Evening star., 1926-06-15
dation Of the affairs. of the commits
sion and transmission of the record
of the final report to the arbitrator" :"
I.TTTJ r. HOPE yEE-r

Failure apparently is about to bring
to swift termination the efforts of
Washington to settle the old Chilean.
Peruvian controversy over the two lit
tie Pacific seaboard provinces of Tacna
and AFRICA.
A slight hope of avoiding complete
collapse Of the negotiations still was
In the minds Of officials here today.
and President Coolidge continued
ready to take whatever steps he
might find practically, either now or
in the future, to bring the two South
American nations into accord. But
the swift developments of the past "a
hours generally were conceded to have
dealt a severe blow to the prospect of
a settlement
1t Is believed almost certain that the
threat of breakup in the arbitration
at africa, undertaken by the President
himself, will carry to defeat the sep
arate mediation proceedings instituted
by Secretary Kellogg between the
Chilean and Peruvian ambassadors in
Washington.
The presidential arbitration was un-
dertaken first by President Harding,
who hoped to find q way to remove
from Latin American politics an issue
that had led to generation-oid con-
troversy and several times had threat
ened to lead to war
Once the territory of Bolivia, the
two provinces passed under condi-
tional control by Chile half century
ago after a war that involved more
or less directly all of the South
American Pacific seaboard nations.
One OF the conditions of the peace
treaty, however, was that plebiscite
should be held at some future time to
determine whether Chile or Peru
should remain permanently in posses
sion Of Tacna and africa.
Chile and Peru never were able to
agree on the conditions for such a
plebiscite. however, and Harding
ernments to Washington, where they
drew up a protocol, leaving it TO the
President Of the United States TO de
eide how the sovereignty of the
provinces should be determined After
Hardings death his successor in the
White House was designated 10 sue
ceed him as arbitrator. In an award
handed down a year ago last March
Mr.. Coolidge decided in favor of a
plebiscite and he designated a com.
mission Of Chileans, Peruvians and
wise arrangements for the voting.
ferSh1ng Began WOrh.
Gen Pershing at first headed the
American group at africa, but he made
little progress toward an accord be-
tween the Chilean and Peruvian
groups on the conditions that were TO
govern the election. When he was
forced by i'll health to return to this
country last January he was succeed
ed by Gen. Lassiter, upon whose mo-
ton the Plebiscitary Commission de-
clared yesterday that the fair and
free" plebiscite provided for in the
presidential award had been rendered
impossible by the attitude of Chile.
Foreseeing such a result. Secretary
Kellogg has been seeking for several
weeks to secure an agreement for
settlement of the controversy by di-
rect diplomatic negotiations, and with
out a plebiscite. He has advanced sew
eral alternative bases for solution.
under one of which a share in the ter
ritory would go to Bolivia. despite
the fact that in 1904 she made a
treaty with Chile resigning all her
previous claims to consideration in
the settlement.
The Secretary's negotiations. which
have languished from the start. today
remained barely alive. A notification
from Chile that she could not proceed
with the discussions was expected
momentarily.