Evening star., 1922-01-29

| calling together the representatives
| of the disputing powers for confer
ence here, and in so doing is follow
ing a policy which many have hoped
for but few believed would develop
so soon or in manner which at the
very outset promises SO much suc-
| cess. In acceding to the expressed
! wishes. of Peru and Chile to take the
| leadership, the United States has put
] in a fair way of accomplishment the
| settlement of forty-year-old dispute
| over the territories of Tacna ard
Arica-a trouble breeder which has
overshadowed for many years the
| wonderful development of Spanish
South America.
| Peru and Chile have accepted the
| invitation forwarded by the State De-
partment to send their representatives
to Washington for discussion of the "un-
| fulfilled provisions of the Ancon treaty"
And so. after forty years of wrangling
and bad feeling over the Interpretation
of two articles of a treaty. both coun-
tries will send their statesmen to
| Washington, to meet on foreign soil
and away from the distracting inf1u-
| ences of partisan surroundings, to ad-
| Just their differences under the helpful
| guidance of disinterested umpire.
| j: X x K
| The United States has put the ques-
| tion squarely up to the contending
| parties 1t is for them to take or
| leave. There is to be no quibbling
over the extent of the conference
why it was called or what it is to
discuss. Those who have studied the
text of the brief invitation to Chile
and Peru see in its wording phrase
which will avoid lot of useless dis
cussion when the delegates reach
| Washington.
"The government of the United
! States" the invitation reads, has
! been kept informed on the progress
! of the recent negotiations,
| looking toward a settlement of the
lons-standing controversy with re-
spect to the unfulfilled provisions of
the Ancon treaty"
| This government considers the dis
pute between Chile and Peru to be
over the "unfulfilled provisions of the
Ancon treaty" and thereby eliminates
the danger of the conference becom-
ing lost in discussion of lot of eN-
traneous matter which might lead TO
nothing definite in the end.
| x Il X
On the other hand. it is going to De
difficult to place an Interpretation ac-
ceptable to both parties on what Is
included in the unfulfilled provisions
of the treaty. There is much to De
said on both sides.
| 1t is generally accepted, however,
that the only unfulfilled provisions
are articles and IL, the important
| parts of which follow:
| Article 3-"The territory of the prov
! inces of Tacna and africa (the boun-
daries are given) shall continue
in the possession of Chile. subject to
Chilean laws and authority during a
period of ten years. to be reckoned
from the date of the ratification of
! the present treaty of peace.
After the expiration of that term
a plebiscitum will decide by popular
vote whether the above mentioned
provinces will remain definitely un-
der the dominion and sovereignty of
Chile or continue to form part of
Peru. Either of the two countries
to which the provinces of Tacna and
africa may remain annexed will pay
to the other ten millions of Chilean
silver dollars or Peruvian soles of
the same weight and fineness.
| "a special protocol, which will be
considered as an integral portion of
the present treaty, will prescribe the
manner in which the plebiscitum is
to be carried out, and the terms and
time for the payment of the ten mil
lions by the nation which may re-
main in possession of the provinces
of Tacna and africa"
Article 12-Indemnities due to Peru
by Chileans. who may have suffered
damage on account of the war, will
be adjudged by tribunal or arbitra-
tion or mixed International commits
sion, to be appointed Immediately
after the ratification Of the present
treaty
| Around article 3 of the treaty of
Ancon have ranged the present diff
culties over the possession of the
article 8 is the stumbling block in
the way of the forthcoming con-
ference.
/ Perm helioyas that <tba f,;I,,ro =,
hold The plebiscite Immediately al the
end Of the ten years stipulated in
the treaty, or even reasonable time
thereafter, has allowed Chile, for
bnearly forty years now in possession
of the disputed area, to create a
pro-Chilean sentiment by the alleged
expulsion and intimidation of native
Peruvians, which would make a plebi.
scite at present an entirely one-sided
| affair in favor Of Chile.
Chile, on the other hand, argues
that she has never been able to reach
an understanding with Peru which
would permit the plebiscite to be held
on an equitable basis, and that ad-
vances made toward that end by Peru
have not been possible. to accept
Chile also argues that the term oi
ten years, stipulated in the treaty, dii
inot mean the plebiscite was to be helo
exactly after ten years had elapsed
but not before that time.
+ 4 X
The controversy over the disputed
area covers a period of thirty-eigh1
years and is replete with all the tech.
| nicaltties and intricacies of extended