The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-01-31
BERNST0RFF F
OF FRANCE
Ambassador Explains Moroc-
can Mixup and Defends His
Country's Motives.
~oUNT Won BERNsToRFF, tn,


attitude Of France and Germany to
ward one another, with special refer
ence to the Moroccan question" II,
represents Germany as being quite sat
isfied with the Kongo concessions Oh
tained as the result OF the latest Fran
co-German agreement and insists thai
at no time was Germany seeking trou
BILE with France by her Moroccan at
titude.
The action OF the kaiser's govern
ment in dispatching the German cruis
er Panther to Agadir and thus creating
a situation which amounted at one
time to a war scare, is alluded to as 8
simple necessity. The article follows:
THE Moroccan question has passed
out Of its controversial stage and is
now part Of history, so that we are
able to look back on it with an Impair.
tial spirit and to judge the aims and
results Of the German governments &c.
ton with fairness-a fairness which
seemed to be sometimes lacking dur
ing the heat of the discussions.
1T is well known that until 1901
England and France were contendinp
with each other for supremacy in Mo
rocco. Then followed the Anglo FrencL
agreement of April, 1904, and in the
fall of the same year a French banking
syndicate contracted a new large loar
with Morocco. Privileges OF such i'm.
portance were granted to this group OF
banks that the eventual fate Of the
Sultan's empire seemed to be decided
Germany, however, interviewed The
emperor visited Tangier, and a few
months later the conference Of Algc
ciras was held. In fair words it pro
claimed the independence Of Morocco
and the sovereignty of the sultan. II
also created a multitude Of provisions
and stipulated the "open door" in Mo.
rocco. At the same time, however, DO
lice powers were granted to France
and Spain in eight open Moroccan
ports, and, furthermore, the treaty con.
cerning the above mentioned loan was
ratified with certain amendments.
Above all, owing to the long Allegro.
Moroccan border line, the conference
could not prevent French influence in
Morocco from continuing and even in.
creasing. On account Of the wholly
unsettled and untenable conditions in
Morocco-which it is no use denying
opportunities for the exertion OF
French influence could not long be
wanting. In fact, the occupation OF
Ujda and the bombardment as well as
the occupation Of Casablanca soon fol
lowed.
"All this could have been prevented
only If Germany had been inclined to
restore order in Morocco and first to
go to war, as would have been inevi-
table, with the powers hostile to such
an act on her part. The course of
events will always prove to be more
powerful than the most perfectly
worded treaty provisions, and the Al
the fact that Morocco and her inhabit-
ants no longer in themselves possess
ed the strength to reorganiZe their
country. Some enthusiasts believed
that Mulai Hafid would be able to per-
form this task, but they soon had to
recognize that, Notwithstanding his
skill and ability as a statesman, he did
not have the power to bring about the
necessary changes without foreign as
sistance.
For the German government there
was therefore only one way open to
q IaI To
in Morocco-viz. by securing Frances
protection of these interests. This re.
suit was achieved by the Morocco
agreement of Feb. 0, 1909. which eI-
pressly mentioned the Algeciras act as
its basis. Clearly the object of this
agreement could only be to delay
French advance in Morocco as long as
possible, so that German traders farm
ers and manufacturers were in the
meanwhile under this same French
protection, guaranteed by treaty, able
TO consolidate their interests in Moroc-
co to such a degree that French pro
tectorate could not destroy them. No
one who knew the conditions in Mo
rocco as they really were and not ms
one perhaps wished them TO be could
entertain the slightest doubt that q
French protectorate must in the course
OF time be established
This would have been considered
the natural course OF events had the
aspect Of affairs not suddenly changed
when NJ. Pichon retired from the
French foreign office and was replaced
by NJ. Cruppi II seems that colonial
fanatics who could not await the rip
ening Of the Moroccan fruit took ad.
vantage OF this change to obtain the
consent of the new minister OF foreign
affairs for the expedition to Fez. The
pretended danger of the military mis-
sion and OF the European colony in
consequence OF the rebellion OF tribes
IN the neighborhoOd OF Fez formed a
welcome pretext. The capital was
reached, and military posts were estab-
lished.
During all this time semiofficial
German newspapers had constantly re.
iterated that. according TO communica.
tions received in Germany, the Euro
peans In Fez were not at all in dan.
0ar Whan theRa hints nrovad IN ha