Omaha daily bee., 1915-12-05
FEE A TOWN OF TRANQUILITY
War Times Have Changed the
People Almost Beyond Recog-
milton.
MORE CULTURE AND HARMONY

Correspondence Of the Associated Press)
FEE. Morocco, Nov. 2e.-The trip from
the Atlantic coast to Fec, that PEOPLE
tailed about ten years ago with about
the same apprehension as OF an Arctic
expedition, is today an agreeable ana
restful excursion, according TO members
Ct a French delegation who came here
from Rabat on an official mission TO the
court Of the Sultan Moulay Youssef. Even
tire Berberes, who revolted asst November
and we're taught a severe lesson by the
French troops at Khenifa, come down
from their mountain retreats now only to
sell their mutton, and are as gentle as
their beasts They saluted the delegation
with great respect. The street Arabs OF
Fee. who In other days amused them
selves by splitting at visiting foreigners.
hastened up to carry the luggage Of the
delegation and show the way into the
town.
Fee, In these war times, is a town of
majestic tranquility; the surrounding re-
gion is as quiet as the New England hills;
the war seems hopelessly distant to the
Moors. though at the palace its develop
ments are followed with almost as much
interest as in the capitals of Europe.
sultan Reads Dispatches.
The sultan, after his daily siesta has
tho western dispatches brought in and
listens with sustained interest to explana-
tons Of any notifications in the situa-
ton, though with less interest, perhaps,
than that with which 81 Guebbas, the
grand vizier. who was educated in Eng
land. follows the progress of events by
tEe aid of large maps OF the theaters of
operations suspended on the mosaic walls
of his reception salons. He discusses the
progress of the campaigns I'm the difer-
ert scenes with surprising comprehension
of military strategy and without once be-
t-aying consciousness that Tangiers was
the first step. with Casa Blanca and
Agadir as the first relay posts, IN the
European conflagration. His sympathies
are openly with the French; and so for
the moment, at least, are those Of most
influential chiefs The basis of that
loyalty is found in the reasoning OF 81
Mohamed, a notability Of Fee. who took
active part in the revolution that cost
Add Ell Aziz his throne and nearly cost
ST Mohamed his own head
when I was young" said 81 Mohamed,
81 was of a most ardent nature, and what
] could not accomplish through politics
was very apt to try with gunpowder.
Years have Gained me and though /, like
my compatriots, was much melted against
the French when they installed them
selves in the country, I said to myself:
What folly to enter into conflict with so
strong a people. We shall certainly be
vanquished. Better be their friends than
their enemies" 81 Mahomed's reasoning
was the Morocco situation In a nutsh ell.
Germans Expelled.
Such lingering tendencies to revolt as
existed at the beginning of the war were
quickly suppressed. Very shortly after
hostilities began a Moor arrived at NIGGA
dcr and asked for the German consul. He
was informed that all the German Off
Gals and German colonists had been ex-
PEELED from Morocco. He seemed so
strongly putgout at this information that
the French authorities arrested him. They
found on him a message to the German
consul from the pretendant, FL Hiba,
reading as follows:
LAS was agreed with you, we are ready
to march against the French; we are
waiting only for you to complete the de
livery of the arms you promised"
From that day, the natives, who had
previously been under German protec-
ton under the treaty concerning the
Moroccan protectorate, were closely
watched All the chiefs were called in
by the heads Of the municipalities and
given to understand that they were hence
forth to enjoy no other protection than
that Of the French government. and that
il would be so vigilant that they would
e
The measures taken at the time had
double effect; they not only repressed
natives rebelliously inclined, but re-
joiced a greater number of Moors who
had suffered from the arrogance OF their
brethren who had presumed upon the
protection of the German empire, which
they considered all-powerful, to indulge
in all sorts of depredations on the rights
and belongings of their neighbors. A
great many rebels decided to go the
whole way and enlist in the French
army,
Moors Not WeakIinEs.
The Moor never does things by halves
when it comes to war An old north
African saying is that "The Tunisians
are feminine. the Algerians are men, but
the Moors are warriors" 1t is not al
lowed by the censor to say how many
Moors have gone north to fight for
France. Every month new contingents
that have completed their training in
the country are sent on TO Join colonial
troops in France and Belgium.
At the beginning OF the war, I'm antici-
patton Of possible uprisings in the inter-
for, Governor-General Lyautey was
Authorized by the French government TO
withdraw all forces and hold only the
coast town, thus releasing the active
army there on service for use in France.
The resulting danger to French prestige
decided him to maintain all the posts
then held. replacing the active men by
reservists, terrltorials and Senegalese
riflemen. He succeeded in maintaining
perfect order everywhere, and nowhere
did French influence suffer from the
withdrawal OF the regular troops. while
1t profited immensely by the expulsion
OF the Germans Not even the profusion
OF false news had any effect. Accord
ing TO one story, all Europeans were
TO be massacred at the end OF the
feast OF Ramadan, according TO others.
the Holy war had been declared a num-
Der of times. the French had evacuated
Rabat, revolution had broken out In Fee