New-York tribune., 1921-10-02
SPAIN AND MOROCCO
By CLAIR PRICE

The British at Tangier say they see no other
way out if co-Spanish break is to be
avoided, and they add that unless something
is done quickly the Tangier cnclave will be
in complete chaos. Just now it may be added.
the Spanish cable to Tangier has been cut,
the Algeciras mail boat has been requistionec
to carry Spanish troops to Melilla, and Tan
gicr is comparatively isolated What the British
at Ianeier say may be taken at it's face value
for Great Brtain's chief stake in Morocco at
present is to assure itself that the heights
on the Moroccan coast, some fourteen miles
from Gibraltar, do not fall into the hands Of
power likely to develop their very high
military possibilities and so to dispute Gil
braltars command of the straits. These
heights at present are in the Spanish zone
Back of the Tangier encave the Spanish
zone runs for some two hundred miles along
the coast, with an average depth of some fifty
miles. In theory it is ruled by Caliph ap
pointed by the Sultan, with General Beren-
guer, Spanish High Commissioner, ruling the
lsh themselves admit that not more than
$500 square miles of its total area of 10000
square miles have ever been subdued land in
fairness to the Spanish it should be added
that the French zone likewise has never been
wholly subdued). The famous Rasuli. in the
western end Of the Spanish zone. and the Riff
tribe, in the eastern end, have been the strong
est native forces with whom the Spanish have
had to contend. The fact has generally been
lost sight Of in the recent news from the
Spanish zone that Spain's main operations
TINS year, as in former years. were against
Ralsull at the western end of the zone and
that the smaller operations in the Melilla
area to the east were in the nature of a
DIVERSION Indeed, force of some $4,000
spanish and native troops, the latter chosen
with an eye to their loyalty had succeeded
IN wedglng Ralsui back into the mountains
OF the Benz Aros, and General Berenguer was
on the point of announcing his capture late in
July, when the Riff tribes dealt terrific blow
at General Sylvesre's little force SLOWLY ad-
vanclng from Mella toward Alhucemas Bay
"a blow that crumpled the entire Melilla
force that hurled the debris of Sylvestre's
column back inside the gates of Mella alone
with thousands OF refugees, and that brought
over to the tribes every native contingent with
the Mehlla forces, except three minor tribes
under the walls of Meilla
The result is tsat TIE operations AGAINST
Ealsull have been hurredly withdrawn. a mill
tary censorship has been clamped upon Spain,
and General Berenguer is faced with the same
task that confronted Spain in 1902 when the
occupation of the Riff country was first begun.
The result is also that Franco-Spanish rela
tons IN Tangier have been greatly strained,
Tor the Spanish believe that the tribes have
been munitloned from outside sources, in SUD
port of which belief they cite the capture late
last March by the Spanish gunboat Bonifaz
OF three vessels "manncd by sixty natives and
SIX Europeans who were engaged in SNUG
cling arms to hostile tribe near Sidi Yahia
ARAB. In Tangier the Spanish and French
nearly came to blows over that incident
Back of the Spanish zone, the French zone
covers the rest Of the Empire OF Morocco. with
the exception of The small Spanish zone in the
south, which is not relevant to the present SIT
uation. Here. at The inland Moroccan capital
of Fez, the Sultan Mulai Yuscf rules the En-
plre of Morocco, and Marshal Iyautcv. HIGH
Commissioner for the French protectorate IF
Morocco, rules the Sultan Mulai Yusef AL
though Marshal Lyautey has done much
toward the development of Morocco, Tangier is
still isolated from Fez and the much-talk-cf
French railway from Tangier and Fee across
the western Sahara via Timbuktu to Dakar-
ultimately a Paris-Dakar line, with four-day
passage to South America-is still held up by
the barrier of the Spanish zone back of Tan
gler. France has spared no expense to win a
free hand in Morocco
In the Anglo French agreement of April 8
1904 it traded off French interests in Egvnt
and so eliminated Great Britain from Morocco.
Inc Franco-Spanish treaty Of October, 1904,
then contained a recognition of Moroccan in
dependence, a definition of the French and
Spanish spheres of influence and a POSTPONE
ment of the Tanger question. Under this
treaty Spain occupied its sphere Of influence
IN the spring OF 1911 when the French sent
two flying coumns'from Casablanca to relieve
the besiegcd Sultan Mula Hafd in Fec With
the French occupation of Fez on Nav 21
Morocco independence was definitely at an
end, and a Franco-Spanish partition would
nave cnsucd had not Germany dispatched The
gunboat Panther to Agadir, an act which was
very much as if outsider should break into
piece OF delicate bargaining with drawn
revolver in his hand; and during the next
five months Of Franco German. negotiations the