COLONISATION SACRIFICED

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21218, 14 September 1940, Page 11 (Supplement)

COLONISATION SACRIFICED

Tunis’ Tragedy :: Lyautey’s Triumph !n Vain

Q.ENERAL NOGUES, commander of the French forces in north-west Africa, faced the greatest responsibility—the choice of resisting or surrender of France's most progressive and strategically valuable colonial territory. His tragic decision to adhere to Petain’s Government means that the work of years may be lost. In the scramble for the acquisition of northern Africa by the southern and western European Powers during the last century, France gained Algeria, Tunisia, and finally Morocco. Overwhelming interests in shipping made Britain take paternal control of Egypt, and only desert Libya, which was then Turkish, was left for Italy. France went into Algeria by political accident, into Tunisia by a stroke of diplomacy, but into Morocco by the genius of one of the noblest colonisers in history —Louis Herbert Gonzalve Lyautey. Marshal Lyautey’s life work was Sacrificed With a Stroke of the Pen when the Bordeaux Government capitulated. Charles X. of France, who came into the Bourbon Restoration after Napoleon’s exit, was so hopelessly stupid that his Ministers looked for something to divert attention from him; though, even at that, Charles had to abdicate for Louis-Philippe. The distraction selected for the French people was the invasion and alleged conquest of Algeria. The Dey of Algiers slapped the French Consul—the historic '* coup d’eventail ” —and French honour was outraged. Moreover, a Jewish banking firm (Bacri and Busnach) were de facto rulers in Algeria, bleeding all French traders, and Moorish pirates preyed on French shipping. There was excuse enough for French conquest. French invaders went into Algeria in 1830, and for nearly 40 years they did little but wage war with Abdel-Kader and his successors—and with cholera. By 1870 it was computed that the patches of new African Empire had cost the lives of 150,000 soldiers and 150,000 colonists. In 1900, after 70 years, French Algeria contained 200,000 French surrounded by 2,000,000 hostile Berbers and Arabs—though the Algerian is not properly an Arab. He is a mixture of Arab, Tims, Moor and Negro. The tardiness of development in North Africa is not surprising, because French public opinion during most of the 19th century was anti-colonial, and every colonial expenditure was regarded as a theft from military preparation at home. The larger development was left for the present century. Algeria, which had been an incubus up to Napoleon ll.’s debacle, had become a valuable contributor to France before the later and worse disaster of today. It was a great granary as well as a source of man-power. Algeria, only a day’s steaming from the south coast of France, may be geographically French; but Tunisia, which Mussolini Has Specially Coveted, is claimed by the “ Second Roman Empire ” for reasons of history, geography and colonisation. Historically, Tunis is almost on the site of Carthage, rival and victim of ancient Rome. Geographically, Sicily and Tunisia point noses at each other, with the fortified Italian islet of Pantellarial in between. As for colonisation, when France assumed the protectorate over Tunisia in 1881, the country held 2000 Italians to only 200 French. Now, the proportions are French 108,000, Italian 94,000. Tunisia is the most fertile area along the south littoral of the Mediterranean, and has the best seaport (Bizerta), yet nobody in anti-colonial France would have wanted it but for the Premier, Jules Ferry. He was the parent of French Empire in Tunis, the Congo, and Niger, and Indo-China (Tonking). In the face of angry opponents, who opprobriously called him “ le Tunisien,” as though this made him a traitor to France, Ferry found in some small raids on Algeria enough pretext to make him resolve to

crush the Dey of Tunis. About 40,000 French troops were pushed into Tunis, and the Dey promptly wilted. The Protectorate was gained -with a single casualty casualty—one man wounded. Britain, being busy elsewhere at the time, gave Jules P erry her blessing. “ Prenez Tunis! ’* (Take Tunis), Lord Salisbury had said laconically to Ferry. Italy, thus caught napping, made furious outcry, Mussolini Revived That Symphony of Hate. The present Rome-Berlin Axis took its first shape when France had got Tunis; for, in 1882, the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria and Italy was formed, for protection against France and Russia. The axis was broken by Italy during the World War, but was resuscitated for purposes of aggression. Morocco is the third French Mediterraean territory, and here the name of Marshal Lyautey is inscribed. In a sense, Morocco is Lyautey, and Lyautey was Morocco. His colonial experience in Tonking and in Madagascar had been wide and valuable and, much earlier, he had been for two years a young officer in Algeria. He was sent into Morocco for the peace of the borderline. Lyautey, through many wonderful years, penetrated Molocco. Pie did not subjugate the tribes, but won them over with tact, bright uniforms, fine horses and parades. His applications for millions of francs went to the French Government, they were seldom for soldiers and guns, but mostly asked the wherewithal for roads and bridges and plantations. Agriculture and pasturage increased. Palm-trees were planted to hold the soil, plantations were extended, irrigation followed and with it production. Punitive and defensive fighting had both to be waged by Lyautey, but as little as possible. At one time, he was able to declare that he had passed a whole year without one rifle being fired. One conversation, recorded by his friend, Alfred le Tarde, is an Inspiration For Humanity: “ I had a dream,” said Lyautey, “ of creating, of raising into life, countries which had been asleep from the beginning of time, and showing them those riches of their own which they were ignorant of, and breathing the breath of life into them. In Tonking I was the first to penetrate territories into which no European had ever ventured. In Madagascar I made towns grow up. And in Morocco, among those ancient lands of lethargy, what a rich joy there has been in giving them desire in quickening the blood in their veins! Wherever I have gone, it has been to construct; and whatever I had to destroy, I built up again later, More Solidly and Durably. “ Our troops left behind them territory restored to peace, scored with roads and quickening with life. What a difference from the wars of Europe, which ravage cathedrals and museums, and everything irreplaceable, and annihilate in one day the priceless treasures of centuries! ” Lyautey was in Morocco, out of Morocco for part of the last war and back in Morocco again, a dying man, to witness the Riff rebellion of Abd-el-Krim—-an adventurer whose ambitions and intrigues had perhaps been made possible by the marshal’s absence. In the end, the farewell of Arab chiefs to Lyautey contained one tribute: “ The tribes offer their gratitude to that man so full of solicitude, who by his great and splendid work makes benevolence to rise in the firmament .of humanity, spreads everywhere the mantle of order, casts down the citadels of anarchy. This man has taken in the hearts of all the peoples the place which a loving father should hold in the hearts of loyal children.” Is an achievement of such nobility as Lyautey’s to be the loot of the German bully and his Italian partner?