The March 4, 1925 the U.S. President, Calvin Coolidge, who was the arbitrator appointed jointly by Chile and Peru, issued his ruling and ordered to carry out the referendum on the fate of Tacna and Arica. These provinces were in the hands of Chile for ten years after the Treaty of Ancon in 1883 sealed the national defeat in the Pacific War. The referendum should have been done long ago, but Chile had prevented it. Meanwhile, practiced a policy of "chilenization" which meant hostility Peruvian families and grants to settle in Chilean territory. why Peru had argued that past 40 years, the referendum was impractical and that Chile should return both provinces. Thus, the failure of Coolidge was considered a defeat, but the Peruvian government did not shrink. Decided send a delegation to Arica and face the new context. The U.S. appointed General Pershing, one of the victors of World War I as its representative to run the referendum. Once on the ground, was to verify the abuses by the Chilean authorities, as a result, his opinion would lean toward the position of Peru.
In March the following year, the Peruvian delegation was installed in Arica, which led to a parade of the flag, led mostly by women in Peru. The event was crowded and was a strong hostility of the Chilean population. But women were the vanguard plebiscite and knew defend the flag, including Mrs. Cristina said Vildoso.
In those days, Tacna and Arica were the scene of constant street battles and it blows, it rained stones, mud, urine on Peruvians. Amid this climate, delegates raised American democratic conditions to develop a registry of voters and develop the plebiscite. The Pershing Peru and Chile supported objected. Thus, shortly after the U.S. representative withdrew agreeing with him to Peru, in the sense that the referendum was impractical because of the attitude of Chile.
was a victory moral, but lacked the political correlate. Indeed, Chile was in possession of the territory and showed no signs of abating. For its part, the U.S. is not committed to the decision of its delegate and instead began to raise the partition of the territory. After many turns, President Augusto B. Leguía accepted this formula resulted in the Treaty of Lima in 1929, which returned Tacna to Peru and Arica gave in perpetuity. In a supplementary protocol was established the famous clause that Chile can not cede territory to Bolivia has been in the Peruvian Arica without our consent.
accepted Leguía Why? Jorge Basadre remember that basically nothing had thought that the passage of time had to lose everything. Then, because we had no strength to tip the situation. We fought with the weight of the treated and the people's resistance, but the weapons were on the other side. In these circumstances, a pragmatic Leguía thought it was best to win a share to lose the set.
Peruvian history has made this treaty as a reasonable solution. It is the question of Chile. Why agreed to return territory it had won by arms? His reasoning was simple, to preserve forever the proceeds in the war had to return I caught part of Peru. The important thing is that back willingly. Going to The Hague, is false claim that has never given and will go to war if you happen to lose something that High Court decision.
By Antonio Zapata
Source: larepublica.pe
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