The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-14
HAVE BRAINSTORM
Chilean Press DenOunceS View
Election Favored Allies.
PrO.German Factions Lost, but
War Was Not an Issue.
CnIINn. 4 nCuIIINC MCIITQkl
FOUND: A GENUINE NEUTRAL
Chile Absolutely Disinterested
in Great War Conflict.
Even Wilson's Democratic Ap-
peals Stirred Not Ripple.
BY ROY w. HOWARD

president of the United Press Asso-
ciation.)
Santiago. Chile, March 14.-The
ultra neutral and pro-German ele-
ments of the press are suffering from
brain storms today as the result OF
editorials published in the United
States interpreting the Chilean cleo
ton as favorable to the allies. They
declare that the intimation that Chile
is susceptible to foreign influences is
insulting. This view is taken notwith-
standing the free activities of the Ger
man-South American institute, which
is the most pernicious force in fur
thering German propaganda since the
activities of BernStorff in the United
States. The cold fact is that the cleo
tons here afford only the most infin-
itesimal encouragement for the allies.
Naturally, the pro-allieS and those
democratically inclined belong to the
victorious parties and the pro-Ger-
mans are enrolled among the defeat
ed conservatives and the clericals, but
was committed on issues of the war in
the platforms.
Domestic Issues Only.
The results of the election actually
were determined by domestic issues
and not by international issues.
The utmost satisfaction that can be
derived by the allies is from the fact
ministry certainly are not biased in ia
vor of Germany.
1t is an indisputable fact, derived
from a fortnight's Interrogation of the
best informed individuals of all
classes, that Chile now presents the
really rarest of international phenom-
ena-a genuine neutral.
Entirely different from American
neutrality, which, after Belgium, was
official only, Chilean neutrality is ma
tion-wide excepting a limited number
of individuals who are partisan, ac-
cording to their environment and in
terests. Otherwise, the disinterest is
absolute.
This disinterest, however, positively
is not to be construed as pro-German-
ism. Far removed from the conflict,
not affected by submarines and profit
ing immensely from the nitrate in
dustry, which is the backbone of their
prosperity. the Chileans are amazing
ly unmoved by the conflicting issues
of the war.
Call Chileans yankees
The most Unconditional and practi-
cal of atin-Americans, the Chileans
have been correctly dubbed the Yam
KEGS of South America.
The Chilean public, inverse1y to
ours. has accepted and adopted the
governments neutrality. All the bel
ligerents are assiduously counting
all and playing no favorites.
Meanwhile, the moral issues being
injected into the international situa-
ton and emphasized by President
Wilson have not created a ripple here
They are not given a thought except
among the pro-allies and the intel1ec-
tualS
Making the world safe for democ-
racy and the rights of small nations
are not appealing issues to a nation
whose German-trained army admit
tedly is not surpassed in South Amer
lea and which has it's own Alsace-Lor-
raine problem in the pending terri
torial dispute regarding the ultimate
ownership of the provinces of Pacna
and africa, taken from Peru in 1879.
Despite the belief in the United
States to the contrary. however,
Americans here are unanimous in the
opinion that the GOODNESS of Chile ex-
tends to all the belligerents in the
war and should not be construed as
unfriendly to the United States.