In the same year, 1903, the negotiations reopened after Brazil's suggestion of an agreement on the basis of a fair exchange of territory, as was the interest of Brazil to keep under its control a population that was Brazilian, despite the territory was, according to the Treaty of 1867, belonging to Bolivia. Finally the talks began and after series of proposals and counter-proposals, the Treaty of Petropolis was signed, agreed that getting through territorial compensations elsewhere in the border, the construction due to the Brazil of a railway (the Madeira-Mamoré Railway), freedom of transit by rail and by river to the Atlantic Ocean and a two million pounds compensation, Bolivia would give Acre. This time, according to Rio Branco, a real territorial expansion was going on (since according to him the previous elections were only held the "national heritage").[1]