The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-08-04

On two occasions Germany has given
the plainest Of hints that she had
claims in Morocco, one at the time of
the Casablanca incident in 1908, when
German deserters into the French for
eign legion were forcibly seized by the
German consul; the other on July ! Of
this year, when q German warship
suddenly made its appearance in the
harbor of Agadir.
The Agadir Incident.
The action at Agadir comes directly
upon the heels of friendly visit of
NJ. Cambon, French ambassador at
Berlin, to the German chancellor, Herr
Won Klderlen-W -Waetchter, at Kissingen.
If France had overstepped the limits
Of her mandate the Algeciras act it.
self provided the means to call her to
book; an appeal could have been taken
to the diplomatic corps at Tangier.
But as far as the outside world knows
France has been very careful recently
to inform all the signatories of the
Algeciras act of every step forward
Sne haSptaken In MOROCCO.
The official reason put forward by
Germany for this action is the request
for protection made by certain Ger
man firms doing business In Agadir.
But the whole country around that
place has been perfectly quiet; no lives
Of German subjects have been in dan
ger, and German commercial interests
there, az in the whole Of Morocco, are
very small when compared to those
Of England and France. No one be-
lieves that this Is the real reason,
which is really TO be found tn German
inspired and semi-inspired newspapers.
One who has read them with atten-
ton during the last few months will
have noticed a growing impatience at
the forward movements Of France to-
ward Fee and In the Shawia region,
and the hardly veiled suggestion that
the Algeciras compact had been bro
ken by the two Latin kingdoms and
that the signatories-that Is, Germany
had regained their liberty of action.
In other words. the Algeciras con
ference had not been as successful as
Germany had hoped. The resulting
act weighed heavily upon German
politics, and 1t had to be superseded
France was to be cajoled into seem
ing security by passive acquiescence
in her dealings with Morocco until the
moment came when Germany thought
it convenient to denounce the agree
ment of 1900 rather than to keep her
cosignatories to its faithful fulfllment.
Spain's Part.
But Frances difficulty is not only
with Germany; it is also with Spain.
In many quarters 1t has been suggest
ed that Spain's action is explicable
only upon the supposition that she had
the overt or tacit assent of Germany
During the recent phases Of the Mo
rocco imbroglio France has seen with
a jealous eye her association with
Spain in the work Of pacifying Mo
rocco. Yet it cannot be denied that
Spain has some natural and historic
rights In a country that is separated
from her only by the narrow strait of
A4lLOde7n tAlC hIblO-i ICDCH
agreement Of 1904 was quickly follow
ed by somewhat similar agreement
between France and Spain, the rivalry
between the two countries has been
Ill concealed and has at times broken
out into ugly. disputes. When sud
denly a few months ago Spain went
outside Of her sphere Of influence on
the Mediterranean and landed troops
at Larache, on the Atlantic coast. the
whole French colonial party and press
rose up in arms, declaring this to be
an evident violation of the Algeciras
act
In view Of the present provocation,
and the action at Agadir can hardly
be considered in any other light, the
French press has in the main given
proof of a remarkable sang froid. 1t is
that that gives ground for the hope that
diplomacy" may be able to ward off
the threatening conflict. Frances posi-
ton has officially been declared to be
this: She holds firmly and without any
reservation to the principles laid down
in the Algeciras agreement. She sent
her troops to Fee only at the earnest
solicitation Of Sultan Mulai Hahd him
self in order to establish there law and
order and to save the tottering throne
OF the sultan The moment this is ac-
complished she win withdraw her
troops. She is solicitous, as the man
datory of Europe and the United
States, for the preservation intact Of
the Moroccan kingdom and the com
mercial ''open door for all nations.