The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-05-10
PARAGUAY DECLARES WAR ON
BOLIVIA IN GRAN C1ACO DISPUTE
First Time Formal Call to
Conflict Is Issued
Since 1918.
MANY THOUSANDS DIE
Every Modern Device Used
by Nations in
H0StiIitieS.
By United Press

ASUNCION, Paraguay,
May 10.-Paraguay declared
war on Bolivia today.
1t was the first formal declaration
of war since Guatemala declared
war on the Central Powers in 1918.
The President signed the decree
declaring war under special powers
recently voted by congress.
The declaration was based on
Bolivian aggression and violation
of the territorial integrity of Para
quay beginning with the Bolivian
attack on Pitiantuta on June Is,
1892" and also in view of the failure
of all peace efforts.
Threaten Death of Prisoners
The conflict was brought to a new
crisis in the last week when Presi-
dent Eusebio hyala of Paraguay,
who signed the declaration today,
annouced that if the Bolivians con-
tinued to bomb Paraguayan towns
The defenseless population will
sacrifice lives-those of Bolivian
prisoners-in retaliation"
Bolivia retorted that if Paraguay
killed a single Bolivian prisoner,
Bolivian military planes would bonn
bard the capital, ASuncion, and
other Paraguayan cities.
Bolivian planes last week dropped
bombs at Porta Pinasco and Ca
sado on the Paraguay river, killing
seven civilians and endangering
American and other foreign prop
erty.
Seek to Cut OFF Supplies
George Lehman, an American,
complained to the foreign Office
Tuesday that Bolivian airplanes
had bombed his property in the
Gran Chaco for thirty-f1ve minutes,
causing much damage.
The purpose of today's declara-
ton, foreign observers here be-
lieved, mainly was TO force the hand
of Argentina and Chile. 1t was
hoped that making the war formal
would force both nations to declare
their neutrality, thus cutting off
exports of munitions and supplies
to Bolivia and bringing her to
terms.
The efforts of the League of Ma
tions and the moral force of the
Kellogg pact hitherto have kept ma
tions from declaring war, despite
the outbreak of hostilities, such as
between Japan and China, Colombia
and Peru, Greece and Turkey, and
similar incidents.
Fight for Nearly Year
The warfare between Paraguay
and Bolivia has been in progress for
nearly a year, since June Is last,
and has been OF most sanguinary
nature, fought with every device of
modern war, including airplanes,
tanks, artillery and machine guns.
Casualties have numbered many
thousands, the number never hav-
ing been accurately estimated, al
though almost certainly more than
10000.
Nineteen nations of the western
hemisphere solemnly warned the
two belligerents last August that
they would not recognize territorial
gains won by force of arms.
Paraguay, which took the formal
step of war today, is an adherent of
the Kellogg pact, which binds ma
tons not to resort to war as an
instrument of national policy.
Dispute 50 Years Old
The dispute is over possession of
the Gran Chaco, an unfertile, pear
shaped region - often mistakenly
called jungle-of about 100000
square miles lying between Paraguay
and Bolivia. 1t is bordered on the
east by the Paraguay river. 1t
touches also on Argentina and
Brazil
The dispute has been in progress
for more than fifty years. Land
locked Bolivia having been blocked
on the west coast bitterly is de-
termined to get an outlet to the sea
by extending her borders to the
portions of the Paraguay
river, the Paraguayans charge.
On the other hand, Paraguay
wants to make up for the territory
she lost in the war with Argentina,
Brazil and Uruguay.