The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-08-01
The Road TO Fez.

| frcnch forces IN the Shawia region
served 10 direct attention to the fact
that the French wore steadily extend
ing their control over southern Morocco.
This battle itselfwas fought in the high
land near Tadla, more than hundred
miles inland from Casablanca and actu-
ally outside Of the Shawis district Az
that time TnE SCN discussed the stra-
tegiCal consequences Of this advance
Subsequently the dsavowal made by
the French Government and the recall
OF tho General who directed the expedi-
ton disclosed the fact that it had been
premature.
The truth was that a. this precise
moment the French were engaged in
much more ambitious project N
eastern Morocco along the Algerian
frontier, and the Insanotioned activity
in the west embarrassed them, since
II directed attention. to Morocco al
this time As result the French
Government was obliged 10 advertise
IN advance that il was also sending
troops tn occupy the district lying b.
tween tho Mluusa Riverand { he Algerian
bOundarv THIS informant ion had barely
been puhlshci when the second an
nOuncemant had 10 be made Of an1i her
sharp iigl' With Moroccan tribssmen. IN
which twelve French soldiers had been
killed and fOTTy-fWo wOund.d. among
the latter two officers Since then tho
purpose OF this campaign IN eastern
. l. L
length m the foreign nowspapsrs
In sum, the French advance has re-
suited in the effective occupation Of two
towns on "a" road 20 F.2 which with
ida give The Ereu' n possession ~
thir-y-iivP miles - the man road which
leads from he Algerian frontier To the
northern 'npItal oi Morocco, u has also
brought French troops wi'li hundred
miles Of Fel itself OF the rwo villages
thus occupied Taour,rt. near which the
fighting took place. j. alone important:
the other. Sidi Melluk. IL merely relay
station on tho road. TaOurirt. on the
other hand is one Of tho most Important
points s,rategically in eastern Morocco.
Here not loss than three important roads
interSect. that connecting Fel with
Algeria. that leading from Meiilla TO
Tablet and the Sahara. aud that ron.
Meeting the spanish colony with Figuis
A fourth leads east from Tdouii-' along
the valley NJ the Wady Ia.
Taourirt itself IL too small a place to
I've Indicated upon any 81 the maps Of
this region on the scale employed in
aliases. II is situated on the MulIva.
perhaps twenty-five miles from it,
mouth ard four or five miles from the
point where the Wady IN and several
other smaller streams flowing from the
east and west alike enter the Muuya.
I, thus commands the NultIya Valley
and also effectively covers tho fords
by which the caravan route from Al
geria 10 Fc1 crosses the Muluya II il
eauidistant from tho Algcrian frontier
near ida and m" fortress % Taxa.
which commands tho road IN Fer and il
in fact tho militarykay Of Fe>
In all the official statements concern
inc fhis expedition To Tnnurirt rhe fact
il emphasized that the purpose is purely
10 carry ont the ierIns Of a treaty BE-
tween France and Morocco signed nearly
ten year. aCo ard rrnfrned nt Alge-
cirn- This treaty permits th" French
10 act with tho Moroccan Government 90
suppress disorder in his region whsro
tho authority ~ the Government ~ Fez
ings among III" tribes are frequent n j.
"a matter of record thht o number Of these
native upri-ings in recent yenT- have cul-
minated ia RAIDS into French territory
and destruction 81 properly and murder
~ colonists in Algeria nde- the
terms NJ tho same treaty provision il
also made for tho Organlzatirn Of a
native police force 20 preserve order.
Solemn assurances have Tcc~ntly bpnn
published by the French Government
that this border police force H. 10 b~
organized az once and hat whom u can
be used safely I'm" French garrisons
will 10 withdrawn
Tho real meaning Of the French adj
vance. however. will be found IN the
commercial md political rather than
IN the merely police aspects oT tho
situation. BY the occupation of Tao,l-
rirt tho French have cit tho route be-
tween Mrlilla and the interior Already
"a consequence both Of the recent
spanish trouble with the Rins and the
French occupation 81 [ ida IN" trade ~
MrIilla has declined enormously Now,
with French garrisons insIirIng the
safety and French engineers improving
the roads, II " to h. expected that cara
vans will forsakc Melilla and turning
east 60 from Taourirt through UjdA 10