Evening star., 1925-07-02
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

"Open agreements, openly arrived
at" That was the fundamental pledge
urged In lslS-l9 by President Wilson
in the Versailles conferences on the
proposed League of Nations. Secret
diplomacy" was arraigned as the cause
OF much Jealousy and friction between
nations. The right OF all peoples to
self as to their form of
government was discussed, though
that was not SO novel to the descend
ants of George Washington. Thomas
Jefferson. Benjamin Franklin and the
Adamses. These were the principles
dwelt upon during all the negotiations
leading to the treaty OF Versailles and
the establishing of the new institu-
ton which would END wars"
There are Indications that not all
diplomatic understandings, either be-
fore the armistice. during the Yer
sailles conferences following the armi-
stice or in the readjustments since
have been really and truly open
agreements, openly arrived at"
For instance, there Is the French
and Spanish advance In Morocco.
All the European nations involved
in the secret diplomacy" regarding
Morocco are leading members Of the
League of Nations. France and Spain
deny TO the Sultan's subjects "self-de-
termination" as to their allegiance and
independence. Even Germany ap-
War.
The French invasion of Morocco
began in 1900. During the first II
years France was active in procuring
the consent of the other European
powers to a French protectorate over
Morocco, although consent of the
Moroccans themselves appears to
have been treated as superfiuous.
Repeatedly, in that 12year period,
the action of France aroused the
jealousy of Germany, Italy, Spain
and England, so that a general Eu.
ropean war threatened-espe in
1905 and 1911. However, in old
style diplomacy, every nation had
it's price" and France satisfied the
claims of Italy, Spain and England.
In 1912 even Germany agreed to
hands off" in return for substantial
concessions in the French kongo.
English diplomacy was exerted to
safeguard her own interests by pre-
venting France from gaining undf-
vided control over Morocco; the re-
gion was split between France and
Spain, which made Gibraltar safer.
Ever since 1913-even during the
period of world crisis in the World
War-F'rance has been developing
French Morocco, fighting little wars
with separate tribes which adhered
to the doctrine of our declaration
that governments are instigated
among men, deriving their just pow
ers from the consent of the gov
erned." England insisted that Tan
gier should be internationalized. for
it would not consent that France
should be entitled to erect fortifica-
tions opposite Gibraltar. England
also insisted that the Mediterranean
coast of Morocco should be given to
Spain-a weaker nation, easily in
f1uenced by Great Britain. Spain re-
ceived as her share q zone inhabited
by the most warlike and Independent
tribes, including the Riffians, who
for a thousand years have not ac-
knowledged even the sovereignty of
the Sultan, except during short pc
riods.
1t is not accurate to assume that
the Moroccan question arose only as
far back as 1900. Prior to that Eng
land had dominated, or had shared
with France, the monopoly of trade.
In 1880 there was held in Madrid a
conference which established the open
door to Moroccan trade Tor all Euro
pean nations, abolishing the most
favored nations" agreements by the
Sultan with England and France and
putting all Europe on an equal status.
When the Boer War put England in
a position OF non-defense France,
which had somehow absorbed Tunis
and Algeria, undertook to extend her
North African empire and bought
Italy's adherence by giving her free
hand in Tripoli in exchange for
Frances free hand in Morocco. In
1904 France traded to England her
consent to English free hand In
Egypt, Newfoundland, Siam, NADIA
gascar, the New Hebrides and West
Africa In exchange for liberty of
France in Morocco. France made a
show Of liberality by declaring that
she had no intention Of altering the
political status of the Sultan, and she
pledged the "open door" for 80 years.