Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-11
MOROCCO VS., POWERS
AIgeciras Conference May
Make Striking Changes.
JURISDICTION OF EUROPE
New International Bank and the Con-
troll Of the Sultan.
PERDICARIS AND THE BERBERS
Why Kaiser Wilhelm Objects to
French Occupation Of the Land
Of Oldest Mohammedans.
AND THE BERBERs

Copyright 1905, by Frank G. Carpenter)
had a chat last night with Mr.. Ion Per-
dicaris about the present condition OF al
fairs in Morocco Mr.. Perdicaris will be
remembered as the rich American who was
kidnapped by Raisuli while at his country
residence five miles from Tangier. Inc
brigands carried him into the mountains
and kept him there for six weeks until the
sultan sent the $4,000 which was de-
manded as a ransom. This captivity was
INJURIOUS to Mr.. Perdicaris' health and 1t
almost ruined the health of his wife. Upon
his release he left Morocco for Europe and
then came to the United States. He has
spent the past winter in Washington en-
deavoring to regain his strength, and
was in his apartments in Stoneleigh Court
that met him.
Backed by the Powers.
Said Mr.. Perdicaris:
'In a nutshell the effect Of the> inter-
national conference at Algeciras has been
to put Morocco, to some extent, under the
Jurisdiction of the great powers of Europe.
The several nations have agreed that the
integrity of the sultan Is to be maintained
and that from now on there is to be equal
trade for every one in Morocco.
IA national bank has been opened at
Tangier to finance the obligations OF the
sultan. This bank is SO constituted that
every nation which took part in the con-
ference has a share in It. France has two
shares and the syndicate which placed the
first loan of $10.0O0,0OO with the sultan
some time ago has a. like number Alto
gether there are fifteen shares, which
means that 1t will require the vote of eight
shares or a majority of the stock to sane
ton the placing Of any loan. mortgage or
other obligation. In other words, his maj
esty cannot incur any such debts without
a majority of the nations agree. The cap
ital of the bank is to be not less than 49,
600, coo francs, and 1t cannot be more than
Morocco Not Safe.
'Tn addition to this" continued Mr.. Per-
dicaris, "the conference provided that there
may be a tax on the buildings in the towns
and cities throughout the empire, and also
that from 1900 to $500 policemen are to
be assigned to the eight coast towns, and
that they shall be commanded by sixteen
or seventeen French or Spanish officers"
''Will that make Morocco safe for foreign
ers?"
Before I was captured by Raisuli I
thought the Berbers OF the mountains had
only old flint lock guns and that
they could do nothing in competition with
modern rifles. When I was taken into the
mountains it was by men who had the best
Of our improved weapons, and in the re-
gion where I was imprisoned there were
more than five thousand soldiers equipped
with modern guns. Against force like
that the whole twenty-five hundred police
men would be of little effect, and, If they
were scattered among eight towns, hun
dreds of miles apart, one can easily see
that they would be inadequate to any
kind Of protection. The number of foreign
officers is too small and 1t is question
whether they can control the native troops.
Indeed I should not advise foreigners to
attempt to travel through the interior of
Morocco"
The Situation in Tangier.
How about Tangier?'
1T was at my country home within five
miles of Tangier that I was captured. I
had nineteen servants with me at my house
and considered myself perfectly safe. The
truth Is that radical change over that
Of the past has taken place in Tangier
caused by the Anglo-French agreement of
1904. A few years ago we considered Gil
braltar our chief defense knowing that we
could call for the English troops to come
over in case Of an outbreak and have a
strong force land within few hours. This
Is prevented now by that agreement. You
may remember how 1t arose. The French
who had hampered the English in the ad-
ministration Of Egypt made an agreement
return. would allow France to have free
hand in Morocco. Great Britain then said
that France ought to assist in the admins
trative, economic, financial and military
reforms in Morocco, and practically agreed
to keep her hands off. After that she would
not have dared send troops across from Gil
braltar, for the French would have con-
sidered such an act a violation of the
spirit of the agreement and might have
resisted it. When returned from my cap
tfvity, saw the governor Of Gibraltar, Sir
George White, and he told me he would
have been powerless to have defended Tan
gier In case of assault. You may have
also noticed that the English government
recently sent word to the Gibraltar officers
that they must be careful In going about
Tangier and must not risk making expedi-
lions Of any kind into the interior of Mo-
rocco
Why France Wants Morocco.
what has been the position of France
in regard to Morocco?'
SIT has for years been looking upon 1t
with greedy eyes, and that not only as a
commercial but as a military proposition.
Among the best of the French soldiers are
the Berbers Of Algeria. There are many of
the same race in Morocco, and II France
could control that country as 1t does Al
geria and Tunisia, It could add at least
one hundred thousand Berber soldiers to
its army That is strong incentive for a
nation situated as the French are"
What plans had they made to get that
controi7"
Their scheme was to avail themselves Of
the sultan's absolute necessity for money.