Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1912-09-26

- ECENTLY the ever uneasy Mo
roccan cat once more leaped out
Of the diplomatic sack into
which It was hastily thrust by
the Danicstricken powers at Algeciraa.
Az q result France. Germany
and England have been filled with
the most dreary forebodings, and
all because Germany saw At to send
. gunboat to a little known but grow.
ing port on the coast Of Africa.
The coast Of Africa has long been
one Of tho storm centers Of European
diplomacy. It tempted the legionariea
OF old Rome and awakened In the
bosom Of Napoleon splendid dreams OF
empire. The colonizing nations Of
tho present. especially England and
France, have lost men and sunk money
In its conquest. Morocco is the last
tempting bit Of land on the northern
coast to maintain its integrity and
there are indications that this last
prize will soon pass under European
control. Germany's possessions in
Africa are relatively Insignificant.
rather burden than a beneflt to her
financially. It Is but natural that she
should wish to have some say about
the future Of Morocco. Her anxiety
II the greater because her possessions
In other parts of the globe are deemed
insufi1cient to support the pretensions
Of German world-influence. II Ger
many, when the time comes for the
sultanate to fall. is to surrender her
claims to France, she will take good
care to assume such a position in the
meantime that substantial compensar
ton can be demanded. Morocco IL
thus q pawn on the complicated chess
board of diplomacy. But a. such It
10 very useful to Germany.
It Is not a source OF satisfaction to
Germany that 1t was the triumph Of
her own arms which indirectly result
ed In the expansion of French terri
tory. France had established q pro.
tectorate in Algeria In 1880. but had
taken on the whole . rather languid
interest In the province. After the
reverses Of the Franco-Prussian war,
however, a definite policy Of colonial
expansion to the immediate south was
adopted az the surest way Of regain
ing lost prestige. It was the dream
Of some ambitious and imaginative
statesmen that great new France
might In time rise on the northern
coast Of Africa. Tho occupation OF
Tunis marked the first definite step
after 1871 in the carrying out Of this
policy.
Meantime both England and France
were engaged In Egypt. France had
inherited from Napoleon certain 20
liical interests In Egypt. They we're
not highly regarded. but they enabled
her to drive good bargain with Eng
land when the occasion arose. Mo-
rocco furnished this occasion. For
500 miles the western boundary Of
Algeria marches with the eastern
frontier OF Morocco. The French
drove q thriving trade with Algeria
and through Algeria with Morocco. a
trade, however. that was menaced by
the constant turbulence within the
Moroccan state. Peace In Morocco
was very necessary to Franco; order
could be insured only by European
policing. In 1904, therefore. M. Del
casse, then foreign minister Of
France, made overtures to England
which resulted In an understanding
between the two powers. France en-
gagged to recognize the exceptional po-
sition OF England in Egypt. and in
return for this concession England
agreed to leave France a free hand
In Morocco. This was the so-called
Anglo-French agreement. It was deep
" resented by Germany.
The resentment of the Wilhelm
strasse, after smoldering for some
months, eliminated In 1905 In the
fiery outbursts of the kaiser at Tan
gier. This outburst presently set
Europe by the ears. for the kaiser de-
clared that Germany was prepared to
protect her commercial rights In and
to guarantee the political integrity of
Morocco. This amounted to an ad-
rnfssion that Geruanv diafr1,afAd tha