The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-09

between American republics not to
fight against each other. Even 90 re.
stricted o covenant would have provided
the peaceful remedy Of arbitration for
innumerable boundary controversies
which have caused, or may at any mo-
ment cause, a resort to warfare. The
boundaries of Brazil, for instance, have
not been settled to the satisfaction OF
herself or OF adjoining 6tatee on the
north, west and south. Bolivia has had
disputes about delimitation with both
her Portuguese speaking and Spanish
speaking neighbors. The dividing line
between Colombia and Venezuela has
been, and remains. a matter OF conten.
tion. The same thing might be said
about the boundary between Costa RIGA
and Nicaragua, or about the geography"
cal relation Of Guatemala to Honduras
on the one hand or to Salvador on the
other, although the three last named
countries have lately agreed to refer all
questions, including even those affecting
delimitatton, to the arbitration Of the
United States and Mexico.
By far the most urgent and dangerous
controversy, however concerning boun-
diaries in Latin America is that which
has existed for some thirteen years be-
tween Peru and Chile about the inter-
probation and execution Of the Treaty OF
Ancon. Peru, believing her claims to
be on the face Of the papers i~ndisputable,
has repeatedly offered to refer them to
arbitration; but Chile, alleging that her
honor or vital interests are involved in
the matter, has persistently refused the
offer. To this day she continues to 90
cupy the districts Of Tacna and africa,
although by the Treaty Of Ancon, signed
in October, 1883, they were to be held
by the Chileans for ten years only, and
then allowed to decide by a plebiscite
whether they should belong to Chile or
Peru. There Is no doubt that Peru,
smarting under what she deems gross
injustice, would resort to war for the
recovery Of her lost territories could
she acquire adequate financial resources
or sufficiently powerful allies. Tho
knowledge Of this fact and Of the like
lihood Of Bolivia and Argentina becom-
ing involved in q contest between Peru
and Chile caused the most earnest efforts
to DO made at the last Pan-American
| Congress to secure the assent of Chile
to a treaty providing for the arbitration
OF all inter-American disputes. The
Santiago Government, however. showed
itself ~intractable with regard to the
Tacna-Arioa affair, which remains &C
cordingly O smouldering fire that may
oct at any moment q large part OF South
| America in d blaze.
1t was hoped that what could not be
done at the city Of Mexico might be
brought about at Rio de Janeiro. 40
cording to one telegram, the project
unanimously recommended to the on
gress, and adopted. does provide for tho
arbitration OF all disputes between the
countries represented. 1t does not fol-
low that the project has the slightest
chance Of being signed by the Chilean
Government. But II Spanish American
republics cannot even agree to arbitrate
their own boundary controversies, with
what face can they ask the great Powers
represented at The Hague to refer to
arbitration all contentious affecting from
tiers or other matters between those
Powers and Latin American common
wealthsl Why, for instance, should
Great Britain and France agree to refer
to arbitrators the southern boundaries
Of the British and French Guianas, when
Chile will not consent to settle in that
way her own geographical relation to
Peru?
II tho present Pan-American Congress
shall, like its predecessor, fail to establish
permanent peace between Latin American
republics it will be mainly due to the fact
that Chile is recalcitrant.