Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-06-06
oners In the War with Morocco

| ~ threw the first charge back into the
face OF the Moor who fired it.
GUN RUNNING.
There are In Morocco many Win
chester and other modern rifles aside
from those with which the sultan's
army IS equipped. Gun running has
long been n profitable occupation among
unscrupulous Europeans of the coast
towns, tho very people for whose pro-
lection the French invasion Is inspired.
A fellow countryman told me that for
years he got for Wholesalers that cost
him SIS as much as $50 and $40. The
authorities suspecting him on one oc-
casion engaged a trader to ascertain
how he got the rifles In. Suspectine
the trader, the American informed him
ooniicl,entially, "as q friend" that no
brought in the guns In barrels of oil. In
n few weeks five barrels of oil and six
teen boxes'o of provisions arrived at.
in one steamer The American went
down 10 the custom house. grinned gra-
ciously and asked for his oil. which the
Moors proceeded to examine.
mo. moi" said the American
Tho Moors insisted.
The American asked them to wait TIL
the afternoon, which they consented to
do; and after 70 superficial examination
of one of the provision boxes a load of
40 rifles, the butts and barrels in sep
ai7ato boxes covered with cans of sar-
dimes tea, sugar, etc, went up to the
stores of the American.
/ am Of the opinion that the French
army under Gen. d'Amade. now num-
bering 1900 men. could penetrate To
any corner Of Morocco with the utmost
facility, maintaining at the same time
unassailable communication with their
base. With $1,000 men the French can
occupy. hold and effectively police-as
nDlirinpr in NoTt, A et.tf
tire Moorish country Such an army
as this last could make the roads safe
for Arabs and Berbers as well as for
Europeans, Furnishing severely, as the
| Frenuch have learned to do, any tribe
that dares continue it's maIaudine
practises and amy brigand who essays
TO capture Europeans: and as for the
rest, the safety of life and property
within the towns and among members
of the same tribe the instinct of self
preservation In the Moors themselves
is sufficient. There is no danger for
the French In Morocco
NOT AN EASY TASK.
Nevertheless their task is not an easy
one. Conservatism at home and fear OF
foreign protest keeps them from pene-
trating the country as they must in
order to subdue II. So far they have
made their power felt only locally. ana
though they have slaughtered thou
SANDS or MoofS their position today Is
to all practical purposes the same as 1t
was after the first engagements about
Casablanca. For four months Gen.
Drude held Casablanca. with tribes de-
feated but unconquered all about him.
With The new year Gen. d'Amade took
command and the district of operations
was extended inland for n distance of
so miles. But beyond that there arc
again many untaught tribes, ranging
over a vast territory.
The struggle in which the French ara
engaged in Morocco is a serious trying
sometimes unclean business. which Will
drag on its bloody course for an inde-
finite time. For fear of interference
from Germany or some other power or
powers. France can establish herself
only gradually: and at the same time
fearing that another power might find
excuse TO take her place thereby cre>
ating a permanent menace to Algeria.
she dare not leave Morocco 10 continue
In its reign OF anarchy and disorder
1t has been said by n European states
man that France has got wolf by the
ears and dare not let co.
FREDERlC'I<. MOORE.