The sun., 1905-10-01
The Morocco Controversy Settled.


The agreement reached between the
French and German plenipotentiaries
with regard to the questions to be sub
mitted to the Morocco conference has
put an end to a conflict Of interests
which at ono time threatened to disturb
the peace OF Europe. Ostensibly both
Germany and France are the gamers
by the agreement, but the latter Power
has the more reason to congratulate
itself on the recognition of its claim,
at first denied by Germany, that it occu-
pies special relation to the Moroccan
dominions.
1t will be remembered that while the
war in the Far East was still pending
and while consequently the influence
normally exercised in Europe by the
Russian ally Of France was suspended,
the Emperor WILLIAM announced that
he should not hold himself bound by the
Franco British treaty 80 far as it as
sumed to supersede the arrangements
with regard to Morocco which were
made some years ago by the Madrid
conference. BY that treaty Great Britain
conceded to France the right to assert
the same preponderance in Morocco
that she herself possesses in Egypt In
this concession Spain acquiesced, and
there is reason to believe that Italy,
but for her German ally, would have
expressed approval of it.
On the face Of things this was high
handed proceeding, for although France
as the possessor of Algeria is particu-
larly interested in the maintenance of
order on the Moroccan frontier, the
assertion by her of virtual protector
ate over the disputed territory would
have proved in the end scarcely recon-
cilable with the equal privileges guar
anteed to all the Powers participating
in the Madrid conference. Accordingly
when the Sultan Of Morocco at En-
peror WILLIAMS suggestion proposed q
new conference for the purpose of regu-
lating the relations of his empire to
foreign countries, all Of the Powers
which had been represented at Madrid
accepted the proposal, except France
and her British ally. The resultant
danger of collision with Germany
DELCAssE from the French Foreign
Office and the assumption of that post
by Premier RoUvIER, who, while he
adopted a conciliatory tone toward the
Berlin Government protested that the
French Republic could not without
Of tok rt in
ference unless an agreement could be
reached as to the questions which should
and should not be submitted to it.
Then followed prolonged negotiations
which threatened more than once to
result in a deadlock; but ultimately,
after the conclusion of the Anglo
Japanese alliance and the visits paid
by Mr.. WITTE on his return from the
United States to Paris and Berlin,
marked change occurred in the En-
peror WILLIAMS attitude and he
showed himself desirous of effecting a
sort Of understanding between Ger
many, Russia and France. To that end
he yielded certain points with reference
to Morocco as to which previously he
had been infiexlble, and agreed that
from the questions to be submitted to
the coming conference should be ex-
cepted the maintenance of order and the
regulation of contraband in the frontier
region between Algiers and Morocco,
wherein France should have free hand
to deal directly and exclusively with
the Sultan He further conceded that
French bankers should participate with
3German in the recent German loan to
Morocco, and that French firms should
cooperate in constructing the haroor
works at Tangier, provided. of course
they are willing to build them on the
same terms. After the subjects which
were to be withheld from the confer
ence had been defined it was relatively
easy to agree upon the matters which