Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-02
Garrison at Boudenib Drives
Back $1,000 Tribesmen.
GERMANY HELD TO BLAME
Paris Bitter Over Proposal to Rec
ognize Mulai Hailed.
CONCERT OF POWERS BROKEN
Count HATFIELD, Kaiser's Charge
d'Affaires Here, Discussed Berlin
Dispatches With State De-
partment.

partment.
| PARIS. September ARAB tribesmen
at Boudenib the former stronghold of
Mulai Hassen on the Algerian frontier.
suddenly attacked the French post yes
| terday afternoon.
The hills surrounding the blockhouse
swarmed with Moorish warriors on foot
and on horseback The fighting contin-
ued until Z O'Clock in the evening.
The French finally beat off the enemy
after the Arabs had sustained heavy
losses. The French had two men killed.
| A renewal of the attack is expected.
1t is estimated that 5000 MOors sur
round the French post at Boudenib.
| The French garrison totals 500 men.
| A column of French reinforcements has
| reached Bouanans, forty miles from
! Boudenib.
France Blames Germany.
The action of Germany in breaking up
the concert of powers with regard to Mo-
rocco by notifying the signatories of the
Algeciras act that she considered the &C
| tual situation demanded the immediate
recognition of Mulai Hafid, the usurping
| Sultan of Morocco, has fallen. like a
| bOmbshell in Paris.
| A feeling approaching CONSERVATION is
manifested in official circles. The notifi-
cation. which was made verbally. is not
| accompanied by any explanation of Ger
manys brutal change of front" as it is
| termed here.
In government circles the action of Ger
many and the dispatch to Fee of DR.. Vas
! sell the German consul at Tangiers, can
no longer be tolerated.
| Officials can see in Germany's action
| only virtual proclamation of her in
| tention to disregard the Algecras act and
seek a special position in Morocco for
herself.
| The consequences both from the inter-
national and the French standpoint are
expected to be deplorable.
| AS if in answer to Germany's call for
recognition of Mulai Hatid, before he has
entered into any engagements with Eu-
| rope, fanatical Arabs who had been gath
| ering on the Algerian frontier attacked
yesterday the French post at Boudenib.
Attitude of France.
| The Associated Press is in a position to
present the following official French view
of the situation:
| .'Germany's notification came as a COM
| plete surprise to France and Spain, who
are engaged in celebrating a program of
| demands to be presented to Mulai Hafid
| for the safeguarding of the common in
| terests of Europe and America in Mo-
| rocco. These demands are to be sub
mitted to the signatories of the Aigecl-
| raS act soon they are completed,
and the powers were so notified eight
| days ago.
Germany took no exception to this
| course. We presumed that she was en-
tirely satisfied, until suddenly there came
this crash out of blue sky.
There was no longer any question of
| upholdng ADD Ei-AZiZ. Both France
| and Spain recognized that he had dis
appeared definitely from .he horizon.
What we proposed to do was to force
| Mulai Hafid to ratify the engagements
of his brother. Abd-El-Aziz, toward
Europe before recognizing him. Now
Germany comes forward with propo-
| sitiOn to recognize Mulai Hafid before
! he has given any guarantee. 1t amounts
| to undoing the work of the Algeciras
| conference and reverting to the status
quo ante.
| 1.-The powers must decide between the
| position of Germany ard that of France.
| The French position we consider to be
most loyal TO the spirit and letter Of the
AlgeciraS act
The French press is unanimous in con-
siderng Germany'S action provocative and
possibly productive of an acute crisis.
Situation Considered Grave.
During "a visit to the State Department
today Count Hatzfeldt. German charge
d affaires. called attention to a Berlin
dispatch, indicating it to be the opinion of
| the German government that the speedy
| recognition of Mulai Hafid as Sultan of
Morocco by the signatories OF the Alge-
ciras conference, would be in the interest
| of peace.
| Count Hatzfeldt did not present any
| formal note from the German foreign
office. The attitude of the State Depart
| ment in this matter appears to be one or
expectancy and disposition TO await
! developments.
The United States government was
| signatory to the Algeciras conference, but
accompanied that action with a declara-
ton that in accepting the application OF
it's regulations and declarations to Ameri-
can citizens and interests in Morocco 1t
did so without assuming obligation or re-
sponsiblity for their enforcement.
| The gravity of the Moroccan situation
| lies i'm the fact that the contention over
Morocco has brought Germany and
! France dangerously near war. The posi-
| ton of Morocco, commanding one of the
| gateways of the Mediterranean. has eX-
! cited the European powers to keen rivalry
| in securing prepOnderence of 1nflu-
| ence over that country.
Great Britain for "a time held the chief
influence. AS result of the Anglo
France understanding she definitely recog
nized France having the prepon-
| derating influence in Morocco.
Germany Disturbed Serenity.
The French influence developed stead
| ily until the expected visit of the En-
peror of Germany to Tangier, when his
declaration that Germany would insist
| upon the continued and complete indie
pendence of Morocco from exclusive for
| eign control startled the European pow
ers and brought the French English pro-
gram TO sudden halt.
The enforced retirement of NJ. Delcasse,
| the French minister of foreign affairs.
was one of the sensational incidents of
| the diplomatic struggle which ensued be-
| tween Germany and France. Reports
were current that both countries had
| prepared for war. and the French press
| contained inf1ammatory announcements
of the military preparations proceeding
on a vast scale along the Franco-German
! frontier.
1t was during this crisis that the great
powers were assembled at the Algeciras
conference not much to deal with Mo-