The Position Oí Peruviano = ¡N Chile =
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MINISTRY OF FOREICN AFFAIRS, CHILE INFORMATIONS SECTION The Position oí Peruviano = ¡n Chile = Documentary Evidente disproving the assertions of the Peruvian Government. 19 2 3 THE SOUTH. PACIFIC MAIL O’Higgins 63 VALPARAISO The Position of Peruvians ¡n Chile Perú and the 5th Pan-American Conference The Circular issued by the Chancelleries of Santiago and Lima. The Government and the Press of Perú are continually trying to convince the public mind in the countries of Ame rica and óf Europe that the Chilian authorities treat the Peruvians residing in the territories of Tacna and Arica with a high hand. According to the statements of our Northern neighbours, the line of conduct followed by these authorities leads them, not only to commit acts of hostility against the Peruvian residents in their civic life, but actually to take 4 — measures of expulsión from the territory against them in a violent manner and without the slightest justification. It may be said that this campaign dátes from the time when our country tound itself to be in complete difference of opinión with Perú in respect to the interpretation of Clause 3, of the Treaty that put an end to the W ar of the Pacific, and which was signed in Ancón on October 20th, 1883. Recently, on the occasion of the invitation sent out by the Chiban Chancellery to all the countries of our continent, requesting them to send their representatives respectively to the Fifth Pan-American Conference, to be held in San tiago in March of the current year, Perú again insisted on making these unfounded statements with regard to the conduct observed or prooeedings taken by the Chilian Government towards the Peruvians resident in Tacna and Arica. The Chancellery of the Rimac, accordingly, answered the tele- gram of invitation to the Conference above referred to, sent by the Chilian Minister of Foreign Affairs on December 13th, 1922, in the following terms: “Thanking your Excellency for your courteous telegraphic communication, I have the pleasure of informing you that my Government will give its serious attention to the Note in question and to the Programme announced, and that, ready as on all occasions to co-operate in the work of continental peace and harmony of which diplomatic acts recently cele- brated afford elevated examples, it expresses the hope that the presence of Perú at the Fifth Conference in Santiago will not be prevented by the continuance of the forcible measures that the authorities in Tacna and Arica still exer- cise against the Peruvian population of those provinces. I take this opportunity of expressing” etc. The Chilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Señor Aldunate Solar, replied as follows: "This Government deplores the fact that Perú should continué to occupy the attention of America and the world o — with complaints against Chile after the recent Treaty that submits to the arbitration of the President of the United States the only questions pending between us, and would regret still more if, by reason of these questions, in no sense related to the matters that will be treated in the approaching Pan-American Conference, Perú should determine to deprive this Assembly of ’her valuable assistance in the clearing up of problems that interest the continent as a whole. I take this opportunity of renewing to Your Excellency the assur- ances of my híghest and most distinguished consideration.” The Chancellor Salomón insisted on the statements made and telegraphed on December 20th: “Most Excellent Minister of Foreign Affairs for Chile, It is a matter of great regret for me that the terms of the telegram, •with which Your Excellency honoured me yesterday, oblige me to rectify the unmerited and deplorable imputation con- tained in that dispatch. The Government does not entertain, ñor has ever entertained in the past, the proposition to occupy the attention of America and of the world with complaints that concern Perú only; but Perú has held and still maintains the resolution to lift the veil that covers the extortions and outrages of which the Peruvians in the provinces occupied by Chije have been, and still are, the victims, even after the signing and approving of the recent Washington agreements. If, to appearance, the facts have no relation to the matters treated of in the Fifth Pan-American Conference, they con cern very closely the dignity of Perú, which would not permit the presence of Peruvian representatives in Santiago until these acts of violence have ceased. I take this opportunity to renew to Your Excellency the assurances of my highest and most distinguished consideration.” Our Chancellery díd not reply, limiting its action to the placing of the facts within the knowledge of our diplomatic representatives abroad. calling