:. ritory which was once her own.
4 PROGRESS or OPERATIONS.
IL Since the commencement OF hostilities tn
+ Chilans have sent troops to Salinas, the tef
minus q the railway from antot - ~ 1sra
i colas silver mines. 1t is true, continued %
ar nor Nunez. that the President OF Bolivia ha
r since that time been laying embargo on pr
~ vate CHILEAN property ana expelling LILY III;
o. soon ascertain that such action is against Tn
le law of nations OF course the Chilians ar
not going to. sit by quietly, and hence s1 M
% have occupied calamoi oa very mp marn
tain chains. They have also sent their aftl
lery there, and at the same time have occl
h pied Cobiia and Tocopilla.
"a WHY PERU HAS JOINED THE CONTEST
III In times past nearly all the salpetfe wa
N produced by Peru and prices regulated then
~ selves in accordance with the laws of suppl
TO and demand, and 1t was free industr
1ee In 1872, however, the government I
I'd Peru took possession of all the saltpetl
~ mines in tho country and the goyernmeI
" does business III salpetrs the same az 1t do'
~ in guano. The Gillian Saltpetre Company.
ne Antofagasta, mentioned above, has capt.
ae Of "a, 1000 900, and produced lost year, no ~
than million and . half OK quintals. !. ,Il
daily product Of this company is at least thp
to i've Thousand quintals. At the same tin
tho Chihans have found salpetre IN their oV
". country and they have begun TO export
"a from the port Of Taltal. This bears y .,
rs hard on Pera, and hence her secret mott
e for supporting Bolivia against Chill. Up
u this moment She has only been preparing ne
as self. her fleet being far inferior to that
ltz ChilA The latter country, besides, is VIRTUE
Iva free country. with free, industries,
triosic people, who are ready to stand BY TN
he nnrernment ~ nnhnld liberal institution