The Sultan Abdul Aziz IV succeeded his father El Hasan III, in 1894, when he was 14 years of age, and he had a difficult task with his turbulent people. On 18 May 1904, Rais-Uli. a prominent chieftain, captured and held for ransom, the Hon. Ion Perdicaris, an American subject, and his stepson Mr. Varley, an Eng lish subject. The ultimatum of the United States Secretary of State, John Hay, "Perdi cans alive or Rais-Uli dead," a naval demon stration of American warships and representa tions from European courts, compelled the Sultan to comply with Hay's demands, and the captives were released. The Sultan's weak ness became more and more apparent to the insurgent tribes of northern and central Morocco, and contempt for the rights of foreigners, with utter lawlessness prevailed throughout the kingdom. At the ports, espe cially Tangier, the property of Europeans, and even their lives, were in jeopardy. To safe guard the loan of $10,000,000 which had been advanced to the Sultan, the French government arranged for the appointment of a French financial adviser, with agents, to undertake the control of the Customs; it was also arranged to police Tangier with French-Algerians, and a French military mission proceeded to Fez. By the Anglo-French Agreement of 8 April 1904, France as the nation whose dominions bordered on Morocco, was to be unhindered by Great Britain in guarding the tranquility of that kingdom, in return for allowing Great Britain freedom of action in Egypt; moreover, freedom of trade was guaranteed for 30 years in Egypt and Morocco. In October 1904 a Franco-Spanish Agreement was also arranged, which recognized the terms of the Anglo French Agreement, the maintenance of the territorial integrity of Morocco, the neutraliza tion of the coast between Melilla and the Sebu River, the preponderating right of France to give the Sultan military, economic and financial assistance, and modified the limits of the Span ish sphere of influence. In January 1905 the reforms submitted by the French government were received with marked disfavor by the Sultan and by his Council of Notables. This was thought later to have been due to German diplomacy, which under the terms of the Mad rid Convention of 1880, refused to recognize the agreements made by France with Great Britain and Spain concerning Morocco.
In 1880 the Madrid Convention with Mo rocco, bearing the signatures of Austria, Bel gium, Denmark, Germany, France, Great Brit ain, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Norway,' and the United States, had established the right of protection in Morocco, and the 17th article of the treaty reads: "The right to the treatment of the most favored nation is recognized by Morocco, as belonging to all the Powers represented at the Madrid Conference." The German opposition was further empha sized by the visit of the German Emperor, William II to Tangier, 31 March 1905, when he assured the Sultan of his intention to uphold the integrity of the Moroccan kingdom and the equality of Germany's commercial and economic interests in the country. A special German mission was sent to Fez, and British and Span ish missions also proceeded to the Moorish capital, ostensibly to support the French policy. The Sultan and his advisers, 28 May 1905, re fused to entertain the proposed reforms and advised an international conference of the Powers to deliberate on the Moroccan situation.
After protracted negotiations between France and Germany, which were shadowed by rumors of probable war between the countries, and in which the resignation, of M. Delcasse, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the downfall of the Rouvier Ministry were inci dents, a program was arranged to place be fore the International Conference. Algeciras in Spain, opposite Gibraltar, was chosen as the meeting place.
Various reasons were assigned for the un expected raising of the Moroccan question by Germany; among these were — alarm at the apparent isolation of Germany in European politics, at the increase of French influence in North Africa, and at the consummation of an agreement which implied a further terri torial division of Africa by private arrange ment between two powers, regardless of Ger man and other economic rights.
The various countries signatory to the Mad rid Convention of 1880 sent delegates to Alge ciras, and the conference was opened 16 Jan. 1906. The presence of the United States repre sentatives was explained as safeguarding the nation's commercial interests in Morocco; with the political aspects of the conference, arising solely from the strained relations between Ger many and France, wherein a cases belli might be found, the United States agents were spe cifically instructed not to participate. The meetings of the conference lasted until 31 March 1906, when after strenuous opposition and counter-proposals on the part of Germany, supported only by Austria, against the French program, supported by Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the United States, Bel gium and Holland, an agreement on all points was reached. The French program maintained that the police, under the Sultan's orders, should be commanded by French and Spanish officers and sub-officers nominated to the Sultan and appointed by him, and that the Inspector General of the Police should report to the Sultan. Germany made a series of proposi tions in opposition to this general plan, seeking to bring the whole Moroccan business prac tically under the control of the European con cert, requiring those Powers directly acting in Morocco to take a European mandate, and to be subject to the interposition of the other Powers, of which Germany would be an im portant one. Matters had almost reached a deadlock whit a proposition relative to a mixed police foret for the ports in dispute was brought forward•by Ambassador White, under instruction from President Roosevelt, and in troduced by the Russians, provided a solution for the existing difficulties. The division and the policing of the ports of Morocco was ar ranged as follows: Spain to police Tetuan and Larache; a Franco-Spanish mixed police to be established at Casablanca and Tangier, and a French police force alone to have charge of Mogador, Saffi, Mazagan and Rabat. The re sult of the conference was virtually a victory for France, which retained the preponderance of influence in the financial affairs of the king dom, and lost little of what was demanded with regard to the policing of the country.