Evening star., 1925-03-07
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Almost the last act of Secretary of
State Hughes before his retirement
from the cabinet was the completion
of two matters of boundary arbitra-
tions affecting South American con-
troversies which had menaced that
continent for many decades. The
Tacna-Arica dispute between Chile
and Peru, which in 1922 was referred
to the President of the United States
for arbitration, was decided last week
and will be officially announced to-
day, in a decision of 21,o30 words--a
rather lengthy decision for n Presi-
dent who is traditionally disting guish-
ed for reticence. The other arbitrat-
ed boundary Is that between Brazil
Colombia and Peru.
I. i y
No iukling of the nature of Presi-
dent Coolidge's decision in the Tacna
africa dispute has been permitted to
leak out of the State Department. The
important fact is that il settles a
question which has been menacing a
South American war for the last 81
years.
The original cause of the dispute
between Chile and her neighbors on
the north was the valuable guano en-
isting in the Desert of Atacama. I'm
til 1912 there had never been ques
boundary of Chile, as won in her war
for independence from Spain. the
earliest constitutions Of Chile de-
fined her limits as from the Desert
of Atacama to Cape Horn and from
the Cordilleras of the Andes to the
Pacific Ocean"
Such a boundary did not include
the Desert of .Atacama, which desert
was unquestionably within the juris-
diction of Bolivia, giving that country
a coast line. The Desert Of Ataca ma
extends from 81 to % degrees south.
In 1912 Pre- sident Montt of Chile
informed the Chilean Congress that
he had sent commission to search
for guano, and that the commission
had found II in the region between
20 and 23 degrees longitude. in the
Desert of Atacama, and that 'all the
guano deposits that existed In the
province of Coquimbo, in the littoral
of Atacama and in the adjacent is
lands, are hereby declared national
property"
i II n " ~
Bolivia protested In vain that all
of Atacama Desert belonged to her.
Chile proposed to compromise by
dividing the desert, and after pro-
longed negotiations was forced to
yield the region between 81 and "a
degrees; Cnlle Stlil Claimed territory
up to 23 degrees. Another compro-
mise resulted in an agreement to hold
that region between % and 25, In
partnership, each country to receive
half of the guano and minerals ex-
ported. Further encroachmepts by
Chile led to disquiet not only in
Bolivia, but also in Peru, toward
! which the Chilean advance was trend
| ing. In 1873 A treaty was made be-
tween Peru and Bolivia, described as
| a defensive alliance against all for
eign aggression" binding the parties
| to mutual protection against en-
croachments or attempted protector
ates. The pact was kept secret.
Chile based a claim to the disputed
| territory upon the ground that she
! had made of it conquest for civiliza-
tion. thanks to the enterprise, capital
| and labor of Chilean nationals" The
legality Of such grounds for taking
| and claiming territory is disputed by
| international lawyers, though, since
| the days of Queen Elizabeth of Eng
! land, it has been recognized that
mere discovery without possession
| and development did not make per-
feet title to new territory.
] The dispute continued to grow In