Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-28

In the northwest corner of Africa,
directly opposite Gibraltar. lies Tan
gier, a city and chief seaport or
Morocco. 1t is the twin key to the
Mediterranean Sea, the mate being
the famous Rock of Gibraltar, 80
miles away. The nation which con-
trolls both Gibraltar and Tangler Will
hold the cork to the entire Medlter-
ranean, together with the Red Sea
and the seaway from Western Europe
and America to Italy, Greece, all Bal
kan states, Turkey, Egypt, india,
Australia and New Zealand.
For 20 years Tangier, with 14O
square miles of hinterland, has been
governed by an international com
| mission, through treaty made at
Algeciras, Spain, in 1906. Now Spain
| is demanding that the internatlonah-
| cation cease and Tangier be added to
! Spanish possessions. That demand
| is opposed by Great Britain, France,
| Italy CD and perhaps the United
| States.
Italys position is in doubt. The
very fact that Spain sent notice to
Italy, as we'll as to the signers of
the Algeciras treaty, Is resented by
England and France, for they as
sumo that 1t is none of Italy's affair
| if the original signers of the pact see
| fit to modify it or not.
There is strong suspicion that the
: acceptance by the League of Nations
of Germanys admittance to the
league with a seat in the council,
supported by England, is involved in
the move of Spain, on the ground
that Spain's support of Germany may
be held back unless she gets what
she wants in Tangier. Frances op-
position to German ambition as to
the league is checkmated, perhaps,
by the introduction of Italy into the
"entanglement."
The question of the policy of the
United States regarding the disputed
sovereignty in Africa is not yet de-
cided by President Coolidge, for it
will rest upon whether it Is found to
| be q matter merely of European
| politics or one of commercial rights.
\ 1t Is our traditional policy to keep
| out of European political entangle-
ments, but we stand for the open
door" of commercial rights of the
most favored nation"
X X X
| Europe's domination over Morocco,
so far as present conditions apply, be-
| gan in 1900, when, following a quarter
of a century of rivalry between Eng
| land and France for the trade of
Morocco, France set up a claim to a
prOtectorate over that country. Eng
| land opposed such prOtectOrate
which would permit France in Africa
| to fortify the Strait of Gibraltar.
Through British influence. Spain was
! given a district directly opposite her
| own shores, while France was as
signed to that region east and south
Of Spanish Morocco. England favored
Spain, as 1t was weaker than France
and less to be feared opposite Gibral
tar.
But even Spain was not to control
the immediate territory facing the
Rock-Tangier. with lao square miles,
was to be governed by the consuls or
| special commissioners of France,
Spain and England. and the open
door was guaranteed to all commerce.
| Italy was not consulted in this ar
rangement, and, when she protested,
her acquieScence was bought by Civ
| ing her a free hand in Tnpon. Ger
many, ever Jealous of Frances power
| threatened war, but her opposition
was bought off by Frances giving her
e07,270 square miles in the French
Kongo. and the bride to England was
Frances consent that England should
have free rein in Egypt, Newfound-
land and other regions.
| Incidentally, the Sultan of Morocco
was induced" to approve of this
dividing up Of his kingdom and recog
nizing the protectorate of France and
Spain, because the rebellion of the
brigand, Raisuli. threatened his
throne. not only by the danger Of its
capture by Raisuli himself. but
through the rebels brigandage-dan
ger that he would involve Morocco in
war with foreign nations-as, for in.
stance, his capture of an American
citizen, Perdicarus, leading to Presi
dent Roosevelt's famous ultimatum
not to the brigand but to the Sultan
"Perdicarus alive or Raisui dead.'
The region assigned to Spain was
inhab by the wild Riffs, and. with
Enthusiastically laundering govern
ment of the Spaniards, Spain became
involved in a prolonged and bloody