The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-16
By Frank C. Carpenter


| The Sicilans just now are terribly poofs and the taxation is such that they can make no money in farming. They are thrifty and do well on these DOT lands of North Africa.
 AS it is now there are perhaps as many Italians as French in Tunisia. The
 French peasant loves his home, and he willnot leave without he thinks he is going to have things all his own way.
 The chief trouble with farming, in this part of the world, is the scanty rain fall Centuries ago the land was heavily wooded. and in the times of the Romans there was a great olive forest extending all the way from Tuns to Algiers, distance about as great as from Phila- delphia to Chicago. This has long since been cut away, and the only vegetation now on the mountains Is scrub oak, with here and there a forest of cork. Every bit of wood available is used for fuel, and even the roots of the olive trees and the trimmings of the grape vines are sold. A large part of the wood is turned into chacoal, and this forms the chief fuel of both Algeria and Tunisia.
 Now that we have colonies of our own. it is interesting to know how the French handle their dependency in this part of North Africa. Tnnisa was conquered ny them only a little more than twenty-five years ago, and they have been the real rulers of 1t ever since. At the same time the Arabs have their own rulers. nas- much as all the orders affecting the na- tives so out through the bey and his Arab officials The beY. however, is only the monkeys on the stick and it is tho French resident general who pulls the string which makes him act Indeed, he has very little opportunity to act at all, except in special instances and IS to natives. His army, including both officers and men, has been reduced to aaffa, ,saftH tNf qiS come, which was formerly millions. IS now cut down to three hundred thousand dollars year. He still occupied the fine old palace of the Bardo here on the edge of the city. and he has in addition seV- eral smaller palaces outside. At present he is living in one at Sidi BOu Said oa the site of old Carthage; 1t is abour twelve miles from Tunis and he drives into the city in lacquered coach, with soldiers and outriders in uniform. have seen him several times during my stay.
 Native Courts for Natives.
 The French are governing runlsia much as the Dutch govern Java. They Issue all of their orders through the bey and his sheiks. The country is divided up into thirteen districts, each of which has a controleur eivile. This man has a number of French assistants, but he has also native governor and subordinates to help him and all the orders regards the natives go out through them. If tha Frenchman or other foreigners get into trouble they are judged only by the French; and if foreigner has trouble with a native he comes before the same powers. As to disputes between the na- tives themselves. they are handled in the Arab courts and after the Koranic law. The bey holds a court every Saturday morning, and he can condemn Il native
 criminal to be hung if he pleases. He often does so; and as the executions are public any foreigner can go out to see.
 These methods of procedure are satls- factory 10 both native and French In fact they suit every one excepting the Tunsan Jews. There have been J9ws from Tyre to Carthage and tho Jews | They dress in Arab costumes, and, as to 1 the men. ono could not tell the differ | ence.
 l Of late years under modern conditions some of the Jews have been growing l prosperous, and many of them are now learning French and apins French ways 1 They have begun to dress in European l clothes; and are anxious to rank as Flu
 ropeans and be tried by European judges. l At tho same time the natives despse l them. and an Arab sheilS considers the
 word of one Mussulman worth more than 1 that of score of Hebrews. For this
 reason the Jews are claiming that they | do not get justice and are demanding l change