The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-03
RAIsuLI oF MoRoccn.

When the depredations of a bandit chief on the borders of an African des- ert become the subject of earnest delib- lerations in the cabinets at Washington, Paris and London, and are made the occasion not only of the formal inter- change of diplomatic notes and visits but also of the hurried dispatch of sev- len American warships to the port of Tangier, the bandit chief in question has some excuse for regarding himself as already mighty potentate instead of simply as man who would be king Such is the stir in the world that the latest news dispatches from three cap Iitals show has been made by the re- lsourceful brigand Raisuli, who every day in his retreat in the Moroccan hills is receiving communications from three of the greatest powers in the world and sending forth couriers bearing demands which now include not only money ransom of seventy thousand dollars for the release of his two captives, but in addition the condition that the Sultan of Morocco shall make him ruler of a subordinate kingdom and confirm him in the right to levy tribute upon traffic along the main route from Tangier to Fez. Failing compliance with these de- |mands, Raisuli threatens to kill his cap tives. Ion Perdicaris, an American citi- zen, and his stepson, Cromwell varley
 subject of Great Britain.
 It is undeniable that the situation in
 which these two gentlemen find them- selves is embarrassing in the extreme.
 Mulay-abd-el-Aziz is even more SO
 For it is he whom France, Great Bri- tain and the United States will hold re-
 sponsible for the safety of Raisulis captives and upon whom they have placed the burden of securing their re- lease. As to Raisuli's reported and cas-
 fly credible elation and as to the nego-
 tiations that the Sultan may find it ne-
 cessaryt to conduct with him these DOW
 CTS have no other concern than to see
 that they shall result in the restoration
 of Messrs. Perdicaris and Varley to lib-
 erty. The dispatch of Admiral Chad
 wick's squadron to the Moorish coast is
 for it's effect, not upon Raisuli, but upon
 the Sultan, and the assembling of such
 "a force is well calculated to convince
 him of tour sense of the gravity of the
 case" as the admiral puts it in his re- port to Washington, and of the necessi-
 ty he is under of coming to terms with
 the bandit
 Raisuli is playing for large stakes
 and to all present appearances is play
 ing well. It may be that he will secure
 his ransom and substantial compliance
 with his political demands, for the Sul- tan of Morocco has been made aware of the high value that their governments place upon the captives' lives. In any
 event, the brigant is hardly likely to
 carry out his threat to kill them. Such an act would bring swift and heavy re- tribution, and though it would at first fall mainly upon his enemy the Sultan, he himself would be the worse off in the end. Mulay- abd-el-Aziz is in a po- sition which forces him to pay high price for the release of the captives. If Raisuli is wise he will take it and let his prisoners go. But in the meantime he is the central figure in an extremely Interesting Oriental drama.-Provi- dence Journal.