Evening star., 1923-09-02

suffered at their hands, declaring that
they were unworthy OF trust. He
ESCAPED again, this time successfully,
and since then he has been the L. -oT-
Ing spirit and the leader OF all the
relentless antt-SpanlSh warfare II.
northern Morocco.
Thousands OF Germans Aid Him.
1t is known that there are thou
sands of former German officers In
his ranks. that he is we'll supplied
with money from Berlin and Moscow
that his native forces are equipped
with flying machines. presumably Of
Teuton manufacture and of the most
up-to-date type, and that his men are
adept in the use OF poison gases, of
which they have a plentiful and ap
parently inexhaustible supply. Add
TO this that the foothills OF the Atlas
ranges where the warfare Is, for the
most part, carried on. are very pre-
cipitous, presenting well-nigh insur-
mountable obstacles. which the Ger
man engineers with their naive asso-
ciates are able to turn to advantage
In every direction against the Span
ish advance, and II VIII readily be
seen how difficult is the task that
confronts Don Alfonso's government
Yet the king fs too gallant n SOL
tary defeat. And he fears that his
dynasty may be IN danger If his reign
is associated in the memories OF his
people with the loss Of their once
vast oversea empire. in the Philip
pines and in the West Indies and now
with that of their possessions In
northern Africa. But his throne is
equally imperilled If there is any
popular and military rising IN Spain
against the policy of making any
tel
money to retain what is left OF her
colonies.
Needs Alliance With France.
There might be hopes of ultimate
success against Abd-el- -krim If the
king could effect an alliance with
France, by the terms of which she
would attack the inSurgent natives
from the south. leaving the Spaniards
to deal with the northern foothills and
slopes Of the Atlas ranges. But
France would only consent to this In
the event of Spain's surrendering the
greater portion Of the sphere con-
flrmed to her by the international
congress Of Algerias to the nominal
Sultan of Morocco, a vassal Of France.
which would bo equivalent to sur
IL
too, France insists upon the recog-
milton of Tangiers as belonging to
the Sultan, and upon the abolition OF
the International regime and foreign
capitulations which have been in
existence there since the Algerias
conference. and which has been pro-
ductive of nothing but obstruction
and confusion. retarding the devel-
opment of all commerce, trade and
industry in that region of Morocco.
$50 I'D tr<.y u
bound by the Algerias agreement to
the Observation-Disclosures of Tangiers.
She Is eager for a change. but is oh
structed by Great Britain, which has
vast industrial and commercial In
terests in Morocco, also by Italy.
there, and by Spain, to whom a voice
in the international government Of
TanKiers is Of value as long as she
retains any foothold Of her sphere
in northern Africa, and which, IL she
relinquishes the latter will enable
her, after a fashion, to save her face.
EnSland's Account Condition.
England, formerly owning Tan
giers, which was the dowry Of King
Charles IFS Portuguese consort, might
be willing to give way to France on
the subject of Tangiers. were the
entente cordiale and the mutual con-
fidence in the friendship between the
two countries which prevailed at the
outset of the great war to be restored,
and were she to receive a reliable
assurance that, independent OF any
change of government in Paris, her
industrial and commercial interests
In Morocco would be put on an equal
footing and enjoy the same opportu-
mites as those of the French.