SPAIN AND MOROCCO.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2606, 14 September 1909, Page 5

SPAIN AND MOROCCO.

FARMS AND VILLAGES DESTROYED. United Puesb Association— Copyright MOROCCO. Sept. 12. General Aquilera’s brigade has left Arkaman. They devastated a stretch of splendid country, blowing up and burning every farm and village house and destroying crops. A few surrenderors were generously treated.

Before undertaking the punishment and subjugation of the Riffs, Spain vanily appealed to the Sultan Mulai Hafid to take over the task. It was expected that Spain’s subsequent military measures against the Riffs would arouse anti-Spanish feeling in Morocco; but this expectation does not seem to have been realised, for, according to the “Times” correspondent, “the educated population of Morocco, including the Maghzen, realise that the Riff has long been derelict., and that the Sultan has neither actual nor nominal authority in those districts.” On the other hand there seems to have been no expectation of what has actually occurred —viz., that the Riffs - would put up such a succesful fight as to require the despatching of the Spanish army of over 30,000 men. ~ The correspondent of the Times remarks: “As far as the proposals of Spain for the restoration of order m the neighborhood of her African possessions are concerned, the Sultan would have been wise to give them his consideration, for they appeared to be both just and advantageous, but so jealously does he guard what he understands to be the integrity of his country that ho flouted this item, among many others, of the programme which Senor Merry del Val presented to him on behalf or the Spanish Government during his recent mission to Fez. “The result has been what many foresaw, and what the Spanish Minister imself more than hinted would ensue. The Spanish Government, failing to obtain any hope even of an amelioration of . the situation, have been obliged to take into grave consideration the necessity of doing for themselves, what the Sultan refuses to do—namely, to restore order in the immediate neighborhood of their possessions, ibat Spain could be expected to allow the situation to remain in statu ; quo J® preposterous, and, as the question a fects her interests alone, so long as her programme is locally confined, no o - lections can be mad© to her assuring the restoration of order once for all by restoring it herself. _ . . . ■ “It is only by receiving such lessons as this that the Sultan will be made to realise that the position which he has adopted towards Europe is untenable, and that he must confine bis energies to attempting to govern his own country—a task which, in spite or, many faults, he is by no means incapable" of accomplishing—with due regard to the interests of foreign Powers.