The Saint Paul globe., 1898-06-07
SMALL FORCE OF TROOPS
COL. TEMPLE THINKS THEY
COULD RULE PHILIPPINES
man and NicObnr Islands, He
Finds That the Organization of
the Native Troops Is the Main
Essential to tIre Preservation of
Order in Subdued Countries.

Col r. N. Temple, Of India, was at
the Ryan hotel yesterday. Col. Temple
is in command Of the regiment Of Brit
ish soldiers and police who Patrol the
Andarnan and Nicobar islands in the
Bay Of Bengal, the Indian convict set
tlement, controlled by the English gov
eminent.
These settlements are the largest
convict stations in the world, the often
ders being only natives of India, and
only life criminals are sent there.
Col Temple Is on a years furlough,
and he expects to join his command
shortly In speaking of affairs in India
and the convict system OF the country,
he said:
"The British government now has
complete control Of India. With
standing army of 10000 troops. 1t sue
cessfully patrols a country containing
over 90O.OOO,OOO people. OF course. in
addition to these there are the native
troops, numbering 10000 1 think 1t
would be easy for the United States to
do the same thing on the Philippine
islands with force of men propOr-
tionalely large as comDared with the
population of India. A mere corp0ral's
guard of American troops could patrol
the islands. if they could successfully
organize the native troops. The SOL
tributed throughout the islands, and
native troops could back them up as "a
reserve force. This is the great secret
of England's holding the vast areas Of
India with such comparatively small
force. The conditions which exist in
India and on the Philippine islands are
not unlike, and l am strongly of the
opinion that the islands could be held
by the United States with small force
OF men, if England's policy in India
were adopted"
To a suggestion that the Andaman
islands must be a pretty dangerous
place with so many murderers at large,
the colonel replied:
mo On the contrary, we have never
had an outbreak as the British govern
ment has adopted a most humane and
Just policy towards its convict wards.
| have 1900 men who look after all the
settlements, which contain in round
numbers, 10000 life convicts Eight
hundred of the soldiers do police duy,
while the remaining 400 do soldier duty,
and are kept in readiness for any emer-
gency.
'"The men who are sent to US are
graduated from one grade to another
until at the end Of twenty years they
are given an absolute release from the
islands, and they can return to their
homes. Of course they do not secure
that period has been such as to leave
no doubt of their intention of becoming
good citizens.
For the first three years the prison.
ers are treated as slaves. They receive
no compensation for their services and
they are locked up every night. During
the two years following they are al
lowed twenty-five cents per month for
their services, but still remain as in
,,,~r, Of onypi-
torious service they are made petty Of
ficers At the end of ten years they
have about thirty rupees to their credit
and the government gives them ticket
of leave, three acres of land, with tools
and material with which to build q
house They are not allowed to leave
the island. but they. can move around
as free men. unrestrained, except that
they must be back in their villages at
8 O'Clock in the evening.
''Close account is kept Of every convict
to see that he does not shirk his work.
If he will not take advantage of the
government efforts in his behalf, he is
kept on the island all his life.
cit is seldom that a prisoner escapes.
as we are isolated from the rest of the
world, being about LOCO miles from any
civilization whatever"
"Do you think the colony system Of
SAAN'
system in vogue in the United States?"
was asked.
'I would not want to go on record
either way" responded the colonel, "as
we have two distinct classes Of people
to deal with There is vast difference
between managing the dusky man Of
the Orient, and the high strung Euro
pean For the inhabitants of warm
country, such as India, the settlement
system when we'll managed works adj
mira'bly, both to the credit Of the gov
ernment and the reformation of the
criminals.
when the queens jubilee was cele-
brated we released 400 convicts in a
bunch and not one came back. Only
one in several hundred of the 1ifers'
we have released have gone back to
their evil ways. The life cn the island
is really enjoyable. The country is a
most beautiful one and after few
years has been served the prisoner is
allowed additional privileges. as his be-
havior will warrant, until he is at last
a free man.
ct think the most potent factor In our
| success in handling the criminals of all
India is that we treat them as human
| beings and not as blackguards."