Smyrna times., 1929-07-31
SOUTH AMERICA ENDS PERIL
OF 80 YEARS THREAT OF WAR
SETTLEMENT OF TACNA ENDS
THREAT TO SOUTH AMERICA
History of Tacna and africa, Often
Called the Alsace-Lorraine of
South America, Is Given

Santiago, Chile.-The announce
ment of the settlement Of the long
standing boundary dispute over
Tacna and africa, often called the
/ AlSace-LOrraine of South America,
ends 50-year threat of war that
many times has imperiled the peace
of South America.
The dispute had its beginning in
the war of the Pacific, or the nj
trate war, as it is more latterly
called, which began in 1870 when
\ Chile invaded the Bolivian province
of Atacama on the pretext of
broken treaty rights.
I Prior TO this war much Chilean
capital was invested in the nitrate
plants of Atacama, but Chile never
/ vigorously pressed its doubtful
claim to the province as long as Bo-
livia did not attempt to tax Chilean
capital invested there.
Whether, as charged by Chile,
for the purpose of melting war or
for revenue, Bolivia broke its
treaty with Chile and began tax
Ing Chilean nitrate interests. With
out waiting to declare war Chile
seized the city of Antofagasta.
Chile Wins.
4 Two weeks later Bolivia for
mally declared war and called upon
Peru to assist her. The Chileans
charge that Bolivia and Peru had
an offensive and defensive treaty
against Chile. The war ended in
/ 1881 when Chilean troops seized
the city of Lima.
/ The treaty of AncOn was signed
/ in 1881. Bolivia handed over to
\ Chile the province of Atacama, and
/ thereby lost its entire seabOard and
world monopoly of nitrate Of soda.
Peru ceded the province of Tara
paca and handed over Tacna and
africa for ten years, when pleb-
iscite was TO have been held.
The plebiscite was never held, as
the Peruvians will explain, because
Chile feared she would not win,
and, as the Chileans will explain,
because Peru believed she would
lose.
/ The fact of the matter is, the
I plebiscite was never held for the
very good reason that Chile fought
two nations in 1879 to obtain the
province, and as long as the vet
Grams of that war dominated the
politics of the nation she stood
ready every minute to fight again
! to hold it.
Matter of History.
/ Like the veterans of the Amer
/ lean Civil war, the veterans have
now passed from the political pic
ture, and for several years Tacna
and africa has been only matter
of the history books for the pres
ent generation of Chileans. Thus
it was that the way was paved for
the announcement of the present
settlement.
| In recent years the disputed prov
| ince has been a convenient tool for
politicians. If President Leguia be-
came involved in international dis
sensiOn he had only to raise the
question of Tacna and africa to di-
vert public attention.
Likewise, in Chile, when the army
was going to revolt in 1920 the pol
| iticians raised the cry of war with
Peru and rushed 10000 soldiers to
the northern frontier to defend the
nation against d mythical army of
their own fabrication.
Although Bolivia was left out in
the cold in the present settlement,
there is no doubt that she has not
given up her hopes for an outlet to
the sea, and many persons believe
that Peru will sell her share of the
settlement to Bolivia after the COM
pletion of the port. The province
is worth little or nothing to Peru,
outside of the honor involved.
BY the treaty of 1908 Bolivia
waived all claims against Chile
upon the latter's promise TO build
the Arica-La Paz railroad and upon
the payment of a large indemnity.
This treaty was definitely dis
charged last year when Chile
turned over the Bolivian section of
the railroad to Bolivia.
While it is pointed out in some
auarters here that the United States
and Great Britain could never have
afforded to permit Chile and Peru
to go to war, all South America has
breathed a sigh Of relief over the
settlement, because the province
was long a potential tinder box Of
an all South American conflagra-
ton.