FRANCE AND MOROCCO.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1166, 17 June 1911, Page 5

FRANCE AND MOROCCO.

— 4 ' TO RESTORE SULTAN'S AUTHORITY. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Paris, June 15. In the French Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Cruppi, Minister for Foreign Affairs, announced that it was intended to create a Shoreefian army of sufficient strength to restore the Sultan of Morocco's authority. A SIDELIGHT ON THE SITUATION. Pew men speak with greater .authority on Moroccan affairs than Mr. It. B. Cunninghame Graham. Mr. Graham, who recently returned from a seven weeks' visit to that country, was interviewed in May by the "Daily News." "I have always thought," he said, "that the situation in Morocco has been ranch exaggerated, partly of set purposo by tho 'forward' party in Prance and partly owing to the ignorance of the correspondents in Tangier, not merely of tho momentary situation, but of tho usual state of effervescence that has always prevailed, not only in Morocco, but in every Arab country throughout the course of history. It is undoubted that the recent effervescence —I refuse to employ a stronger wordhas been more acute than usual. "I hold no brief for the Sultan Mulai Hand, but it is certain that any ruler placed in his position, that is to say, deprived of all revenue from the Customs duties and other regular sources—tho Customs houses have all been taken over by Prance as security for the debt—must get his revenue from somewhere. The only source open to him was that of taxing "the tribes, and in this lie has proved a complete tyrant. The tribes very naturally have revolted. ■ "By tho Act of Algeciras, France, in common with the other Signatory Powers, was empowered to intervene and restore order in Morocco when Anarchv Tiecame Tampant, and the lives and interests of Europeans were threatened. It is for diplomatists to say whether she was empowered to do this alone and without thc v consent of tho other Powers. My point is that the present disturbances have not amounted to Anarchy. "There have been no outrages upon Europeans, no wanton destruction of propertv and the whole attitude of tho socalled 'besieging' forces around Fez has been-havin? resrnrd to the social condition of the country-more of tho nature of a political demonstration than of an ac'C") rebellion. • ' . "There is an uneasy feeling among British merchants that their interests, which far exceed that of any other country in Morocco, have been unduly sacrificed to the 'entente cordialo with Prance". __^_____