Rocky Ford enterprise., 1909-09-10
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were not Of her own making. there
would be q feeling Of considerable
sympathy with a country almost the
last Of whose foreign possessions is
30 seriously threatened. Unfortu-
nately, Spain has brought the trou-
BILE upon her own head, or, to be more
accurate. the Ultramontane cabinet
that misgoverns the country has In
ficted them upon her. Most people
outside the Spanish cabinet do not re-
Quire to be told that the Rifiians who
inhabit the Moroccan highlands over
looking the Mediterranean are a
fierce, intractable. unconquered peo-
pie. Even Muza's Arabs could not re-
duce them to submission. and the
troops of Cardinal Cisneros were
equally unsuccessful. 1t may be said
that the writ of the sultan himself
does not run far into the Riff coun-
try. where the people follow the life
that was theirs before civilization Wis
tied western Europe. having their own
code Of honor. their blood-feuds and
their internecine strife. Great pi-
rates In times past. they have long
given up piracy as a profession. and
But they have never ceased to exer-
else themselves in the profession Of
arms. and for many years the little
wealth they have acquired BY their
labors on the land and in the field.
and by the sale Of the herds and
fiocks they rear. has been devoted to
the purchase Of guns.
Guns and guns. and still more guns.
some coming from England. France.
or Germany. many coming from Bel
GUM. large quantities from Spain. and
not few from the sultan's own
troops: for It is NO secret that when
. Moor Is tired Of serving in the army
in return for pay that is always in
arrears. he deserts. carrying his be-
loved gun with him. and sells It to
the nearest tribe that does not &C.
knowledge the, sultan's authority.
Even on the coast beyond Tangier Ind
round Ceuta. Tetuan and Meliila. gun
running has been carried on openly.
more than once within view Of the
writer. The guards on the beach have
been squared or tricked. and conveys
have been waiting within mile Of the
ianding-place to carry the precious
weapons into the mountains. So II
happens that the Rifians are well
armed, and they are fighting because
their territory has been violated. In
deed. II they had white skins and .
code Of western morality. they would
be in serious danger OF being called
patriots instead Of rebels.
The position in which Spain finds
herself is one Of extreme dificulty.
Senior Maura. the premier. is an obsti.
nate reactionary. The country is In
censed against the war party. Span
ish finances are in their chronic state
of weakness. The cost Of subduing
the Riffs in money alone. to say moth
ing Of blood. will be enormous. II the
government does not fall. II eastern
, Spain can be pacined. II 10000 troops
can be sent to Melilla and the other
fpresidios OF Spain in Morocco. II the
lRifs can be driven on and their noun
tain strongholds can be destroyed, It
is hard too see what Spain can hope
to gain beyond q measure Of glory and
a bill. that bear the same relation to
one another as the bread to the sack
in FalstafY's famous tavern account.
There is not enough money in all the
country of the RIMS to pay the bill
tf,at Spain has incurred already. and
though some attempt may be made
to saddle the sultan with responsible
ity, It is well known that Mulai el
Hafid is no better able than Gen.
Marina to control the tribesmen. Nor
is the country Of the Rifs calculated
to tempt sane men to conquer 1t. 1t
is wild, rugged. inhospitable. and can
scarcely yield q living even to those
who have been brought up in 1t. 1t
could only be kept at the point OF the
bayopet, for even II Spain had sur
plus population, there would be no
Temptation for emigrants to settle in
such a wild and unproductve land.
Spain has no colonists. she needs
more population. and consequently
there is absolutely no room for an
imperial policy in Africa.
II Senior Maura were less obstinate
and the rulers OF Spain less proud.
one and all would see the advisable
ity of retiring at once from an unten-
able position before the wounds In
f,icted upon the nation by the Cuban
troubles and the American war broke
out afresh. Nobody doubts the bravery
of the Spanish troops: they have. and
deserve a splendid reputation. But
mere bravery will do very little In
campaign carried on under condi-
lions with which the Spaniards are