Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-09
HOPE FOR MOROCCO
Missionary Iowan There Writes
of Country's Condition, and
Causes of War
TRIED GOVERNMENT REFORM
TRIED GOVERNMENT REFORM
Sudden Change of sultan's Attitude To-
ward Foreigners Upon Death of
Grand vizier, Met the Approval Of
Large Glass, But Caused Trouble
With Others of His Subjects.

Large Class, But caused iTouole
With Others Of His Subjects.
Sioux City, Jan. 9.-Rev. James +.
Welliver. brother of j. c. Welliver' the
well known newspaper man of this city,
one of the missionaries Imprisoned IN
the city of Fee, Morocco, refused TO nee
from danger. He began his ministerial
career by hewing the logs for a church
in the pine woods of northern Minneso-
ia, and shortly after his arrival IN MOT
occo almost precipitated an, interna-
tional DISPUTE by insisting upon his
rights.
/ Six wears ago he went into the wood
/ logging camps of northern Minnesota
sent by no denomination, but took an
! ak. felled trees, split them into SLABS
and built little log church. In the
year he remained there he collected
congregation of seventy-five.
| From there he went to Kansas city
and was sent to Morocco by the Amerl-
can Gospel Union.
By international treaty Morocco had
agreed to allow missionaries to i've IN
any part of any of the cities OF the
kingdom. Rev. Mr. Welliver was sta
| toned in the native quarters at Tan
giers three years ago, when the COVER
1 nor ordered all the missionaries re-
moved to the foreign quarters. Few put
Jews lived in this part of the city, ana
here practically all the efforts OF the
missionaries were vitiated. The Moors
| were equally anxious to keep from them
the opportunity of working with the
natives. Rev. Mr.. Welliver led the
missionaries to the native quarter, and
several times they were hauled back to
the Jews.
| Finally the governor ordered them all
arrested, and they were told they would
be kept there, until they consented to
remain in the foreign quarter. Rev.
Mr.. Welliver was confident of his rights
and appealed to the American consul at
Morocco. The matter was taken up by
the state department at Washington,
the government at Morocco was noti-
fed it must protect the rights Of the
missionaries and Rev. Mr. Welliver led
his little band back to the native part
OIL the CITY.
Mr.. and Mrs, NJ. Welliver Of Chero-
kee. his parents, have just received a
letter from him, of which the follow
in care excerpts explaining the causes
which led up to the present war, the first
thorough statement of the situation:
'Tez Dec. 8, 1902.-Our station at
Mequinez, the center of the disturb
ances, is vacated, the brethren being in
Fee for the present, and our friends, Mr..
and Mrs. Taylor, who We're approaching
Mequinez on their return from an ttin-
Grating tour, have returned to Larache,
after being In the midst of disturbances
about a days journey from Mequinez,
in which the governor Of the district
was killed.
"The sultan of Morocco, Moolai Ali
Al Aziz, began his reign eight years ago
at the age of 16, his grand vizier, Abu
Hamid, at once assuming full control.
He was an unusually stern and unre-
lenting character, with little love for
anything foreign. Under his admins
tration foreign powers received, with
but one or two exceptions, no favors of
any Importance, and treaty rights We're
generally, If at all, obtained only after
show Of force.
Upon the death of Abu Hamid, two
and half years ago, the country knew
him so well and the sultan so little
that conservative people feared the
tribes might rebel when his strong hand
relaxed. But the sultan proved to be no
figurehead, and assumed the reigns of
government at this juncture just as
completely as he had turned them over
to the viZier at his accession.
1.-TWO important facts now affect the
whole story. One that the sultan had
developed the most remarkable liking
for everything foreign and the other
that during the winter preceding the
death of the grand vizier France,
whose possessions in Algeria lies on the
eastern border of Morocco, had by force
of arms taken possession of district
on the Morocco frontier known as Tuat,
and 1t seemed as il further invasion Of
Moroccan territory was imminent.
The Moorish government found II
necessary to send strong warnings to
the tribes of the neighboring district
of Taf1lelt to prevent the execution of
plans for an attack upon the French,
as holy war had been proclaimed in
the public markets. Had such a thing
taken place, there would probably have
been preteXt for further Impressions
on the territory of the sultan for the os-
tensible purpose of restoring order, and
possibly sufficient pretext for war
would have been found. AT the same
time that efforts We're made to check
the movements of the tribesmen of
Tablet, protest to France and an ap-
peal to the principal European powers
We're made. The case, however, was
complicated, and none Of the powers
seemed inclined to interfere with the
French in their free hand on the from
tier.
Shortly after this time the public |
mind was exercised at the arrest by the |
sultan of the vizier. Al Hal Hakhtar,
who had succeeded Abu Hamid. What |
this meant was not understood, as such |
occurrences were said to be rare in re-
cent years. But 1t did not remain en-
tirely mystery, for In an exceedingly |
short time the vizier who was appointed
to succeed him was sent on a special
mission to England, ostensibly to con-
graduate the king on his accession but
probably, in fact. as later developments |
seem to show, to make stronger APP
peal than ever before to Britain for pro-
lection against the encroachments of
the French.