Evening star., 1926-12-04
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Hence Secretary Of State Kellogg
now urges that Chile and Peru agree
to let Bolivia possess Tacna and africa,
upon her paying to each OF those
countries the sum which the winner
under the arbitration was to pay tho
loser. S5.000,000 Q0,000.000 silver
pesos). That proposal is now before
the parties Interested: it seems to be
the last hope of avoiding ultimate
hostilities. Secretary Kellogg reminds
them that its acceptance would in
volve no loss of national pride by
either Chile or Peru, but rather
would be hailed by all the nations az
Il fu,tilim2nu of that noble resolve for
;,eace, botokened by Chile and Argen-
tina, when, in the face of immediate
hostilities, they were mutually per-
suaded to erect the great statue of
the Prince of Peace upon their inter
national mountain boundary, as q
pledge and reminder against war.
X X
Such an outcome of the 4S-year
controV ersy. in returning to Bolivia
her lost seaport, would mean far more
to her than the loss of that seaport
could possibly mean to either Chile or
Peru. Chile has 100 ports; Peru has
so; but Bolivia, since that fateful war.
has none. If now she regains one
port, she will have that access to COM
merce of the world which Is so in
| dispenSable for the development of
her resources and her independence.
At present, shut in, in the heart OF
South America, she is dependent upon
the generosity of her neighbors for
access to the sea. If Peru or Chile
should ever be at war with nation
with which Bolivia was at peace.
Bolivia would be unable TO maintain
neutrality without shutting off all her
ocean commerce. Besides, the prov
inces of Tacna and africa originally
belonged to Bolivia and were wrested
from her by the conquest of that
bloody war-as Alsace and Lorraine
were taken by Germany-and until
their restoration they will be a source
of unrest.
The Kellogg plan is not new. nor
has it been confined to Bolivian hopes.
1t seems to have almost Chilean
origin. In the monthly La Revista
Chilena, published in Santiago, Chile.
in September, 1919, appeared an ar
ticle by one OF Chile's most prominent
senators. Senor Agustin Ross. sup
porting Bolivia in its hopes. Senior
Ross, 1t was then stated, represented
large element among prominent
Chilean statesmen. He argued that
on account of their geographical sit
uation, Tacna and africa ought to be-
long to Bolivia, for the port supplies
the road into Bolivia, and not into
either Chile or Peru: also for the sake
of future peace the territory should
not return to either Peru or Chile. but
as a corridor to the sea 1t would be
| of great value to Bolivia, and as q
neutral buffer territory between Peru
and Chile would tend to prevent con-
| hict, especially since Chile holds Tara
paca, taken Internationally from
| Peru at the close of the war In 1888.
but still coveted by Peru.
| Senator Ross, writing while the
Versailles treaty was in the making.
argued:
"If President Wilson claims for
Serbia, in a memorable and note
worthy document, the outlet on the
sea which she is in need Of, and since
he says, Furthermore, that II Is neces-
sary to secure free access to the sea
| for all countries, in order that they
may be able to develop, secure FROM
all sorts of restrictions, the great
and the mighty by the side of the
weak, how much more then will an
| American republic, confined in the
! heart Of the continent, be entitled to
point out the dire necessity, when
| she finds herself barred from obtain
| ing free passage to the ocean.
. There will be no peace, secure
and permanent, on the South Ameri-
can continent unless and until satis-
| faction is given to the legitimate de-
sires and needs Of Bolivia"
Those are the strong words, not OF
a friend of Bolivia. but of a leader
and statesman of Chile-of Chile
which helped erect the statue. the
Christ Of the Andes" the pledge OF
peace.
1t is recalled that at the time OF
the beginning OF the war OF 1879
there existed a Bolivarian America II
pact" which bound its signerS 20
submit to arbitration all matters of
dispute, rather than go to war. That
treaty of solidarity" signed in 1865.
| included Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Colon
bia, Ecuador. Salvador and Venezuela,
and it provided that 1.-The high COLI
| tracing parties mutually guarantee
their independence, their sovereignty
and the Integrity of their territories. ="
and also bound them "never to have
recourse to arms as means OF put
| ting an end to their differences but
to employ for that purpose peaceful
measures only, submitting to the un-
questioned decision of an arbitrator
when they could not agree in any
other way" Was that American
Pact" but 'sorap OF papG"f
tCopyrisht, 1eas. ~ Psal v. os1lnal