Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-30
MOROCCO A MENACE TO EUROPE'S PEACE

| Morocco is cloud in the political sky.
| In diplomatic circles the recent visit of the
| German emperor to Tangier continues to
| be the subject of absorbing interest. The
| conclusion is general that the kaiser's dec
| larations on that occasion were not made
| in a sensational vein, but were dictated
by a well-defined purpose formulated per-
| haps while route.
1t may be recalled that on or about the
| date of the emperor's arrival at Tanglef
| it was supposed-and the statement was
| confidently made and published on what
| was claimed to be expert authority-that
| Admiral Togo would speedily meet and
destroy Admiral Rojestvensky's fleet. Such
an event would have placed Russia hors
| de combat, and eliminated her as factor,
certainly for some time, from the European
question. In a word, it would have left
| France isolated and alone. Was not the
| expectation that France on the 1st of Aprii
! would be quite alone in Europe the ami
| mus and inspiration of the provocatlon at
| Tangier?
| The Anglo French agreement recites:
| '.Article /. The government of the re-
public declares that it has no intention OF
| changing the political status of Morocco
| Article 2. The two governments. England
and France equally attached to the principle
| of commercial liberty in Egypt and IN MO-
| rocco. declare that they will not suner any
| inequality In the matter Of establishing Gus
toms dues, tariffs on transportation by raii'
etc.
| Now on the 18th of April, 1904, four days
after the promulga ton of the Anglo-french
| agreement as to Egypt and Morocco the
| chancellor of the German empire from the
| tribune of the reichstag, declared that from
| the point of view Of German interests ne
| had no objection to that agreement.
| AS to Morocco Germanys interests IN
| ty,f
| in the Mediterranean, are limited by the
| interest that peace and order migN De
| maintained. Besides, we have no cause 20
| fear that our economical interests may DC
| disturbed by any power.
Before leaving Berlin for the trip to Tan
gier Emperor William dfned at the French
| emba ssy. AT Bremen he made speech
which has been interpreted as pacific ana as
which in view of his subsequent oell1-
| cose state may be cited in part:
| IF history shall speak some day of uni
versal HohenZoliern empire 1t Will not nave
| been founded on the conquest OF the SWORD,
but on the mutual confidence OF nations
aspiring to the same object. In the WORDS
| of grand poet, Limited without, unlimited
within.
| representative at Fee. in an interview with
| the correspondent of the Lokalanzelser'
says:
at is not only the right of Germany. but
| her imprescriptible duty, to defend ner IN
terests in Morocco and to seek satisfaction
! for the unjust and inexplicable manner IN
| which she was ignored by England ana by
France Germany defends her proper IN
terests in proclaiming the principle OF the
| open door for all nations who signed the
convention of Madrid In 1880, ana IN inter-
fering with all the energy necessary 1or
the preservation of the sovereignty or the
sultan and for the independence or MOROCCO.
| That sovereignty and that independence are
affirmed too vaguely and tmprecisely IN the
| Anglo-French convention. 1t results that
| from that impression arise at Morocco
doubt and fear that they are TO De attackeu.
| The German program, founded on right,
provokes the satisfaction Of puplc OPINION ia
Germany; the consent or the Spanish peo-
| pie, especially of the liberal party ana the
| appreciation. of the powers without pre1u-
dice"
! The Count de Tattenbach
FRANCES has neglected the we'll
Policy. known fact that M Del
casse in a conversation
which he had with Prince Radolin. the Ger
man ambassador at Paris. March ., 1904,
| defined the policy of France in Morocco
namely, the sovereignty of the sultan TO De
respected and strengthened; the absolute
integrity of Moroccan territory, and COM
mercial liberty for all. The German chan
cellor's remarks in the reichstag ALREADY
cited would seem to show that Germany
was not only consulted, but dlsclalmed, IN
deed any objection to the agreement.
NJ Delcasse seems to have committed the
mistake of being too credulous and to have
counted too much upon the apparent ac
uuiescence of Germany, when. for TACT
| the Germans appear to have been very
busy at Fee preparing for the prospective
challenge to France and England.
The German ambassadors statement that
the German program ''provokes the salts
action of public opinion in Germany may
be literally correct. The appreciation OF
the powers" however, is doubtful Ger
tainly England will not approve because
CHI 10 n the Anglo French
vention. Italy will not approve, nor will
Spain approve, because both of these pow
ers have been consulted and rendered dis
interested by the contracting powers. The
United States has been asked to step into
this web, but, however great the induce
ment of William the Conqueror. the chances
are the United States will decline the IN
Yitation.
The situation at Morocco is thus: NJ.
Saint Rene Taillandier, the French minis
ter at Fee, is engaged in reassurlng the
sultan and endeavoring to secure the adop-
ton of reforms in which all the powers
have an equal interest. The friendly att-
tude of Mouley Abd-el-Aziz toward the
French minister has been replaced by an
appearance of actual hostility. The morn
ing after the fetes of Ait-el-Kebir, for ex-
ample when NJ. Taillandier arrived to pre-
sent, according to custom, his official com
pliments to the sultan, he received no re-
ply but on the contrary, the German con-
sui was received. A writer in the Nouvelle
Revue says:
1T is to this sovereign. hostile. obstinate
and tenacious in his resistance, that we
expect to impose our propositions. That
our minister is undecided. that he is dis
quoted by public opinion. that Is very
French. But 1t is too late to stop there.
1t is no longer a question of showing to
Mouey Abd-el-Aziz our diplomatic tradi-
tons, but to act with energy"
M. Delcasse, in the chamber of deputies,
when interpellated by deputies alarmed at
the situation in Morocco, replied calmly,
but with energy, as follows:
I'm treating with Morocco in the name of
France, we invoke today as formerly. the
titles of long and common frontier; the
damages; the sacrifices of every kind which
result from incessant troubles in the neigh
boring Moroccan region; the avowed in
ability of the Mayhem to put an end to
them; the necessity of our succor, and
finally his appeal to our counsel. And these