The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-05-18
By Edward s. Wallace

of our newspapers are seen occa- slonAl and fragmentary accounts of the fighting which has been going on for over two years between the republics of Bolivia and Paraguay. The average reader has probably judged this distant war as but another of those musical comedy squabbles of which he has read in some story of Q. Henry or Richard Harding Davis, and, as tho same reader Is probably extremely hay as to tho exact whereabouts of the o. posing countries, he Is naturally not particularly interested in It's causes, background, or outcome. Any belief, however, that this war is Q joke is utterly and tragically false, for tho fighting has been or the mos: desperate and sanguinary nature, with tho combined cnslaI- ties of both sides amounting. to abOnt 100000 men to date: When this figure is contrnsted with Pnr- and BOllyia's three millions, 1t will bo seen that this rate is Q far higher ono than that suffered by the United States during the World War.
 19UNUNMEy DbBtIutO
 Tho war was caused by . bound. ary dispute over huge area or largely uninhabited swamps and tropical Jungle lying to tho west of the Paraguay river and known as tho Gran Chaco. Tho question of right and wrong in this controversy is hopeicssIy confused and en- snaried in conflicting documents and maps of Colonial days, for when che South American republics gained thelr independence 1t was more or less agreed among them that their various boundaries should follow tho lines of the old Spanish provinces as of the year 1870. Un- fortunately, in many cases surveys had never been made and tho OK. act limitations of tho various re- pubiics have been . matter offend- less controversy.
 Bolivia is fighting, partly from economic necessity but, probably, mostly from national pride, for Q river port on tho Paraguay or Pll" comayo rivers, both of which arc navlgablo by small steamers from the son; for Bolivia is tho only landlocked American republic which Is n very sore subject in. deed among tho Bollvians. Bolivia once had a perfectly good seacoast on tho Pacific ocean but this was removed from her firmly and none too gently by tho Chileans m the War of ihos Pacific of 1S70-1Ss3. Now national honor and pride arc highly motlvatlng forces In Latin American countries and as any att tempt to regain their lost soacoast from the progressive and aggres- siye ChIlenos would be tantamount 10 national suicide, Bolivia has sent invading armies into tho Chaco un. dor tho command of tho imported German General Kundt to occupy the disputed territory. Up to tho present the invaders have not achIcycd much success and the lat- ost news is that two Bolivian divls- ions comprising somo 13,000 mon hayc surrendered to tho Para guayans.
 Defends Territory
 Paraguay, with about one-third tho population of her adversary, Inns sought to defend torritory which she had previously occupied and fortified, and to which she holds tho immense advantage or shorter and easier communications Paraguay seems so far to have lpheld her reputation as the "sparta of South America" and or possessing the ficrccst fighters on ilIe continent; for Paraguay has n history which for color. r0niancc, rciirjous devotion. individuality and heroic sacrifice probably cx. cecds that of any other IMun American country. per square mi.s with ti,e possible exception ["
 A look at the map will show that Pawguay's one means ol communication with tho outsiue world. before tho recent building of inc railroad to Buenos Aires, was down the Parena River, and that she could bc utterly isolated by closing this river; an act which was accomplished at various times d,iring tho 18th Century by hostile rovernments at Buenos Aires. rms remoteness and inaccessibility have proved both Paraguays strength and her weakness and to maJor degree account for her interesting and unique history.
 AscurciOn Settled .
 Strange to say. the first perma. ncnt settlement made by the Span iards on the east coast of South America was at Asuncion, the present capital, some twelve hum dred miles up the Parana River. This was in 1537, forty-three years before Buenos Aires was founded m 1880. An attempt had previously beer made to settle near the pres- ent city of Buenos ires which was a logical site. being near the mouth of the Rio do la Plata, but after the coIonists had suffered enorm- ous losses from famine ana the warlike Pampa Indians, the SUIT vivors had moved on up the rIveE to q more peaceful and iertiie land. .. it's initial success to one Domingo Martinez do Irala who ruled the miniature colony with an iron . hand, thus setting tradition which was largely followed by tho royal governors. and by the Three suc- cessiye dictators who ruled Tor sixty years after the gaining or independence. Irala IS largely known for his refusal to recognize fhe authority of the first royal Sovernor sent out from Spain. the famous Nunez Cabeza de Vaea, who had previously gained renown b, crossing the North American continent from Florida 10 the Gulf of California, a feat which he ace compIIshed, after being marooned on the Florida coast, in the years from l527 fo 1536. cabeza de Vaca was unique among the early conquerOrs because of hls kindness 10 the Indians. and frala and hts
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