Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-06-11
DARK MEN AS FIGHTERS.
They Are Good Fighters When Properly
Trained and Ofcered.

Trained and Ofcered.
The plain truth is that the natural
fighting power of the Asiatics and Afri-
cans is very nearly equal to that of Eu-
ropeans, so nearly equal that whenever
the dark men are even decently organ
lied and armed, or led by man of
capacity, the white mems advantage
disappears, and they have to fight with
all the care and generalship, and even
numbers, which they would require in
Europe. 1t is assumed that these
things will never occur, but the as
sumption is very large one, and by
TO means borne out by past facts. We
all know, and admit, that the neces-
sary change has occurred in Japan, and
no European power would now invade
that country without taking all the
precautions it would take if 1t were
invading European state. Indeed,
Russia is actually accommodating great
army in Eastern Siberia-90,00 900 men, it
is said--in fear lest the Japanese, If
TOO much pressed should invade her
The ameer of Afghanistan is accumu-
lating European weapons year by year,
and is actually manufacturing them
in such quantities that, should we ever
come into conflict with his successor,
the general in command will have to be
as careful as if he were face to face
with Il European foe. 1t is not Gen.
Roberts who will tell anybody that the
conquest of Afghanistan, supposing
that our democracy decided on that
foolish enterprise, would be an easy
task or military parade. And now in
Ahyssinia n European army has been
actually destroyed by an African pow
er, whose soldiers, though no doubt of
the Semitic blood, are most of them
darker than any great tribe of Asiatics.
The Italians were of the best blood of
Europe. They belonged to an army
trained for 30 years to meet European
opponents; they carried weapons of
precision, and they died in Il proportion
to their numbers most unusual in war
fare; yet they were swept in utter rout
out of the hills, and had Mcnelek but
pursued, as European general would
have done, would have been swept out
Of Africa.
The white powers must in future or
ganize their expeditions into Asia or
Africa more carefully; must avail them
selves of science to the uttermost; must
choose the very ablest commanders;
must, in fact, make war with as much
precaution as if their enemies were
Europeans. They will not any more
be able to conquer dark men as Mexico
was conquered by Cortes, or Surajah
Dowlah by Give. And, secondly, if
their huge enterprise is to be carried
out-if, that is, they intend to be pre-
dominant in Asia and Africa-and it
is nothing less than this that they are
attempting-they must agree within
the range of that enterprise to pull
together. If they are going to vent
their spites on each other, or satisfy
their jealousies, or crafty their am
billions by secret alliances with the
dark powers, by finding them weap-
ons or providing them with military
counselors, the great enterprise in the
end will fail. They will furnish the
very little necessary to enable the dark
men to beat white men on the field of
battle, and as it is by battle that con-
guests are effected, the conquest of
Africa or Asia will become impossible.
Suppose the Hovas had fought on the
slopes of their high plateau as the
Shoans and Amharas fought, all the
force which France could dispatch to
Madagascar would never have captured
Antananarivo. Audit is more than prob
able that if the Hovas had been hon
estly led by a man like Meuelek, and
ii they had been confident in their
weapons, as the Abyssinians were, they
would have anticipated the horrible
scene before Adowa, and France, in
stead of Italy, would be weeping over
defeat by brown power. The dark
men have always been willing to fight;
they are now slowly learning the con-
ditions of success in battle, and, as they
learn them, are becoming much more
dangerous foes. European soldiers,
Lord Wolseley included, must get that
fact fully into their minds and provide
against it, or they will be taught by ex-
pcriences, of which that just acquired
by Gen. Baratieri may not be the most
Observation-Disclosures Spectator.
Modern Weapons Against Sayages.