Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 283, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 December 1911 — LAWLESS RULER OS HELPED BY FRANCE [ARTICLE]

LAWLESS RULER OS HELPED BY FRANCE

PARIS (Special)—That Francs Should lend its. gid toward keeping on his throne one of the most filthy, lewd and lawless monarchs In t& world—Sultan Mulal Hatld, of Morocco—ls a thorn In the flesh oi many Frenchmeat “It is simply a cbm of a savage tyrant and a poltroon soldiery sacs to face with a cluster of gallant tribesmen who have been goaded to revolt by cruelty and extortion.” A French newspaper correspondent who had been there told me, in describing the conditions at Fez, ths Sultan’s capital. “And tt is to maintain this tyrant on the throne that bravo French officers are risking their lives, and because of whom the lives of Europeans in Morocco are in constant peril, that a large force has been dispatched to Fes. It is perfectly clear that there can never be any real peace there until Sultan Mulal Hafid is removed from power. The best thing for all concerned would be the return of Abdul Azlx. A talk with any tribesmen would prove this.” The siege off Fez, and his narrow escape from' a terrible death at the hands of rebels, have not taught Mulal Hafid the lemon ib should. The Sherlf el Meranl was thrown into chains because he failed to make peace with Beni M’Fors, although ho presented them with about $7,500. What really happened was the tribesmen refused to make peace on any terms and set upon the poor Sherlf and almost tore him to pieces, taking his money away from him meanwhile. ; y He was sent back tb Fez without a rag on his back. This particular Sherlf, b# it known, was largely responsible for placing Mulal Hafid on the throne when Abdul Aziz was betrayed and overthrown. Mulai Hafid long ago proved himself a moral pervert of the worst sort and* seriously speaking, a dangerous lunatic. In the midst of the siege of Fez he took it into his head, late one night, that he would marry his cousin, the daughter of his uncle Mulal Omar, who died a few months ago. All the native dancers were awakened In the dead of night and forced to hasten to the Magzen where a great fete was in. progress. The feast was a revel of the deepest purple At its height, t>o wounded soldiers, who had assisted in holding oft the Sultan’s enemies, were lying moaning at the city’s gate, begging to be taken in. One of them died before morning. It is largely the belief here that untimately Morocco will have to be divided among the powers. France, in that event, would get a portion,* Germany, England and Spain -the rest. French officials, however, declare that no such thing is even dreamed of.