Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-30
"The Gibraltar Question:

i
" for settlement at the Peace Conference
| there are few more pregnant with romantic
appeal than that which concerns inter-
| change of flags on the far-famed Pillars of
Hercules, which for centuries symbolized the
gateway between the known and unknown
| worlds
The three sets Of names which these
| mighty rocky bastions at the narrow entrance
to the Mediterranean have borne compactly
picture the course OF civilization Legendary
interest in these giant natural sentinels cen
tered In the exploits Of the demisod Hercules,
| who was supposed to have passed between
them on his way 10 the delightful Garden OF
Hesperldes Greek geographers called these
impressive mountain masses Of Africa and
! Europe respectively Alybo and Alyba, and
those names throughout the classic period
continued TO denote the me plus ultra" of
safe commerce and voyagng.
Tn THE chaos which followed "the most
Lawful scene in the history of mankind"
| the downfall of the vast Roman empire, the
invading Goths won Alybe tho reviving
! Berbers OF the Barbary coast, Alyba. Then
came that startling emergence OF an uncon-
sidered desert people. tho Arabs, who just
missed at Tours the control Of the entire
| European world.
The ancient nomenclature vanished in the
turmoil Heading the triumphant Moors and
Arabs who crossed the straits were two inn
petuous chieftains. Musa and Tarils In I'll
A. D. the superb rock where England stands
sentry" became Jebel (MounD Tark. The
corruption to tho modern Gibraltar was a
fairly natural linguistic development.
| On the African side Jebel Musa superseded
Abyla. This eminence although higher than
Gibraltar. has always been Of lesser value
| because of the hinterland, not comparable
in Importance with that OF Europe. The
Moors, however, made It a stronghold, yield
ing 1t to Christian power only when the
sudden and brief rise Of Portugal became
| irresstbe. That valiant little nation won
| the rock, however, and retained it until
| Philip II of Spain absorbed the kingdom and
all its colonies in the latter part OF the six
teenth century.
When Portuguese liberty was regained,
| some sixty years later. Jebel Musa was not
restored. Spain, who now calls II Ceuta,
holds It today, and it is that possession
which her statesmen seek TO swap" with
| ava
| raltar
! THE military history Of that unrivaled
l. fortress really begins with the series Of
ten sieges between Spaniards and Moors,
eventually resulting in its acquisition by the
crown Of CASTLE. But in 1904, amid the
confused and far-reaching operations of tho
War OF the Spanish Succession. the British,
| ir ,ba
a three-day attack and their authority has
never been relinquished.
or the fifteen sieges in it's history. by far
the most memorable was that which lasted
between the years 1870 and 1888. Only the
mythical siege OF Troy surpasses this attack
| in duration. The direct pressure on Verdun,
It will be remembered, lasted only for si1
months. The valor and obstlnacy OF Glib
raltar's defender. Sir George Augustus Elliot,
have seldom been exceeded in military annals
Since that time Spain has never since
fought for Gibraltar. which played n signih-
cant role in two upheavals. the Eapoleonic
wars and the late titanic conflict. Subma-
rnes could. OF course, slip through beneath
the surface Of the straits, but German raid
ers gave the strongest Of all Notifications,
natural and artificial, a wide berth from the
early days OF August. 1914. The naval sta
tion nestled under the rocks protection was
also OF immense Importance.
AID now Spain. never reconclled to the
Aloss of a position capable Of making its
holder mistress OF the Mediterranean,
breaches the idea Of exchanging Ceuta for
Gibraltar. Coming from nation unwilling
| ,oIFo aid t., iIa
the proposal is at first blush rather stagger-
ing. It is true that Ceuta can be turned into
a powerful defensive position, but Spain
has never made the most Of its possibilities,
while Gibraltar has become synonymous with
| invncibIlity.
Self-determination has nothing at all TO
do with the question. Ceuta Is. used chiefly
as u penal settlement, while local govern
ment in Gibraltar is nonexlstent. The Rock
! Lizards" as the mongrel inhabitants OF the
little town are called, take their orders di-
rectly from authorities In England Gibraltar
| is crown colony in the strctest sense. New
settlers are not permitted in this singular
possession. Many OF the day population
there depart across the lines into SpaIn at
| the evening gunfire.
Yet the Pillars Of Hercules with the ro
mantle motto me plus ultra"--"nothinr
beyond"-composed the royal arms or tho
world conquerlng Charles V. Spain renem
bers her greatness, and the ownership OF Glib
raltar was unquestionably a symbol tbarao,
That the assassination OF an Austrian Grand
Duke In an obscure Bosnian town would
result in the release of forces 80 compre
hensive as to revive the Gibraltar question
Is development oonsonant indeed with the
amazing completely OF an amazing epoch.
|
Senator Jones was waited from New
York to Washington in an aIrplane on satur-
day. We hasten to say. before some one eI,s