The Dominion. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1918. SOUTH AMERICA AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 120, 7 February 1918, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1918. SOUTH AMERICA AND THE WAR

■ Nearly the whole of the two Americas is now in open hostility to the Central Powers, Canada, ine United States, Cuba, Panama, and Brazil are actually at war_ with Germany, while Bolivia, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, and, Uruguay have broken off diplomatic relations with Berlin. Brazil declared war in October last,' and a recent cablegram states that _ the Argentine Government has officially expressed its approval of the action of Brazil. This means that mosb of tho Latin-American States havo come to tho conclusion that, they will never be free to control their owi destinies until the menace of Gorman world-dominion has been removed. We do not yet know to what extent these States aro able and willing to share in the actual fighting, but it is quite certain that their attitude will augment the ever-increasing pressure against the Germanic Alliance. Their support —active or passive—of the Entente natio-.s cannot fail to make the economic isolation of tho Central Powers still more complete. They may bo expected also to co-operate whole-heartedly with the United States Government in its attempt to strangle tho enemy's trade. Quito recently President Wilson approved of the issue of a black list containing tho names of 1600 firms of German connections in Latin America. Tho good wil] of tho South American Governments will greatly assist in making effective this effort to stifle the activities '"'of enemies an J allies of enemies, and ether persons, firms, and corporations who, there is reasonable cause to believe, havo acted, directly or indiiettly, for the benefit cf enemies and allies of enemies." The New York Post asserts that "the two Americas havo had so many demonstrations of tho poisonous and criminal activities of German firms as centres of political influence and plotting that from Capo Horu to the-Rio Grande they are largely looked upen with unfriendliness." The prevention of all this foul trade and political scheming will materially fielp to win the war, and Latin-

America will no doubt ue able- to assist the Allies in other directions.

The vo'e of the Brazilian-Cham-ber of Deputies in favour of the declaratiui of war was 119 to 1. In the Senate it was unanimous. Later on the Chamber decreed the annulment of contracts for public works entered into with Germans; the prohibition of new land concessions to German subjects; the control of German banks, eventual annulment of their licence, and the extension of these measures to German commercial Arms; the prohibition of the transfer of ownership of German properties; the internment of German subjects. Each of these war regulations' is a direct blow at Germany, 'ana tends to weaken her powers of resistance. Brazil's entry into the conflict will also cut off one of the enemy's possible sources of food supply. The notorious Count Luxp.uiig,' the Charge d'Affaires of the German Legation in Argentina, in one of his. dispatches expressed the conviction that Germany would be ablo. to carry through her ''principal political aims in South America, tho. maintenance of open market in Argentina, and the reorganisation, of South Brazil equally wdl whether with or against Argentina." Count Luxbukg remarks incidentally; "Prospect excellent for wheat harvest in December." This dispatch indicates the anxiousness of Germany to maintain her hold on South America, especially Brazil unci, the Argentine. Tho reference to the wheat harvest is decidedly interesting in view of the world's food If the German public are exnecting that their scanty stores will he augmented by supplies from South America they aro almost certainly doomed to bitter disappointment. Germany's crooked diplomacy has failed. The eyes of Latin-America have been opened. German aggression has had the flllect of tightening the bonds between the republics of the New World. This is asserted in the following paragraph taken from Brazil's reply to the Pope's- Peace Note:

Happily to-<lay the republics of the New World aro more or less allied in their rights, but all, equally menaced in their liberties and their sovereignty, draw closer the bonds of the Bolidarity which formerly was merely geographic, economic, and historic, and which . the necessities of self-defence and national independence now make political as well. Tho Note in which the Argentine Government expresses approval of Brazil's declaration of war is a significant recognition of the solidarity of: Latin-America. So far Argentina does not appear to have actually severed relations with Germany, though both Houses of Congress passed a resolution some months ago in favour of that step. In October last the Argentine Foreign Minister announced that relations with Germany would not be broken so long as Germany fulfilled its latest pledge "to lecognise the Argentine flag and respect the nation and people." This pledge (made early in October) has not been, kept, for tho Argentine- steamer Irriando was sunk by the German pirates on' January 26. This outrage has evidently caused a renewal of tho popular demand f or drastic retaliation. For some timo past Argentina has been in an excited state over the war. There have been bitter conflicts between thp mo-war and neutrality, factions. The recalling of the Military Attaches from Berlin and Vienna shows that th« pressure of public opinion in favour of open and active hostility to the Central Powers is becoming too strong for tho Government to resist. Argentina's hesitation caused some friction with the neighbouring Republic of Uruguay, which broke its relations with Germany on October 7. Uruguay has suffered from the submarine campaign. In a Note to Washington in April, 1917, the Uruguayan Government expressed the opinion that tho action of the United States in declaring war was a popular answer to Germany's disregard of international rights. Thus one after another tho South American republics have decided to shake off the blighting influence of Ger,man intrigue and to range themselves alongside tho great democratic Powrs who are fighting to save the world from being trampled under the heel of the Hun.