No. 12.
Mr. White to Mr. Fish.
Buenos Ayre, August 12, 1873. (Received September 20.)
Sir: A dispatch, No. 8, dated April 19, 1872, addressed to Dexter E. Clapp, esq., late chargé d’affaires to this government, directs him to keep the Department of State fully informed of whatever may occur threatening the independence of Paraguay or the contraction of her boundaries.
Fears have been expressed in my hearing, by persons representing nations more directly interested than the United States, that the terms imposed upon Paraguay by the parties to the triple alliance in the late war, consisting of territorial concessions, as well as large indemnities in money, were such as would render her powerless for a long time to come, insignificant, at best, for all future time, and probably result in her ultimate obliteration from the map as an independent state.
Whether these fears have a substantial foundation, or whether the demands upon Paraguay are incompatible with justice or with the dignity and leniency which should be shown to a prostrate people, it is not the purpose of this dispatch to discuss; but considering the nature of the instructions contained in the dispatch to Mr. Clapp, above alluded to, it is deemed a duty to advise the Department of the present aspect of the subject, and to do this properly it will be necessary to recount something of its previous history.
The protocol signed by the allied powers, and the provisional government of Paraguay, after the death of Lopez, and upon which hostilities ceased, provided, among other things, that all questions of boundaries should remain in statu quo ante bellum, to be adjusted, together with any claims for indemnity, by diplomatic discussion, or, (inferentially,) if necessary, by arbitration.
In pursuance of this stipulation, after a considerable delay, a “rectification” of the northern boundary of Paraguay was agreed upon between the representatives of that republic and Brazil, by which it was fixed at the Apa River instead of the Blanco, which has heretofore been claimed by Paraguay as the proper boundary; the effect of this being to confirm to Brazil a territory one degree of latitude in width by two degrees of longitude in length, (more or less,) hitherto in dispute.
If the information I have received be correct, the claim of Brazil to this territory seems to have rested upon substantial grounds, and had been prejudiced, if at all, only by negligence to enforce it. By a treaty concluded in 1750 between Spain and Portugal the river “Jesuy” was designated as the northern boundary of the Spanish possessions in the region between the Paraguay and Parana Rivers. By a later treaty (1777) between those powers, Spain acquired the territory northward of the Jesuy, to the river Apa, which was then constituted the boundary between the Spanish possessions, out of winch Paraguay was formed, and those of Portugal, whence the title of Brazil is derived.
It is asserted by the latter that her title to the territory between the Apa and Blanco Rivers has never been impaired by any act expressly or impliedly indicating its relinquishment; that, on the contrary, it has been repeatedly asserted, but as the interests involved were comparatively unimportant, from the limited area of the territory in question, and her title deemed so clear, no active measures have been taken to enforce it, the question being adjourned from time to time, to be adjusted [Page 48] when it could be, done without violence. In other words, her right of sovereignty has never been relinquished, but its exercise, except in a nominal way, has been postponed for a peaceful solution of the question. The territory in question has been occupied only by a few uncivilized Indians, over whom neither government has exercised other than a nominal jurisdiction. Possibly a few Paraguayans have occupied its southern border, who recognized obligation to the government of Paraguay, or regarded themselves as under its protection. It is not known that the claim of that country had any other or better foundation than this fact.
If these statements are true, and I have not been able to find any reliable evidence contravening them, it does not appear that in requiring of Paraguay a recognition of her claim to this territory, Brazil has demanded the sacrifice of any part of the domain to which the former had an undisputed or equitable claim, and even if the title of Brazil had been questionable, the extent and value of the territory are too insignificant to warrant the opinion that the war against Lopez on her part was initiated or prosecuted for its acquisition. On the contrary, as it is asserted, the war was begun by Lopez, and conducted by him in a spirit of vindictive aggression upon his neighbors, and a merciless disregard of the lives of his own people, so long as power remained to gratify his brutal instincts.
It is understood that the cost of the war to Brazil alone was not less than $600,000,000, and that this sum, or one approximating it, is claimed of Paraguay by way of indemnity. Of the correctness of the amount I cannot, however, speak with certainty, but if indemnity be demanded approximating the cost of the war, it must reach a sum far beyond the ability of Paraguay to pay for generations to come.
Prior to the war between the allied powers and Paraguay a question had existed between that republic and the Argentine Confederation, relative to the title to that part of the “Grand Chaco”—a country lying west of the Paraguay River—which lies south of the southern boundary of Bolivia.
This question, as well as those with Brazil, remained on the conclusion of peace to be settled in the future upon its merits, and unaffected by the events of the war. It is still pending, the Argentine government claiming the whole of the territory up to the Bolivian line, while the government of Paraguay, although claiming the river Bermijo as the true boundary, are willing, as it is stated, to yield any claim to that region up to the Pilcomayo River, but no more.
