The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1905. THE MOROCCAN QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7906, 23 August 1905, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1905. THE MOROCCAN QUESTION.

The difficulties that surround tbe situation of affairs in Morocco are more than usually numerous, owing to causts which arc not usually iounil to exist in connection with the settlement of similar flucstions. To begin- with, the Sultan, Abdul Aziz, holds sway under very peculiar circumstances, which not only renders him very unpopular, but undermines his authority. This is partly due to the (act that he is a slave-born son of the late Sultan, whose eldest son of the legitimate first wife is still in the land of the living. This, however, would not of itself have been a bar to popular favour, had not tht Sultan shown such strong predilections towards innovations of a European character. His father was an out-and-out Moor, but his mother was a Circassian w'th characteristics which would seem to indicate the existence of a European strain in her blood. That the young Sultan admires the English and enthusiastically took to English methods is another reason for the anger of his Moorish subjects, whose inveterate hatred of the products of Western civilisation is well known, and whose fanaticism defies description. It must also be borne in mind that over a large part of his cicmiuio'.s his sway is not acknowledged, but litis merely regarded as a titular chief, the real rulers being the tribal chiefs. Though these chiefs may be engaged in constant feuds with one another, as orthodox Moslems thej would unite against the infidels ana revel in the fray. The interests 01 France in Morocco arc such as to demand constant watchfulness, ait.i the Anglo-French Convention recognised that in a measure France should It in a position to protect these interests, and but for the Kaiser's interference there is little doubt that in time a more satisfactory state of affairs would have existed in Morocco. That he has some definite adject in championing the independence of Morocco is probable, and it is rumoured that his object is to acquire an important tract of land at Cape del Agua, which would give Germany the opportunity of establishing a naval base that would dominate the entrance to the; Mediterranean, as well as being adjacent to the French frontier in Algiers. It is not within the bounds of possibility that such a scheme would be permitted by either France or Britain. Of course, the ostensible position taken up by Getmany is that she cannot allow France to establish a protectorate over Morocco, or, ju other words, to thwart German ambition. Meanwhile, the Moors resent any interference with their affairs by the "infidels." According to a writer in the American Kaview of Reviews everything depends on tin; learned Moslem priests, who control the situation, and whose views arc summed up by a typical member of the class as follows : "What do you want of us, you Christians '.' Do we owe you money ? We can, and will, pay you. Have we invaded your land ? Did we beg you to come and reside on our soil Y Have we not continuously discouraged your so doing ■>. You say our country is ' disturbed,' that the UovurmiH-nl iweak, and so on. Is that your affair or ours ? Surely your steamers, which brought you here, can take you back to your shores V What have you done liiat we shouid love you ? You have taught many of us, a nation of water-drinkers, to be drunkards. You have also smuggled into our country magazine rifles by the thousand, and sold them, at 100 per cent, profit to our rebels, causing the very mischief you complain of. You have first duped and then betrayed our Sultan. Now you say you will help us to govern. Wc decline your help. Wc are told, in the writing of Allah,'Oh, true believers, take not the Jews or Christians for your friends ;' and, again ' Oh, true believers, tako not the unbelievers for your protectors.' You would help our Sultan to lepress rebellion, and we are to allow you to slaughter our erring brethren ? Never! When $» have declined your pacific intention, what then ? You will use force. So be it. We also shall fight, for our land, our families, our dead saints, and our living faith. With this difference, wc trust in our God ; you have none." Sooner or later the inevitable conflict will happen, but that is no reason why the present international difficulties relative to Morocco should not be amicably settled.