Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-10-25
NEAR EAST WAR
KEPT GOING BY
WESTERN ARMS
One French Firm Is Fur
nishing Cannon to Both
Sides; Moroccan Struggle
Is a Painful Episode.
BY WILLIAM BIRD.
(Special Wireless to Morning Journal

| ~ ~
BY WILLIAM BIRD.
| Especial Wireless to Morning JournaD
(The war in Asia Minor Is strict
ly munitions makers war, one
firm in France Is furnishing cam
non to both sides. The M Jroccan
| war is another painful European
episode--a sort of struggle between
the riffs and the raffs-the riffs
being the ungrateful wards of
Spain and the raffs Icing the army
recruited from among the unem-
ployed of New York and London.)
Paris, Oct. GA visitor to the
great Creusot arms factory (the
"French Krupps) said to one of
the directors, who was showing
him through the works: You
must feel pretty sick about the re-
cent Greek defeat. tits we'll known
that they are equipped with your
Schneider guns" :.
ooh, that's nothing" laughed
the director, $50 are the Turks"
Nothing could be neater-which-
ever way things go in the Near
East slaughter, Messrs. Schneider
of Creusot come out on top. They
have no monopoly, however, Of
this advantage. British arms man
ufacturers are doing a tidy busi-
ness in keeping that untidy war
going. Some people may remem-
Der that during the August SUI
preme council meeting in Paris,
Messrs. Lloyd George and BRAND
greed that the Greeco-Turk war
was to be deplored, but that priv
ate manufacturers would be per-
mitted to sell ornaments to both
sides.
That was about the only thing
thew did agree on at the meeting.
1t was pointed out that any other
ruling would set dangerous prec-
edent. 1t was only the applica-
ton of this principle Of freedom
to sell ornaments that saved the
allies in the world war, or at least
such is the general supposition. II
| is true that some economists hold
otherwise-that it was buying arms
! from America while their own
factories and workmen were large
" occupied in making luXuries and
non essentials that plunged the al
| lied nations over their ears in debt.
However that may be, the plain
fact remains that the war in the
| Near East could not so on, eX-
| cept perhaps on a bush league
scale, without western arms. nd
another plain fact is that thus far
nobody seems to have got much
advantage out of the war except
| the manufacturers of said arms.
One is least entitled to suspect that
Messrs. Lloyd George and BRAND
wore thinking of something else
besides a mere legal precedent
when they reached their decision.
In view of this. what becomes
Of the league of nations and It's
famous economic pressure? The
allied governments, who nave
made great pother about os-
TRACKING Greece for her temerity
in re-electing Constantine to the
throne, and who at the same time
control the league could ~resum-
ably, if they needed any legal Justl-
fication. find them in the covenant.
So far as tn naked undiplomatlc
eve can see.. everybody, including
the Greeks and the Turks, would
be the great eainers-excepung, OF
course, Messrs. Schneider and
their English competitors
or another thing that might De
done--if suggestions are wanted
WHY not lie. the Germans make the
arms for the Near Eastern war and
selling them to the belligerent, on
condition that the proceeds De
turned over to the allies on repara-
lions account. In this way the
allied governments--instead OF pfl-
yate firms-woulI reap the benefit
and at the same time the sacred
precedent would be saved. IL would
not be necessary to prohibit the
French and English firms from
shipping arms-Germany's lower
prices would quickly get her the
bulk of the trade.
Lest this suggestion be considered
sspro German" 1t should be re-
n, .ked that Germany would get no
advantage from the deal except the
advantage of getting her repara-
tons debt paid off more promptly.
1t could easily be stipulated ina,
the munitions should be delivered
without profit to the manufactur-
erS.
But the suggestion need be taken
seriously by no one, since 1t Ger
tainly will not be so taken by the
allied premiers. Nor was 1t offered
| in good faith, but merely as an aid
| to demonstrating that the war In
Asia Minor is simply a munitions
ma kers' war, If there ever was one.
Another little fracas that Eu-
rope is passing through at the mo-
ment is of a not vastly different
nature, Namely, the war in Mo-
rocco between the Spaniards and
their ungra teful wards, the riffs.
This war is so distasteful even to
the Spaniard that the government
has been obliged to pick up re-
cruits in New York, in London and
eyerywhere else, where unemploy-
ment has driven men to accept any
Job rather than starve. The quality
OF the army so gathered together
| In Spain and abroad has led humor-
lists to call the fray the war be-
tween the riffs and raffs."
So far as one can apply the prin.
ciples of the late lamented world
war to the present affair, 1t appears
that the riffs are struggling for
self determination. The raffs, on
the other hand, are fighting for
four pesetas a day. The riffs seem
TO have justice on their side but
The raffs have the big guns and the
betting is in their favor.
Spain has never succeeded II
getting any net revenue out of thu
riff country but certain Spanish
concessionaires have been luckier
The way the thing seems destined
TO work out Is that the Spanish gov
eminent will pay the expenses, In
Guiding the salaries of the rafi
army, and the concessionaires will
repay the government with graft
&nIn