The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-02-13
THE TROUBLE
IN MOROCCO
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Los Angeles Times.

whose ruler rejoices in the comic OF
era name OF the Sultan MuIai Abdul
= Aziz, has made itself into an interro
0. CATION mark that IS disturbing til
&c sleep Of Europe. The mailed fist o
a the German Kaiser, the downfall O
= Delcasse. kidnapping and murder are a
mixed up in it. There are tragic eIe
j ments in the story, some evry inter
= esting ones and some that are only
2 sordid.
, 1t goes aclz to 1880. when the power:
| were figuring on administering their
regular. spanking to the Sultan of No
rocco. Punishment was averted for
the time being by the little country s
action at Madrid, when her Sherifeian
government signed an agreement that
the countries who had gathered for
the purposes of castigation should be
regarded as the ''most-favored ma
tons" The powers represented were
Great Britain, France, Spain. Italy,
Germany and the United States.
Each was to have equal commercial
rights for thirty years. and for the
time being, this was held by the pow
ers to be all they We're interested in,
for the country offers a valuable COM
! mercial field. besides being in a com
snanding political position in Africa.
France, however, was already strong
in Morocco's next-door neighbour AL
giers, and she wanted to increase her
footing in the dark continent. So she
got together with Great Britain, who
takes a protective interest in Africa,
and with Spain, another near neighbor,
! and framed up a new plan.
Under this, France was 70 enter upon
a campaign of peaceful penetration"
more penetrative than peaceful. This
was to endure for thirty years, by
which time it was argued that the
whole country would be permeateG
with peace. Everything would have
gene we'll if Kaiser William had not
taken very decided stand against the
plan. He said in effect that his i'm
perial country's interests had. been
grossly neglected in the arrangements
between France and England and
France and Spain, and with his GUS
tomary method of going to the bottom
OF the matter he went straight 10
Tangier, where the Sultan was just
READY TO aCCeCe TO rance Suggestion
for the betterment of the country and
called halt on the proceedings, while
the French mission of peaceful pene-
tration' was still at the city of Fee,
Tot far away.
France and Germany have never had
any especially warm feeling for each
other since 1s70-1 and the French
people regarded the interference or
the German Emperor as a direct proof
Of the incompetency of Delcasse, their
Minister for Foreign Affairs. Accord>
ingly, he was deposed from his port
folio ard when the new French Cab1-
ret, with Rouvier as Minister, was
formed, his name did not appear on the
list. Now NJ. RouVier will handle the
foreign affairs of France himself and
one of the first things he did was 20
ask Germany bluntly: What do you
want?"
Germany's representative has re-
piled that he wants a European con-
ference OH the best manner of dealing
with Morocco as its government is
admittedly incapable of handling the
problems that arise from time to
time. This frank disregard of Frances
claim to an advisory and even protec-
tive attitude in Morocco was undoubt-
influence of Russia in the worlds con-
ferences on political subjects and the
consequent diminished strength of
France, her ally.
Bearing the condition in mind. the |
Kaiser has practically announced to
Sultan Mulai Abdul-Aziz that he viii |
recognize him as a free and indepen- |
dent sovereign something which must |
make the young man laugh heartily,
under the circumstances, without re-
gard to the agreement with France.
This puts the Sultan between the |
devil and the deep sea. He must have |
protection of some kind, for his coun- |
try is overrun with abuses and there |
are 5000 European residents, all of |
them subject to kidnapping attacks. |
with subsequent reprisals at the hands |
of the governments. The murder of |
the British missionary, Cooper. who |
was killed by fanatic, and kidnap- |
ing of Ion Perdicaris, an American |
citizen, are still fresh in the disturbed |
royal mild.
On the one hand is France, bent |
on that peaceful penetration, with |
England, the mistress of Gibraltar, |
standing close by her. Spain, on the |
north, is in accord with the French !
ideas, though she will not be likely to
to be gathered.
Other countries, like Denmark Nor
way and Sweden and Belgium, want
to see France do the work of policing
Morocco, with the full understanding
that all are to share alike in any
benefits that accrue from the country's
pacification
On the other hand stands Germany, !
bent on stirring up the other powers
to see the alleged perfidy of France,
and pointing out to them that thirty
years OF French protection means
French suZerainty in the end-for
France will undoubtedly insist on her
rights as prOtectress.
Whosoever undertakes to manage af-
fairs III the north of Africa will have
his hands full. for France is obliged
to maintain an army of 10000 men in
Algeria, merely for the purpose of
keeping the country quiet. The fight
force n Morocco iS at