WHY ARE THE SPANIARDS IN MOROCCO?
THE object of the Spanish Government in forcing a war upon the Emperor of Morocco has not been very obvious. Why did Mar- shal O'Donnell determine not to be satisfied with the repeated and willing concessions made by the Moor, and why did he raise them to a point where even a conciliatory Moor, anxious to avoid war, could concede no longer ? What cause was potent enough. to bring about a policy which sent 40,000 men in the middle of winter to occupy a range of heights in front of Ceuta, brave the fury of the rain and wind, dig ditches, construct redoubts, make roads, and convert the bleak Sierra that runs from sea to sea into a sort of Torres Vedras ? Games of this kind are costly, even when they are played to carry an important and vital object; doubly costly when the object is not vital, or when it is to give military effect to a false policy. Was the war entered upon that, like other rulers, Marshal O'Donnell might illustrate his capacity to command armies ? If so one would have thought he would have selected a foe more worthy of his arms rather than one who, however brave, knows nothing of the bayonet, and is ignorant of the use of a cartridge. Was it that Spain might seize possession of territory on the African coast that she forced on a war ? What territory ? England has said " no" to the occupation of Tangier. As to operations inland they are far from being undertaken by a man of such reputed sagacity as the man who is at once a political premier and a commander-in-chief. Is possession of Tetuan a prize sufficient to gratify Spanish pride and satisfy her political ambition ? Perhaps we should have something to say to the permanent occupation of Tetuan by Spain. Was the object simply to ripen an army of recruits into legions of veterans with the view of taking part in some European Armageddon which may have been descried afar by the seers of Madrid ? The mere object of avenging an insult committed by some ragamuffin tribe hanging loosely about Ceuta or Melilla does not seem sufficient to account for the indulgence of so extravagant a luxury as a foreign war, and hence we are driven to conjecture the cause and object of this exhibition of the military disease in the Spanish body politic. For it admits of no doubt that the Spanish people heartily support the war, and blindly second the concealed designs of the Count of Lucena.
In this strait new light has been thrown upon the question by Mr. 0. C. Dalhousie Ross,* a great admirer of the Spainards and an apologist for their Moroccan war. Mr. Ross quotes some speeches delivered in the Congress last October, when war was de- clared, which pretty fairly set forth the ostensible object of the war. That of Marshal O'Donnell closed with these words- " It is not a spirit of conquest which animates us ; no. The God of Battles will bless our arms, and the valour of our troops and of our navy will prove to the Moroccans that Spain is not to be insulted with impunity, and that we are determined to obtain reparation, even should we have to seek it on their hearth-stones. I repeat it is not a spirit of conquest which takes us to Africa, neither shall European interests suffer in the least degree by our ex- pedUion ; no ! No thought of the kind enters our minds ; we go thither to redeem our honour, to require guarantees for the future ; we go to enforce from the Moroccans an indemnity for all that we have suffered ; in one word, with our arms in our hands, we go to require satisfaction for the in- sults offered to our flag. No one can charge us with ambition, no one can with reason complain of our conduct. We are strong in our right and our motives are irreproachable, the rest is in the hands of the God of Battles."
• Spain and the War with Morocco. By 0. C. Dalhousie Ross, Esq., a resident in Spain for many years. Published by lildgway. Here then are the objects of the war : reparation for the past insults (which were provoked by Spanish aggression), guarantees for the future (that is, a cession of territory), and indemnity for all Spain has suffered ; and these objects are to be won even if extorted from the /doors " on their hearth stones "—that is, we sup- pose, in Fez, Mequinez, Rabat. Well, this would be an intelli- gible explanation, and one accordant with Spanish character, were it not for the fact that the injuries to be repaired were provoked by an insatiable policy. Marshal O'Donnell must know that he got up the war and provided the materials for that appeal to Spanish pride which has answered so admirably ; and therefore this explanation of the object of the war does not fit the case, un- less we suppose that O'Donnell provoked injuries merely for the purpose of obtaining distinction for himself in the process of ex-
acting reparation. Hence we are incredulous touching this famous explanation.
And there is another. Mr. Ross furnishes it in the report of is speech by the Marquis de Molinos, Senator, "an opposition orate s and much esteemed poet." It had been asked why Spain wa preparing for war. Molinos answered that the preparations were "intended to strengthen us abroad and unite us at home." How ? "Foreign nations," said the poet, "will respect us when they see that we possess the power to sustain our national character ; they will respect us, for action is power, and power is credit, and credit is wealth." Spain must show signs of vitality. We should have thought that the best way to show vitality is to develop, first, the the internal resources of a nation, and that the best way to obtain credit is to pay your debts before you waste your surplus in foreign wars. The Marquis of Mohnos thinks otherwise. lie says- " Such is our character : whenever we have not had foreign wars to sus- tain, we have been consumed with internal discord. Let us but have some great object on which all our energy may be concentrated, something which shall inflame the minds of all parties, and then you will see that the dis- sensions amongst us will vanish, and we shall become united and great and powerful. Now would you know what is the great object that is capable of inspiring such unanimity ? It is the desire to see the banner of Castile float on the towers of Morocco, and to carry the light of the Gospel into Moorish cities. To those who in such a cause would dare to ask the consent of foreigners, I would address one word more. England looks on from Gib- raltar, France from Oran, and you are Spaniards. Fight a good fight, and you will conquer the consent of all, and perhaps some day it may be written of us in history that to Isabel I. was due the conquest of America, and Isabel II. contributed to the civilization of Africa."
We submit that this poetical vision of Hispania rediviva—of Isabel II. in the character of" Queen of Spain and all the Africas," with a renewal of the Spanish mode of carrying the light of the Gospel into heathen cities, that is the light flashing afar from the auto da fe, and a new edition of contributions to civilization like those offsprings of Spain, Mexico and the Southern republics—is a more likely-looking explanation of the origin and objects of the war than that proffered by Marshal O'Donnell. Under the mis- taken notion that nations become great by making wars, Marshal O'Donnell takes this short cut to reputation for himself and his country, instead of following the more honourable but more laborious road which leads direct to an industrial development and a conscientious fulfilment of pecuniary.pbligations. He arrests the growth of wealth and industrial enterprise by spending, on a de- lusive war, a surplus which might have laid the foundations of national credit. A true and unselfish Spanish statesman would have done his uttermost to promote the construction of roads be- tween the Spanish provinces instead of roads along the Lines of Ceuta, and from those Lines towards Tetuan. Mr. Ross shows us that Spain has been growing rich since 1848, having in that time nearly doubled her income, increased her royal and more than doubled her commercial marine, sold church lands to provide funds for public works, established schools, and made progress on every side but one—that of a due sense of the disgracefulness of debt. And it is under these circumstances that Marshal O'Don- nell has diverted the public mind from internal affairs to follow him in his African war ; and that Mr. Ross would have us believe that the progress and consolidation of liberalism in Spain depend upon the prosecution of these miserable hostilities ! The true object of the war may be that paraded by Marshal O'Donnell ; it may be that set forth by the poetical Marquis. In either case the Government which got up the war is practically a traitor to the best interests of Spain.
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