THE TRUTH ABOUT AGADIR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 173, 20 January 1912, Page 8

THE TRUTH ABOUT AGADIR.

BY ONE WHO KNOWS. With the signature of the FrancoGerman Treaty re Motocco, German diplomacy has suffered a total defeat. Whatever may be said to the contrary, this is the long and short of it. The right acquired by France to establish a virtual protectorate over Morocco is of far greater value to her than is the slice of her Congo possessions which she has ceded to Germany. At anj' time, 'and supposing that the Agadir incident had never arisen, France would have been glad to give what she is now giving, and even more, for what she is to obtain in return. Never since the German Empire was established under the hegemony of Prussia forty years ago lias its Foreign Office received bo complete a set-back. And this humiliating rebuff is due to the direct action of the German Emperor,

The Agadir incident was inspired by him. It was carried wit with only the half-hearted acquiescence of the German Foreign and Colonial Offices. The German Emperor, who is a great student of geography, as of all other things, has for some time past been haunted by the fact, which he discovered for himself, that the distance from Kiel to Buenos Ayres is only forty-eight hours longer by steamship than from New York to Buenos Ayres. His "marotte," or cherished dream, is to conquer the South American markets for German trade, and take them away from the United States. In his mind it 4s essential that, to gain this end, Germany should have a coaling station of her own on the maritime route between Kiel and the South American ports. He .pitched upon Agadir for this purpose. He believed that France would not be able to oppose him effectively, or that, at least, by dint of negotiation, he could, in exchange for>Agadir, secure some port on the Atlantic.

He thought that Great Britain was too busy with her internal affairs to back up France with any vigor. And he believed that the United States, though her interests were threatened, would not; depart from her principles, and interfere for the first time in a purely European dispute. He was mistaken' all along the line. The United States made their intentions clearly known at once. After a confabulation of very unusual length between the British and American Ambassadors in Paris, Germany was officially informed that both the British and the American fleets would aid France in forcing Germany to quit Agadir if necessary. There was no opposing such a combination as this.

Moreover, at a signal from Washington, the entire American Press would have raised such an outcry against the German attitude that untold damage to German interests in the United States would have ensued. France now very wisely helped Germany to save her jface. Simply to withdraw from Agadir would have been a knock-out blow to German prestige, and it was impossible for. her to consent to anything of the kind. France, moreover, would gain nothing by such a retreat. As it is, she virtually annexes Morocco, if she can (and it was very far from being in heT grasp before) in exchange for a strip of African territory, the barrenness of which may be gauged by the fact that on its 100,000 square miles there are only a million inhabitants. She also secures a bit of the German Cameroons and Togoland. Germany, provoked the Algeciras Conference to prevent the Tunisification of Morocco. Total result of her diplomacy: Morocco may become a French Protectorate like Tunis. The resignation of Herr von Linderquist, the German Colonial Secretary, is not inspired by the terms of the agreement, as the Berlin Press professes to believe; it was originally tendered while the negotiations were in progress. But the most novel feature of the whole business has been the appearance at the European Council Board of a new mailed fist, that of the United States.