The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-01-28
MOROCCO AND GIBRALTAR.

MOROCCO AND GIBRALTAR.
spaniards Had Much Trouble Holding
Their Own in Northern Africa.
The .Spaniards have had much trou-
BILE in holding their own in Morocco
and it is said that the government at
Madrid would not be unwilling to ex-
change Melilla for Gibraltar. The pos.
session of Gibraltar again is the dream
of the Spaniard All sorts of plans
and compromises have been projected
to bring about a realization of this
dream, but so far without avail When
in 1887 Gibraltar was talked about once
more, the Moscow Gazette. in October
of that year, demanded a neutrality
agreement similar to the Suez canal
agreement That paper said it believed
that if all the powers interested should
insist on such an agreement England
would yield.
Many years have passed since the
Spaniards openly expressed their inten.
tions about the Rock of Gibraltar and
Morocco. The idea was ITO get the
English out of Gibraltar, and then,
possessing hold on both sides of the
straits, to accomplish the conquest and
colonization of Morocco Spaniards OF
all classes are Indifferent to European
politics, and their old hate OF France
and Napoleon has slowly died out, but
if one pronounce before the words
Gibraltar" and Morocco" one will at
once notice the eager and ambitious de-
sire to plant the flag of CASTLE on the
Penon and in the territory OF their old
foes, the Moors of Africa. Thirteen
years ago there was great burst OF
enthusiasm in Spain over this subject.
At that time there were outrages on
the part of the natives against foreign
ers There was diplomated confer
ence in Madrid to settle many vexed
questions affecting all nations. That
conference proved that Senor Canovas,
the Spanish prime minister, intended to
act in concert with Great Britain and
not with France and Italy, and as a re.
suit the opposition to his government
aimed at nothing less than the taking
possession by any means Of Gibraltar.
Gen. Campos, who recently had a
narrow escape from the bomb of an
anarchist, was among the strongest
supporters of the remuneration policy.
England strengthened the fortifca.
tions of Gibraltar. Spaniards declared
that Spain must make the straits a
very Dardanelles. bristling with Span
ish Notifications 1t was demanded
that both shores of the straits of Glib
raltar and the entrance of the Meder.
terranean should be in future placed
under the guard of Spain, SO that only
those who were her friends could have
access to the great Mediterranean
route toward the east.
1t is no new thing for the Spaniards
to talk of Offering to England some
colony on the coast of Morocco in ex-
change for Gibraltar In November,
1881, Senator Guelly Rente, a represent
ative OF the Havana university, made
such proposition to his government.
Gibraltar is really part of the Span
ish dominions Its occupatiol is not
only offensive to Spanish pride but ma
terially affects Spanish interests. Glib
raltar is a free port, and the conse-
quence is that smugglers and dealers
in contra band goods have used it as a
kind of funnel through which to pour
into Spain tobacco and other heavily
taxed articles without payment Of
duty.
On the other hand, it is now becom
ing question in England whether
Gibraltar is after all so useful to it.
Arnold Forster does not believe that it
is of any further service to Great Brit
ain. George Rendel, an eminent naval
expert, who, about ten years ago, was
a civil lord of the admiralty, was en-
phatic that Gibraltar was useless He
said it offered little or no security for
disabled or defeated feet, and he point
ed out that the British ships could be
destroyed at their exposed anchorage
by a long-range fire, which could be
with difficulty combatted by the guns
of the fortress. Mr.. Rendel added that
no arsenal or navy yard would be reck
oned secure that was not well out of
range of the modern naval ordnance,
and he contrasted Malta, Gibraltar and
Plymouth in that respect with Bizerta
and Spezzia, very little to the advan-
tage of the former pQrts.-N. Y. Her
aid