Evening star., 1925-07-19

first-class colonial war and
l. has no parallel in French ex-
perience since the historic re-
sfstance OF Abd-el- kader in Algeria
three-quarters of a century ago. pre-
sents all the aspects of the border
warfare which the British have car
ried on along the Afghan frontier Of
India for more than a century. II has
also peculiarities of it's own due TO
the existence of a frontier between
the French protectorate and the Span
lsh, and this circumstance is respon-
sibe for most of the French difficulty.
Retiring behind this frontier. that is
from the French to the
Spanish territory. the Riffs have hith-
erto been safe from pursuit
To understand the rea sons why the
French have been and NAV well CON
tinue for some time to have an awk-
ward problem on their hands it is
necessary 10 go back a little into past
history Following the final division
or Morocco and the liquidation of the
Franco-German dispute, which culmi-
mated in the Agadir episode OF 1911,
France took over the control of most
of the old Sheriffian Empire, but Spain
acquired narrow strip OF territory
on the Nj editerranean sea boa rd ex-
tending TO the Atlantic coast, but not
including the port of Tangier.
Zone Is Mountainous.
This Spanish zone suggests vaguely
a section of Chile, narrowly restrict ed
between the Andes and the Pacific. il
is. save for the Atlantic portion a re-
gion OF confused highlands. some of
the mountains exceeding 5000 feet
in height. with very short noun
TO in -tR-1,
the sea. 1t has an area of some
5000 square miles, about that of
assachusetts. and a population of
much less than million. The people
belong TO the great Berber race. which
has lived in North Africa since the be
ginning of recorded history and sur
viVed many invasions of which the
Roman ia the first recorded. But fol
lowing the Arab invasion the people
were converted TO Moha mmedan faith
and in the main lost their own lam
suage, which still survives in the Al
gerian kabyleland.
The Riffian Berbers are mountain
eers. inha biting villages on the sum.
nit of the peaks: they have been and
are pirates in a small way on the
coast and they have for centuries op-
posed a successful resistance both to
the Spanish, who from the days OF
Columbus on have stiriven to conquer
Algeria and Morocco. and TO the
SherlfS of Morocco. After 400 wears
the Spanish found themselves a
few wears ago still restricted to A few
Goa stal towns of which Melilla was the
most considerable. while in the hills
Tetuan was their single fortress.
Ceuta. facing Gibraltar was no more
than a penal colony.
IGf fns haF d L. -
War Spain carried on a long and cost
ly campaign about Melilla. but with
the usual results and the age long
fight for Morocco was again discon
tinued. Following the World War the
Spanish resumed operations on a very
considerable scale and in the past two
years have employed upward of I50-
600 troops at a time in desperate
effort to conquer their own sphere of
interest, the Rifian area.
Spanish Effort Fails.
This struggle. however, has not only
been uniformly unsuccessful, but IL
has produced unrest at home on ac-
count of the cost in money and in
blood. The sentiment against further
in Morocco presently par.
alleled the sentiment against Cuban
NrliIdI cS n ddd1 ACI VI d NcIlluIN dSO.
This national protest eliminated in
the transfer OF power to A dictator
and one of the first decisions the die
tator had TO make was to abandon
the Moroccan affair and draw the
Spa anish occupying forces back TO a
few posts on the coast. strongly for
titled and covered by warships Only
the plains on the Atlantic coast could
he held easily. This evacuation took
place last Autumn and Winter and
was complete before the recent Spring.
Meantime the French. starting in
1911 and going forward even during
the World War. had accomplished
in their sphere. But their
effort has been concentrated in the
west. that is along the Atlantic Goa st
and the rich plains Of the hinterland.
while their military effort has been di-
rected against the rebellious tribes Of
the Grand Atlas. the central mountain
area south of FeZ and east of Mar
rakesh. The northern region, adjoin-
ing the Spanish zone. has little actual
or potential wealth and no present ap-
peal to French effort.
Thus, while doing great things in
the western region. the French CON
tented themselves in the north with
opening a highway and railway con-
itctliiiE IT cZ WITH -AlS6Ild ana lHuS
the gap between the network
Of railways in Western Morocco and
the Algerian system. But the rail
way and military highways connecting
Fee with Algeria were of utmost i'm
portance because they enabled France
to move troops and supplies rapidly
from Algeria to Western Morocco in
time of emergency. The railroad and
highway between Fez and Taxa. that
is half of the way from FeZ to the AL
gerian frontier. runs along the valley
Of the maven River. a tributary of
the Sebu, which flows by Fez and into
the Atlantic. The maven River
skirts the Spanish zone and is only
20 or 30 miles from 1t at points.
Spanish Attack Menacing.
1t has always been plain. then. tina
an attack coming from the Spanish
zone would have grave menace for
this vital line of French communica
tions. Moreover. F'eZ. while no longer
Of much political importance. since
the French have created new gov
ernmental center at Rabat on the At
lantic coast was the traditional capi.
tai of the Sheriffian Empire, a city OF
great religious and intellectual pres
tige in all of North Africa. And Fez
Is hardly 40 miles from the Spanis
frontier and at the foot of several
trails leading through passes to the
NJ Mediterranean side OF the Maritime
Atlas. Taxa, too, at the other end of
the corridor of the maven River, is an
even smaller distance from the from
tier and, IL the Riffs could seize this.
they would not only cut the French
communications with Algeria. but
open communications with the still un-
tribes of the High Atlas.
whom the French have surrounded
and isolated, but not yet completely
Unfortunately for themselves. the
French. while spending great effort in
the west and south. creating roads.
railways and esta blishing
r,nctS had nanlacfnd tho h