Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-17
SPENT DAY VISITING
Delegates to Moroccan Confer
enCe at Leisure.
TO HELP THE SECRETARIES
Preparations for Great Work of the
Commission.
TO HELP THE SECRETARIES
MOHAMMED Ell TORRES VIEWS
Deliberations to Begin With Discus
sion of Contraband Arms-The
Moorish Attitude Defined.

ALGECIRAS, Spain, January 1.-THE del
egates of the Moroccan conference today
took day of leisure in order to enable
the secretaries to get ready for their work.
and INDUCED in private conversations
among themselves or spent the time in
preparing with their junior colleagues for
the discussion of the surveillance of con-
tratand arms in Morocco, the first question
to be discussed at the next meeting.
Ambassador White visited Gibraltar after
he and Minister Gummere had gone over
the present situation In Morocco regarding
Illicit trade in arms. When the confer
ence shall have agreed on regulations for
the punishment of foreigners engaged in
smuggling arms into Morocco most of the
countries, including the United States will
have to exchange on the subject, as only
Great Britain and Spain can by orders in
council penalize their subjects abroad.
While the talk among the ambassadors is
all of conciiation and harmony. Moham-
med el Torres, the Moroccan foreign min
lister and head of the mission of Morocco
and Mokri. the sultan's principal agents. do
not believe that the conference will agree.
Budget Meakin. an eminent authority on
Morocco. had a prolonged conversation to-
day in Arabic with Mohammed el Torres
and repeated to the Associated Press the
Moorish view, as follows:
The Moorish View.
Mohammed FL Torres will be a passive
observer at the conference until 1t enters
the last stage. If the powers do not agree
the conference will fall to pieces of itself
without the Moors lifting finger If, how
ever, the powers accept a general plan of
control of Morocco the sultan cannot be
asked to submit anything that will insult
the faith or provoke a rebellion among his
own people. The powers will hesitate be-
fore facing an international military occu-
patton of Morocco to impose scheme of
administration. The Moors expect some
power to take their viewpoint even were a
general agreement attained. They pray
much of the time for the Almighty to pro-
tect His faithful, and they trust that the
powers of evil will fall into confusion The
whole of the Islam world is somewhat ex-
cited over the fate of Morocco, as 1t is the
last Independent Mussllman kingdom of
Africa
Mohammed Ell Torres expresses satisfac-
ton at the fact that the conference will
begin with discussion of contraband arms
since this is one question in which Morocco
Is anxious to secure the Intervention of the
powers.
The Moroccan Contention.
The Moroccans contend that while the
French and German governments nominally
restrict contraband arms from entering Mo
rocco the great manufacturers of arms in
France and Germany reap a harvest by the
Illicit introduction Of arms, thus fomenting
anarchy and insurrection. Therefore. Mo
rocco is prepared to have the powers de-
cisively stop this Contraband trade
On the other hand some of the ambassa-
doris fear that the COntraband question may
precipitate a crisis over the main Franco
German controversy, the surveillance of
contraband arms involves the determination
whether France alone shall nafrpl tbp rao st
or whether the powers shall establish an
international patrol.
The determination of who shall establish
the patrol may. therefore, bring up the
principal F>ranco-German issue over
France having a special position warrant
ing her to direct the maintenance of order.