r to
modify her terms. Germany, Spain, the United States, and other
nations, to say nothing of Morocco, must point out the absurdity
of the situation. If the agreement is inoperative with regard to
Morocco, it may as well be openly admitted to be useless. This is
not all. Should English statesmanship direct that this injudicious
arrangement be adhered to, France and Great Britain will stand as
self-confessed violators of the Convention of Madrid.

"Fortunately the Moorish cause has some excellent champions. For
many years she has been dumb. Now, however, that she is assailed,
we find a small but influential band of writers coming forward
with their pens to do battle for her.

"This is the great consolation we have. Moorish interests will no
longer be the sport of European political expediency. These men
will, no doubt, protest against the land-grabbing propensities of
the French colonial party, and they may find time to point out
that after a thousand years of not ignoble independence, the
Moorish race deserves a little more consideration than has
hitherto been granted.

"Even those people who are responsible for this deplorable state
of affairs must now stand more or less amazed at their handiwork.
No diplomatic subterfuge can efface the humiliation that underlies
the situation; and no one can possibly exaggerate the danger that
lies ahead of us."

* * * * *

"Two centuries ago Great Britain abandoned Tangier, and it is
only the present generation that has realized the huge mistake. A
maudlin sentimentalism, to avoid displeasing the French King,
prevented us from handing the city back to Portugal; an act which
would have been wise, either strategically, commercially, or with
a view to the suppression of the famous Salee rovers, who were
for long a scourge to ships entering the Straits. A Commission of
experts was appointed to consider the question of the abandonment,
one of them being Mr. Pepys....

"Whatever the opinion may have been of the experts consulted
by the Government on the present agreement with France, we are
strongly disposed to believe that if they have been endowed with
greater sense than those of 1683, there is probably more, as we
must hope there is, in favour of British interests, than appears
to the public ey