Evening star., 1923-11-04

eign nations. great and small, and
to public opinion everywhere abroaG
as we'll as In the United States.
Understanding Reached.
If France, Great Britain and Spain.
after the most protracted negotia-
tions. have resolutely opposed Mus
sclinfs demand for the admission OF
Italy to their deliberations on q foot
ing Of equality. it is because they
have now. to all intents and purposes.
arrived at an understanding in keep
ing with the Views Of the United
States. and which they have every
reason to believe would be adjourn
ed indefinitely II they were to defer
to the pretensions of Mussolini to
press what he declares to be the
special interests Of his country IL
Morocco. with the avowed object OF
exacting compensation elsewhere for
his consent to the three-power agree
ment. To have yielded to his claims
would have protracted indefinitely the
settlement of this troublesome issue.
AS the matter stands now, while
Great Britain, France and Spain will
give amtable consideration to 'Italy's
interests as so-called Mediterranean
power-although Tangiers is, strictly
speaking. not on the Mediterranean.
but outside the western entrance
she will be merely asked to take par
in the plenary conference Of foreign
nations which will be summoned IL
due course to give it's approval to tho
!.rv tripartite agreement for whicl.
the approval Of the overwhelmins
| uiajU -.ty of the other foreign ma
tions L. already assured.
Open Door Provided For.
The agreement in question provide
an open door at Tangiers for the
trade Of all countries, with an inter
national and impartial administration
of the customs. 1t. also provides for
the commercial communication with
the interior, for the completion oil
the railroad to Fee and the construc
tion of an adequate harbor at Tan
gierS. It makes full provision for the
real Observation-Disclosures of the port.
the railroad services, the police. tn.
sanitary and the municipal admins
tration under the nominal suzerainty
of the Sultan of Morocco. whose au
thority In Tangiers will be restricted
purely to his own subjects in matter
unconnected with the international
regime. Although the sultan, in til,
principal portion of his empire-thaT
is to say, in the French sphere OF
Morocco--is really subject to the con-
troll of the French resident general
| Marshal Lyautey. the agreement a. :
ready reached eliminates the danger
to Great Britain and to Spain of the
de facto autonomy Of Tangiers being
! In any way impaired by Frances
domination of the swzerain-that Is to
say, OF the sultan-who is represented
at Tangters for purely native mat
ters by a governor. just in the same
way that he" is represented by u
species of viceroy in the Spanish
sphere. where the special rights OF
the crown of Spain have been recog
nized by the foreign powers for ceu
turtles.
"Statute of Tangiers."
AS far back as the beginning q
1914 France and England had nego-
tiated a treaty, or convention. known
as the Statute Of Tangiers." the
final ratification of which by Spair,
was only prevented by the outbreaL
Of the great war. This statute" nov,
| maintained and amplified, contained
among other things, hard and fast
guarantee by France that nothing
should be done by her or by any for
eign power to fortify Tangiers. or to
| convert 1t into a submarine base, or.
indeed, to construct any sort of Of
| fensive of defensive works along the
stretch of coast extending from Mel
! lila, on the eastern extremity of the
| Spanish zone, 10 the mouth of the
River Zebu, on the Atlantic, far 10
the south of Tangiers and well within
| the limits of the French zone. l.
| order to still further cement the va
| lidity of the agreements between
\ France and Great Britain and be
! tween both these countries and Spain
| 1t had been suggested that the abso
| lutte neutrality of Tangiers might b.
| further enhanced by the protection
| of the league of nations in the even
| of war. But Premier Mussolini has
| Just furnished evidence in connection
! with the bombardment of Corfu of tht
| impotency and worthlessness Of tht
| protection of the league OF nations
| and has thus deprived the virtual tri-
partite agreement about Tangiers
Of the additional safeguard which Il
might otherwise have been expected
] to noSSesa In the ewes of tha world