The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-08
THREE CORNERED FIGHT
in Prospect Among South American
Republics.

3s5 D00A4GSs
correspondence Of Associated Pless.1
Valparaiso. Chill, Aug. IA three
sided conflict is in prospect on account
of the Tacna-Arica question. which has
remained in allegiance since the treaty
of Ancon, which terminated in 1884, the
victorious war Of Chilli against Peru ana
Bolivia It was agreed then that the
victor was to occupy the PERUVIAN
provinces of Tacna and africa Tor ten
years, after which a plebeScitum was
to declare whether those provinces
wanted to be incorporated with Chilli or
returned to Peru The date passed on,
however, without any plebescitum being
taken The Chilans put 1T on, under
this or that pretext, because, it Is claim
ed. they wanted TO COLOMBO the provinces
with their own people and thus secure a
majority in their favor at the holding
OF the plebescitum. It Is asserted that
they sent their soldiers and all kinds OF
people from the slums Of the Gillian
seaports- But Peru held that only
legitimate natives of the two provinces
should be entitled to vote at the piebesci-
turn and that the method of voting ana
the qualifications OF the voters snouIo De
determined by special protocol, as
provided for in the Ancon treaty. Chill
at last consented to this, in 1898, at a
time when she anticipated a war with
the Argentine Republic and reared Feru
might side with the latter The Billing
hurst-LaTorro protocol was then sign
ed at Santiago and approved by the
Gillian senate. But Chilli peacefully ar
ranged her dispute with Argentina and
her chamber of deputies did not even
discuss the question of the protocol,
which, being approved only by the SEN
ate remained a dead letter.
The question of the final ownership OF
Tacna and africa has thus remained un-
settled and Chill still occupies the prov
inces, with the deliberate intention. &C
cording to many Gillian papers and po-
litical speakers, of keeping them forever.
Still many Chflians admit that the
ssChilianization'' of the two provinces
has produced no effect and that they
are as strongly attached to their mother
country as on the day when they were
taken from her, and that the two prov
inces are eagerly waiting for the day
when they will be freed from CHILEAN
arbitration in order to settle peacefully
the question of the final ownership or
these provinces
And here comes the point where the
limited States and the Argentine Re-
public are dragged into the dispute
The United States government having
invited all the Spanish-Amer1can coun-
tries to participate in the second Pan
American congress to be held at Mexico.
in October, 1901, must have been surprls-
ed to receive from the Gillian govern
rnent a conditional acceptance Chilli. be-
ing aware that the congress was to pro
claim arbitration as the only method to
settle international differences on this
continent. answered that 1T would send
representatives to the congress only on
the condition that arbitration should ap
ply exclusively to future disputes The
ceptance of such a condition, 1t is point
ed out would leave Chill free to act as
she pleased with reference to the annex
alton of Tacna and africa
Meanwhile the people of Argentina be-
gan to fear that the Chilians would not
accept the decision about the ChilO-Ar-
gentina frontier limit question, which
had been submitted to the arbitration of
Queen Victoria. And, as If to support
and justify their fears, it is reported
that the CHILEAN government has tres
passed upon the absolute rights Of the
arbitrator in imposing the obligation OF
limiting the award to such and such
points
No wonder, that amid this mess of
conflicts, the governments are making
preparations for war. While Chill has
sent to Germany her favorite general.
Korner, to buy guns and cannons, Peru
has dispatched on a similar errand her
former president, General Caceres and
the Argentine Republic Is drilling its ma
tfona1 guards. In addition, there is about
to be instituted in Chill compulsory mil
itary service and the regrettable system
of armed peace may be inflicted upon the
republics of South America as result
of the fact that Chilli now holds over
them a sword Of Damocles through her
unwfllingness to settle finally the old
question of Tacna and AFRICA