The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/“A. B. C. Powers”

“A. B. C. POWERS,” a convenient and popular designation applied to Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, the three strong nations of South America united to a certain extent by treaty in 1915, after having been, in 1914, associated very conspicuously and honorably as mediators actively concerned in efforts to arrange a peaceful settlement of the quarrel between the administration of the United States and General Huerta of Mexico. The growth of the movement which culminated in the treaty of 1915 is marked by three distinct phases in the course of a decade. Thus, during the early moths of 1906 there was frank talk of the imminence of war between Chile and Argentina, but at the same time, publicists in Buenos Aires advocated a permanent agreement which should remove onerous taxes at the Brazilian and Chilean frontiers and justify the reduction of armaments–an idea essentially right, yet requiring for popular acceptance some authoritative foreign approbation to overcome deep-seated, inveterate local prejudices or aversions. Such was the first phase. The entirely reasonable advocacy of a South American triple entente therefore made little headway until the administration at Washington had entangled its policies in the complication of hostile Mexican factions. The “A. B. C.” nations then saw their opportunity to stand out together before the world, side-by-side, in a most distinguished fashion. They proposed mediation four days after the United States had inaugurated hostilities at Vera Cruz. The acceptance of their offer and the proceedings of the Niagara Falls conference gave prominence to the second phase (see Latin America–Recent History). Then events moved swiftly toward the consummation long desired by leaders of thought in Buenos Aires and advocated, as we have said, for 10 years, more or less. On 25 May 1915 a treaty of peace, valid for five years, was signed at Buenos Aires by representatives of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile–the first actual treaty between these separatists and therefore jealously competing nations–by the terms of which each was pledged not to make war against either of the others before investigation, etc., of the causes of conflict by an impartial commission. This marks the third, or present, phase.