Great Republics

To the Blue Room of the White House in Washington went last week delegates from Ecuador and Peru to try to settle their famed century-old boundary dispute. In an address of welcome President Roosevelt said: "These two great Republics . . . have never faltered in their determination to settle this boundary question by pacific means. . . . I am confident that your deliberations here will furnish further encouragement . . . for the principle of the pacific settlement of disputes among nations." Thereupon the two delegations, presided over by Ecuador's Dr. Homero Viteri Lafronte and by Peru's Dr. Francisco Tudela y Varela, retired to deliberate, knowing that if they would not agree they were pledged to acknowledge President Roosevelt as arbiter.

First arbiter in this dispute involving 40,000 square miles of territory was Spain's King Alfonso XIII in 1910. He soon admitted that the problem was too difficult for him, suggested "direct negotiations" between the two Republics. After much wrangling they agreed to confer in 1924, pledged themselves to submit to the U. S. President issues on which they could not agree. Now 12 years after this agreement, they have got as far as the White House.

Though the disputed 40,000 square miles is still mainly jungle, it could be cultivated, could produce spices, salt, rubber, cotton if Ecuador and Peru can ever decide which country owns which square miles.

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