The modern maps of that region, how accessible here, were made under the direction of the Argentine government, and exhibit a boundary dividing the Grand Chaco between Bolivia and the Argentine Confederation by a line drawn from a point on the Paraguay River at south latitude 22° 10ʹ due west to a point where this line intersects the Bermejo.
A work lately published here by Señor Emilio Castro Boedo, (“Estudios sobre la navegacion del Bermejo, y colonization del Chaco,”) states that the Grand Chaco has been divided between Bolivia and the Argentine Republic, by the line above mentioned, but omits to state the grounds upon which their respective titles are founded. It is understood, however, that this whole region having been included within the jurisdiction of the Spanish vice-royalty, upon the cessation of Spanish rule, legitimately fell within the control of the provinces which had achieved their independence, and that Paraguay, having failed to co-operate with [Page 49] them against Spain, had no equitable claim to territory west of the Paraguay River.
But the work above referred to furnishes facts showing that immediately after the planting of a colony at Asumpcion, or, as it is now called, Asuncion, by Juan de Ayolas, in 1536, that heroic adventurer explored the region in question, finally pushing his way across the continent in a northwesterly direction to Peru, and returning, reached the Paraguay River at south latitude 21°, where he proposed to found a colony, but was soon afterward, with his whole expeditionary force, killed by the Indians. He was followed in these explorations by Irala, Alvar, Nunez, Chaves, and others, who, during the ensuing fifty years, organized expeditions which departed from Paraguay. Consequent upon these was the establishment of various colonies, trading-posts, and missions, but nearly all of them have disappeared. A few points have remained in the occupancy of Paraguay, and beyond these there has practically been no actual possession of the region north of the Bermejo for the last hundred years by any government, very little, if anything, more being known about it than in the sixteenth century. A large part is described however, as being comparatively worthless, subject to periodical or continuous inundation.
Negotiations are now pending at Asuncion between General Bartolome Meitre, on the part of the Argentine Republic, and the government of Paraguay, for the settlement of the questions relative to this region, and I have learned, from a source entitled to credit, though unofficial, that the line of the Pilcomayo has been agreed upon by the representatives of the two governments, with the assent of the Brazilian minister at Asuncion; but it is not known whether the Argentine or the Brazilian government will ratify the agreement, the latter being understood as not looking with favor upon this acquisition by the former.
This would indicate that Brazil prefers that Paraguay should remain an independent state rather than be absorbed by another republic, and, from conversations with representatives of other South American republics, it would appear that this sentiment is general.
But while the independence of Paraguay may not be at present menaced, it is evident that such independence is nominal, rather than actual. The obligation imposed upon her people by recognition of the Brazilian Indemnity is far beyond their ability to meet. It would be utterly impossible to pay the interest alone from the resources of the country for many years to come. It is doubtless well known to the Department that, at the close of the war, the people of Paraguay were left in a frightful condition. Famine, disease, and death stalked abroad more than two-thirds of the entire population perished from starvation or exposure during the war.
There has been in modern times no parallel to the terrible disaster which overtook this people, and when it is considered that they are not themselves responsible for the calamity, but that it was brought upon them by the brutal tyranny of a despotic ruler, they seem entitled to the commiseration of all humane people, and especially to that of sister republics.
This dispatch has, been written for the sole purpose of advising the Department of the present situation of Paraguay, and with no intent to advance opinions, or to make suggestions thereupon; but I hope it may not be improper to remark that there seems to exist an occasion when, if not inconsistent with international comity, the strongest of republics may interpose her good offices in behalf of the weakest and most unfortunate of her sisters.
[Page 50]It is believed that the surest if not the only means of securing the independence of Paraguay, as well as her future prosperity and advancement in civilization, would consist in removing from her people the burden of her indemnity debt. It is said that Brazil does not contemplate the enforcement of its payment for an indefinite period. This would be quite in keeping with the character of His Majesty the Emperor, who is reputed to be a man of the noblest impulses, and it is doubtless apparent to him and his government that such enforcement would simply destroy Paraguay as a nation. If, therefore, payment is to be postponed indefinitely, there is presented to Brazil the opportunity of achieving a triumph far more glorious than those of successful war—the triumph of mercy and benevolence over the harsh demands of retributive justice—by remitting to Paraguay the payment of this indemnity, or by reducing its amount to a sum which would not be oppressive upon her industry.
May not the United States with propriety, in the name of humanity, and in the interests of civilization, appeal to Brazil to perform this noble deed?
I have, &c.,