Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-02


remain definitely under the dominion ana
sovereignty of Chile or continue to form
part of Peru Either of the two countries
to which the provinces of Tacna ana Area
may remain annexed will pay to the other
ten millions of silver dollars of Chilean
coinage or Peruvian soles of the same
weight and tineness special protocoi,
which will be considered as an integral
portion of the present treaty, will prescribe
the manner in which the pleblscite is to
be carried out and the terms and time for
the payment of the ten millions of dollars
by the nation which may remain in pos
session of the provinces Of Tacna and
africa"
The Chile-Peru Treaty.
The arrangement thus described in the
text of the treaty of peace was, according
to its terms, to take effect March %, 1894,
and ever since that time the government
of Peru has been endeavoring by every
means in its power to persuade Chile to
carry out the contract. But the government
of the latter republic, which is now in pos
session of the disputed territory, has shown
no disposition to do so and has been playing
with Peru 1t has assented to several plans
of settlement, but has declined to carry
them out, and has persistently refused to
permit a vote of the people to be taken, as
provided for in the treaty. At one time
Peru was offered fourteen millions of dol
lars, instead of ten, if she would relinquish
her claims upon the territory, but her ma
tlonal pride would not permit OF the collSlu-
Grafton of the proposition.
Chile claims that the people of the prov
inces prefer to remain under her authority;
but. If she were convinced of that, she
would have consented to vote long ago.
The population is very small, being not
more than forty or fifty thousand in both
provinces combined, and its loyalty to Peru
is so constant that the young men Volun-
tarily present themselves at Lima every
yea to perform the legal military service
in the Peruvian army. In February last
lis and in March 90 young men arrived at
Callao for that purpose; but notwithstand-
ing the fact that Chile has had possession
and has governed both provinces for
twenty-four years, it is not known that
any young man has ever volunteered for
service in the Chilean army. The success
of the efforts to Chileanize the provinces
during that period is Illustrated by the fol-
lowing paragraph found in Ell Mercurio,
prominent newspaper of Valparaiso, Chile,
published February 25 1905:
Our correspondent at Iquique reports
that rs young men from that place and
from Pisagua, born in Chile, have started
as volunteers for military service in the
Peruvian army. He further reports that
those young men asked the municipal band
to play the Peruvian anthem and pretended
to hoist a Peruvian flag in the place of the
Chilean flag of the steamer Tucapel, on
which they sailed.
Disputed Provinces Favor Peru.
Last March when the president of Chile
was visiting the provinces in dispute the
Chilean residents presented to him me-
mortal, complaining of the political condi-
lions in africa, and asking that some meas
ures be taken to extend the influence of
Chile which was as follows:
When your eXcellency shall reach africa
and leaves the public officials who shall re-
ceive him, your excellency will find but
foreign faces. In the harbor itself not a
single boatman fisherman who is not
Peruvian is to be found. In Tacna, the cap
ital of the province, the proportion of this
element, foreign to our nationality, is still
greater. In the streets our language is
spoken with the Peruvian accent.
THE work of propaganda is carried on
by the press that Peru sustains. which
fers to the Chileans foreigners and
CARDS the officials as usurpers.
'In Tacna and africa there are Peruvian
delegates who exercise their functions I'M
der pay of the government of Peru. Vol
unteers who, under our laws of obligatory
service, should serve with the Chilean army,
constantly leave africa to serve under the
Peruvian government, where they are tri
umphantly received.
I'm Tacna and africa your excellency will
find the Peruvfans congregated in socities
that unite them as whole, making them
appear as more numerous and important.
In both cities there exist these Peruvian
social clubs, but in neither of them Is a
Chilean club TO be found; their social world,
although restricted by the discreet and firm
denotes.
If your excellency leaves aside the Off
cial element the province will be dominated
by a purely Peruvian element, inclined to-
express its patriotic sentimentaism; on the
other hand the foreign element, commerce.
which knows that Chilean administration
is the only one that offers guarantee of
order, welfare and progress, wishes the con-
solidation OF our dominion; although it sees
that the principal resources Of the prov
inces annulled by the uncertainty of
our situation as regards Peru
Chile's Agreement With Peru.
In April, 1898, when Chile was. on the
verge of war with the Argentine Republic,
and it was necessary to conciliate Peru, she
entered into an agreement for the settle
ment of the vexatious question as to who
should have the right to vote in the plebis-
cite TO decide the destiny of the disputed
provinces Peru insisted that the plebiscite
should be limited to natives of the two
provinces twenty-one years of age and over.
Chile demanded that everybody should have
| the privilege, regardless of their national
| ity, the term of their residence, or their
| property rights, and wanted to permit not
| only immigrants, but imported workmen in