attention to the lack of con crete instances and informing them that the agriculturalists — 6 — of the Azapa valley had just entertained the Chilian autho- rities on the property of the Peruvian citizen, Don Ricardo Fernandez. A few days later, on January 15th, coinciding with the date fixed for the exchange of the ratifications of the Washington Protocol, the Press published the following telegram: “Buenos Aires, January 14. “The Peruvian Legation has received a telegram from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Señor Salomón, referring to the non-concurrence of Perú in the Fifth Pan-American Conference which will be held in Santiago. The telegram is to the following effect: “ ‘The extraordinary explanation that the Chilian Govern ment has distributed to the Chancelleries of our continent through its legations, with respect to the refusal of the Peru vian Government to be represented in the Fifth Pan-Ameri can Conference so long as no stop is put to the persecutions and attacks to which our countrymen in Tacna, Arica and Tarata are subjected, obliges us to make certain rectifica- tions, the more that they coincide with our proposal to refrain from provoking sterile discussions, and witH the solé object of preventing the judgment of the Governments of America from being misled or mystified by our apparent assent. “ ‘On mentjoning the causes subsisting that would prevent our participaron in the Conference in Santiago, we are ani- mated by the sincere desire of giving an opportunity to the Chilian Government to satisfy International morality by re- moving those obstacles, due only to the fratricidal policy that continúes to be put in practice in the Peruvian provinces that it occupies and still holds through having delivered their definite fate to the decisión of a respectable arbiter, since, with surprisins simplicity, it has believed that it might be useful, in the event of a plebiscite, to continué throwing out — 7 — bv violent means the remainder of the Peruvian population of those provinces, wherein only those Peruvians are allowed to remain in their respective domiciles whom they believe to be capable of lending themselves to the Service of Chiban aspirations, obliging those who do not fall under this category to ciear out. •* ‘Against the latter, pressure ís put on more cruelly tnan before, since now they are not expelled to the territories oc- cupied by Peruvian authorities, where they might find help, but are sent to Iquique, where the economic crisis and hostile environment, incessantly agitated in a public manner by the so-cailed Chiban Patriotic Leagues, creates for our country- men a sufficiently uncomfortable situation, without our Gov ernment being able even to listen in time to their clamour. “ ‘Some few, dodging the vigilance of the Chiban forces, seek safety on the Sama frontier, where they are pursued as crimináis. “ ‘To this was due the inhuman murder of a Peruvian, who, accompanied by another, went to Locumba to avoid being enrolled against his will in the Chiban Army, and who was shamefully assassinated by the Chiban carabineers on December 2nd, 1922. The excuse given was that he was a smuggler; this is a gross imposture, since it could not be con- sidered that two poor lads travelling barefooted and with nothing but a miserable box containing their clothes could be such. The lack of news with regard to the other boy leads to a well-founded presumption that he also was murdered. “ ‘For the rest, all the Governments of America that know in detail the persecutions and outrages perpetrated in Chile against the Peruvians understand what is meant by the sarcastic statement that Peruvians enjoy in that country the same guarantees as the natives; above all, after learning the acts of the Washington Conference of July 27th, 1922, among which is numbered an agreement to submit to arbi traron the claims of Peruvians for the attacks for which the Chiban authorities are responsible, committed sin'ce 1910. — 8 — For all these reasons, we hold firmly to our protest against the proceedings with which Chile victimises our countrymen, in open opposition to its notable propositions of tranquillity and continental unión brought up in the Memorándum di- rected to the Chilian Legations. “ ‘Please communicate the above to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, leaving a copy of this telegram, and please transmit it to our Legations in Montevideo, Asunción and Rio de Janeiro.— (signed).—Salomón.’ ” To this publication another followed, conceived in these terms: “Buenos Aires, 15th. “ The Peruvian Minister has requested the morning papers to give publicity to the following dispatch just received from the Peruvian Chancellery: “ ‘Scarcely had the previous circular been sent off that refers to the treatment which the Chilian authorities mete out to Peruvian