Evening star., 1933-06-04

last week when two South
American nations agreed at
" Geneva to lay down their
swords and proceed to the ad-
justment of their territorial differences
through peaceful and diplomatic means.
The governments of Colombia and
Peru, engaged for the past few months
in an unofficial" warfare over the
Leticia territory have signed an agree
ment with the Council of the League of
Nations to Immediately cease hostilities
and accept the Councils recommenda-
tions for the amicable settlement of the
controversy
The announcement must have sur
prised Skeptics and pessimists who re-
Gently have been scorning the appear
ance of new international morale"
and the attempts of enlightened states
men to build up peace machinery ca
pable of controlling the passions and
misunderstanding of excessive nation
alism.
Regarded Significant.
When the representatives Of almost
every nation on earth, following the
courageous leadership of the President
of the United States, are endeavorlng
at the Disarmament Conference to
strengthen that machinery and remove
one of the major causes of war, such
an announcement acquires momentous
significance. 1t will give encourage
ment and hope to a world, beset by
economic and political crises, which was
almost on the verge Of giving up the
fight for peace.
Here lies the real importance OF the
Leticia settlement. The extent of the
territory involved or the size OF the
countries affected may have deceived
editorialists and students Of world az
fairs. Apparently, 1t has, because very
little, If any, editorial comment has
been devoted to the Colombo-Peruvian
reconciliation. But, irrespective OF the
physical factors, the solution OF the
Ieticia conflict may become land
mark, II intelligently and effectively
followed up, in the history OF inter-
national organization. 1t Is not dim
cult to see why.
Treaty Violated.
On September l, last, a party of
Peruvians, which included some officers
and soldiers of the Peruvian garrisons
at Chimbote and Ramon Castillo, at
tackled and took the town of Leticia,
In Colombian territory, imprisoned the
Colombian authorities, confiscated the
local funds and undertook the admin
istration Of the district.
Leticia had been ceded to Colombia
by the Salomon-Lozano treaty, signed
in 1922 by the Peruvian minister OF
foreign affairs, Don Alberto Salomon,
and the Colombian Minister IN Lima,
Don Fabio T. LoZano, now the diplo-
matte representative Of his country In
washington. Thus the seizure Of
Leticia involved the violation Of q
treaty, duly ratified by both parties,
even though this did not count with
the support Of a sector of the Peruvian
people, who denounced it as having
been imposed upon them by former
Observation-Disclosures Leguia.
Because of this circumstance, and the
fact that a war growing out of the
scrapping of a solemn. international
treaty could not fail to endanger the
whole structure Of anti-war compacts
laboriously built UP since Versailles
the League of Nations covenant, the
Kellogg-Briand pact, the arbitration
conventions, the Pan-American agree
ments-the statesmen of the world be-
came at once alarmed by the warlke
preparations of Peruvians and Colon
bians. They did not stop to think Of
the physical strength of the disputants
nor the extent Of the material con-
sequences which their clash might
bring about. The important thing was
the precedent, the test for the prin-
ciples of diplomacy and conciliation.
The whole peace movement OF the
world was at stake.
Other Armed Conflicts.
It Is true that two other armed con-
f1icts were at the time in progress, but
peculiar circumstances prevented these
from becoming a real test. In the Far
East, both Japan and China charged
each other with violation of treaties
and international obligations and it
was difficult, in view of the internal
conditions in China, to throw all the
responsibility on one side. AS for the
controversy in the Chaco, both Bolivia
and Paraguay claimed to be fighting
for their own territory, the possession
of the Chaco region never having been
definitely settled between them. The
case of Leticia, on the other hand, was
clear-cut example of the old-time
aggression to alter the juridical status
quo between two civilized nations by
the force of arms.
The realization of this fact, and
probably also desire to take advan-
tage of this opportunity to set prece-
dent for the future, caused the states
men at Geneva to act with much more
speed and decision, in this emergency,
than they had shown in previous ones
~ 10 hat he.