Evening star., 1908-01-19
THE RIVAL SULTANS OF MOROCCO

uary reported the taking of the kas-
bah Ell Mediounas. and on the other side
of Morocco the submission of the hostile
BeniSnassen and Beni-khaled. and the
surrender of the celebrated Marabout ST.
Mouktar- Boutchick. The capture of the
Kasbah ell Mediounas Is an event of great
'lportance of itself. and the surprise of
Its unexpected fall is the greater that II
happens that the cap.or was Cen
Drude supposed to be Ill and about to re
turn to France. The surprise" says the
Figaro ..auEments our delight"
What mystery attaches to this unex-
pected movement It is difficult from this
distance to determine. but there Is
mystery. II is known that because OF the
persistent illness of Gen. Drude the lat
ter had been accorded a sick leave and
was awaiting orders to return to France
on the arrival OF Gen. d'Amade.
NJ. Gaudin de Villaine in the senate re-
preached the government with having
limited and interfered with
Drude's = the military operations of
Gen. Drude. Thereupon the
president of the council in
terrupted the orator. exclaiming: 1T is
incorrect. Gen. Drude has had thirty
dispatches to go ahead NJ. Gaudin
insisted: 1T is necessary to order Gen.
Drude to take immediate offensive and
defensive action" and the president of
the council replied: "a long time ago
he had his orders.
The government has been under attack
for several weeks because Of the inaction
Of Gen. Drude. which was persistent. The
government made answer that 1t was due
to the continued and serious illness or
Gen. Drude. The opposition press rallied
the government upon the method OF ai-
recting military campaigns from Paris.
methods. 1t said. which were not only
ridiculous but dangerous.
The successor of Gen. Drude Iwhose
merits are incontestible. but who Is said
to be really Ill with fever). Cen q Amade.
Is an officer of distinction. He was mill
tary attache at London and followed In
the English camp the war in the Trans
vaal
NJ Charles Petit. in an article in the
Monde Illustre Of December ~. IN re-
ferring to the campaign against the fero-
cious and intractable tribes of the Beni-
Snassen, says:
"An original innovation in warfare was
the employment of an auto-mitrailleuse.
Ain-Sfa. Capt. Gently Of the artillery
directed the machine. and crossed the
country off the roads, as well as the
ford of Oued Isly.'
The observation-disclosures merits special
mention here, for the information of our
own field artillery
Motor Car service. 1t is 24-30
Machine Gun. horsepower carriage
In front there are
two seats behind the motor.
Capt. Genty occupied the seat on the
right, holding the steering apparatus;
Gen. Lyantey was on the left. There were
two carbines within reach of the occu-
pants. The compartment in the rear
comprises two places for the gunners,
with round seat for the one who points
it. Two large cases of cartridges extend
along the open space. filled with mu-
niticns sufficient to resist for a long time
an attack Of cavalry. which 1t can
Sprinkle" with shower of balls.
LIE Temps says of Gen. .Drude that he ap-
peared not to understand the necessities
of the situation. From military point
of view he committed manifest errors;
he left Chaouia villages near him. thus
losing the chance to profit by the rapid
and precise fire of his artillery. In place
Of attacking the Moroccan camps directly
he proceeded by hesitating marches which
were sometimes circular! (The critic is
and fails to comprehend their utilityI
Gen. Drude neglected the methods of
Bugeaud. adopted and adapted by Gems.
Gallieni and Lyantey. Finally. con-
cludes LIE Temps Gen. Drude has not
been for the general policy of France in
Morocco. as represented at Rabat In such
a distinguished manner by NJ. Regnault.
a useful collaborator
The criticism of LIE Temps seems to the
writer to be strained and nebulous. 1t
will mt strange If w hoQr more
of the manifest lack of accord between
the French minister and the recent
French commander-in-chief at Casa
Blanca.
Cen Zurlinden in the Figaro of the Sd
of January. resuming an article in that
journal entitled Toward the End Of a
Hatred" says:
AT the convention at Algeciras Europe
entrusted France and Spain with the or
ganization of a police to insure the tran
qufllity of Morocco. More than ever there
is but one attitude for France. to be really
and energetically a nation entirely armed.
that it may defend itself the day that any
power may undertake to bleed the nation
to DEATH"
M. Paul Leroy-Beaulieu, the we'll
known French economist. has an article
in the Revue des Deux
Word Of Mondes. France" he says
has TO business to inter-
fere in the interior affairs
of Morocco: naturally we should consider
the sultan as long as he is not overthrown
as the sovereign of the country; but we
need not take him under our effective
protection, or become his champion: an
Intervention in the Moroccan quarrels
might lead US a long way and risk to have
i'll effects. The taking possession OF MO-
rocco in one form or another will lead
to great sacrifices: 1t will necessarily
weaken our situation on the European
continent: it will cool our relations with
SPAIN our traditional natural and neces-
sary ally: finally. far from consolidating
our African empire. 1t will render 1t more
fragile and introduce there the germs OF
dissolution 1t is enough for us Ito pos
sess six million Mussulman subjects
which by natural growth will become
eight millions in thirty years: there is an
immense peril in doubling this number
When sixty years ago. about, an Amer
lean squadron forced japan to open her
ports to the occident. the United States
never thought, without doubt. that they
would ask themselves one day II the Jap
anese fleets would not attack them and
take their colonies.
Let us leave peoples. and above all Wig
orous peoples. live their own life. If they
do not want railroads do not let us force