New Britain herald., 1926-06-15

Blames Chile for Taking Steps to
 Hinder Honest PIcbiscite-Ambas-
 sador May Be Recallcd-History
 Of Settlement Efforts Dates Back
 to Harding Regime.
 Washington, June Is (Pl-Failure apparently is about to bring to an end the efforts of Washington to settle the Chilean Peruvian contro- versy over the two little Pacific sea- board provinces of Tacna and Africa.
 President Coolidge is ready 10 take whatever steps he may find practicable either now or in the fu- ture, to bring the two South Ameri- can nations into accord. But the de- velopments of tho past A hours generally were conceded to have dealt a severe blow to the prospect Of a settlement.
 The threat Of a break in the arbi- tration at Africa, undertaken by the president himself, will carry to de- feat separate meditation proceed ings instituted by Secretary Kellogg between the Chilean and Peruvian Ambassadors in Washington
 Harding started Effort.
 The presidential arbitration vas undertaken first by President Hard ing, who hoped to find way to re- move from Latin American politics an issue that several times had threatened 10 lead to war. Once the territory of Bolivia. the two prov inces passed under conditional con- trol Of Chile a half century ago after war. One of the conditions Of the peace treaty. was that q plcbiscite should be held to determine whether Chile or Peru should remain per- manently in possession of Tacna and Arica-
 Never Could Agree.
 Chile and Peru never were able 10 agree on the conditions for such pleb cite, howeter, and Harding [ called representatives of the two governments 10 Washington where they drew up a protocol, leaving it 10 the president Of the United States 10 decide how the soveheignty of the provinces should be determined. After Harding's death. his successor inthe White House was designated to succeed him as arbitrator. In an award handed down a year ago last March MT. Coolidge decided in fa- vor Of a plebiscite. and designated a commission of Chileans, Peruvians ' and Americans to supervise the vot- ing.
 General Pershing at first headed the American group at Africa, but he made little progress toward an aC- cord between the Chilean and Peru yian groups on the conditions that were to govern the election. When he was forced by ill health to re- . turn to this country last January he vas succeeded by General J,assiter upon whose motion the pIebiscitary commission declared yesterday that the flair and free" plebiscite pro- ided for in the presidential award had been rendered impossible by the attitude of Chile.
 Crisis Comes Monday H The crisis in the situation came yesterday when the Plebiscitary Commission adopted a resolution in troduced by General Lassiter, the . American chairman. declaring that Chili had frustrated the award of the arbitrator, and making a pleb- iscite impra racticable.
 Summing up his reasons far talk Ing the action he did in introducing the resolution, General Lasster said:
 Preference 10 the records of the commission and of the American z delegation develops the fact, that. without going further back than January of the present year, there are found in the files hundreds of reports and complaints of outrages against Peruvians, open and varied in character and widespread in point of time and place. Evidence adduced in cases that have been subjected to investigation, can leave no doubt in the mind of any im- partial examiner into the facts that there existed and still exists in the , plebiscitary territory conditions ut terly incompatible with the exercise by Peruvians of the legitimate pie biscitary activities essential to a free and fair expression of the will of the qualified electorate under the award.
 Forcible Deportations \, "The unacceptable conclusions must 7 be arrived at that the Peruvian cleo torate has been physically reduced below it's proper figure by such measures as forcible deportations, departures induced by violence or threats. unexplaind disappearances, discriminatory military conscription and even assassination; that Peruvi- ans who have been driven or fright ened out of plebiscitary territory have not been given by the Chilean authorities due oppor- tunity of facilities to return and ! re gister to vote.
 That the Peruvian official pie biscitary personnel has been imped- ,d even subjected to assault, in an 2 effort to discharge the necessary appropriate plebiscitary duties; that there have been general deliberate ! misrepresentation and suppression i \ [ real facts by the local Chilean l oress, that the conditions above out , ned have been brought about not ! Hnly with the knowledge and im- 1 { ahed approval of the Chilean au- |