Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1905 — PEACE IN SOUTH AMERICA. [ARTICLE]

PEACE IN SOUTH AMERICA.

How the Acre Dispate Between Brazil and Boliv-ia Bas Been Settled. A territory one-third larger than all New England has just changed hands in South America under a treaty between two nations. A territory larger than New England and the middle States combined Is about to be awarded as the result of peaceful arbitration. This is the Acre or Aquiry dispute, involving Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. When Spain and Portugal claimed to divide pretty muck all the world except Europe between them in 1493, says the New York World, boundaries wore left rather vague. When in 1750 these countries made a treaty as to their South American boundaries the limits in the unexplored forests were still left vague enough. In general they adopted the “uti possidetis” maxim-**the rule of “hold what you occupy”—and this was generally reaffirmed a century later between Brazil and other countries which had inherited the vague Spauish-Por-tuguese boundary. When a few years ago the richness of the Aquiry region became known and settlers poured in there was bound to be a dispute as to its ownership. It arose between armed -Brazilian settlers on the one hand and a big Bolivian land corporation formed in this city on the other, with Peru as an Inactive claimant. »

But, instead of going to war over the country, Brazil and Bolivia signed a treaty on Nov. 17, 1903, which is thus summarized by Prof. John Bas sett Moore: “Bolivia concedes to Brazil the whole of the basin of the Aquiry, embracing 191,000 square kilometers (about 90,000 sq'iarq miles), part of which was admitted to belong to Bolivia under the treaty of 1807, and receives in return 2.296 square kilometers between the Madeira and Abunan rivers, inhabited by Bolivians, and certain tracts of land on the Paraguay, the sum of $10,000,000. which Bolivia accepts with the intention of using the same mainly in the construction of railways or other works to improve the communications and develop commerce between the two countries. "Brazil in addition .to the other compensation to agrees to build a railway * * and to grant to Bolivia the same privileges and rates ns she shall herself enjoy In the use of the line. ‘The gain,’ says Col. Church, ‘which Bolivia will reap from the construction of the Madeira and Mamore railway alone is worth all of her territorial sacrifices.’ ” A pretty sensible way to settle a boundary dispuate, Peru, which also claimed ihe Aquiry region and a great tract to the north besides, has consented to negotiate with Brazil concerning her claim through the friendly offices of an arbitrator if a treaty cannot directly be reached. Thus a threatened three-cornered war seems likely to be averted.