The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-28
THE ACRE CONTROW ERSY.
The case Frausht with Possibility Of Int er
national Difficulties.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUS--Sr, viii you
permit me 10 add few particulars TO your in
teresting article of the 2Sd inst on the exist
ing quarrel between Brazil and Bolivia. en-
titled New Army Marching On Acre"i Petty
as the cause of this quarrel certainly Is, it may
have serious consequences
The territory in dispute where the Rio Acre
crosses IL cannot be more than four or five
miles In width and can be located only by the
boundary mark on the Ten line of 1874 which
was formally accepted by both countries and
surveyed to that point In 1894 The town Of
Puerto Alfonso. the capital OF IN" once celc-
brated Acre Republic. il a Bolivian river port
well within Bolivian territory. The contested
strip OF territory forms but very small part
OF the revolted district
The Teni line was determined by the ex-
ploration Of the Rio Javary in 1874 by mixed
Brazilian and Peruvian commissio ion under the
command OF Capt Baron de Teffh, who
located the source OF that river at - or II s.
south latitude and '0s' 81 o." west longi
tude. The accuracy OF this determination
having been questioned, the survey OF the
boundary line was suspended in 1895. and
the Brazilian Government had a new ex-
poration OF the Javary made in the follow
ing year b. Capt Cunha Comes. in which
Bolivia declined to part icipate Cunha
Comes found new source for the river.
which he located at - n 4s TO- south lati-
ule and 10 AZ AS" west longitude
showing difference OF about Io,l min
utes o. latitude and nearly 2o% minu.es Of
Is al the junction OF the s'' Rio Benz with
the Rio Madevia. tn" geographical position
S Sa IL rhs Ten am Inc. a.co4aSs
to Brazilian computation is 1891 - kio-
metres long, and The Rio Acre crosses II
from the Benz From This it win be ssen
that the wedge IL very thin. and that at the
Rio Acre 1t IA hardly wide enough for two big
sparsely populated countries to quarrel over
After long diplomatic controversy and
after much trouble on tie frontier, in which
the Bra lilans were guilty of invading Boliv-
Ian territory and inCitinR revolution there,
Bolivia lnally agreed In 1899 to n new survey
of the BIO Javary. The BRAZILIAN commits
director Of the Rio de Janciro Observatory,
and according to recent report he has, 10;
Sstcd tns soITec Of t, at river a9oyt half
Cunla Comes. and little to the west of the
longitude given by the latter Ills divides
the contested tsrritory into two almost equal
parts. which should be satisfactory to both
A Brazil is still dissatisfied and trouble
seen that there are reasons other than terri
revenue and jealousy The Brazilian States
Of Ama2oras and Para do not wish 10 lose the
export duties on the rubber from that region,
much Of w ich comes from Bolivian territory.
and the citizsns; II not the G2ycrnment.
revolutions that lave occurred on the Acre,
and for the opera boufe republic estab-
listed there by tie Spanish adventurer. Luiz
Calves
Tie Brazilian Government also. is secretly
opposed to the development OF Bolivian
interests In tho Amazon Valley. for that
means large increase of population there.
the oncni ing Of commercial ports and the free
use OF tte Amazon and It's Tributaries Brazil
does not wish 10 Rave the Amazon thrown
open unrcservedly to the commerce of the
world In the Interests of q competitor. She
was compelled In the sixties to declare II
orcn. but the declaration did not include
all the tributaries. nor yet their whole navi-
gable length. For eSample, the Madeira
was opened only 10 Borba. The Pllrus, OF
which tho Acre Is a tributary. is one of those
not in cluded The Jurua, who's" free navi-
cation IL claimed nv Peru. was likewise not
included The Wilmington incident IL an
illustration of FRA iii 3 suspicion and jealousy,
and the Withdrawal OF the new commercial
treaty with Bolivia last May is another.
This treaty was signed July 81. 1899. and grants
Bolivia free outlet TO TIE sea for her COM
mcrcc, but II WINS held M in Con gress nearly
siv wears and then withdrawn because Of a
Bolivian concession to an Anglo American
syndicate for the development OF territory
on the uppcr waters of the Purus and Jurua
The true reason for oil this Is the secret.
perhaps urdcfued. purros" Of Bra7ilians
to prevent Bolivian development in the
Amazon Valley A. j. LAMovRErx.
pronVryx Nov A ioop