The sun., 1900-10-31

native scouts and all have done well.
In Porto Rico we have an infantry regi-
ment OF two battalions. These organiza-
tions are ofiioervj entirely by white men
Some years ago our army made an at
tempt TO raise companies OF infantry and
troops OF cavalry Of Indians; at first the
trial seemed successful, the companies
were filled to the limit then allowed. and
! the Indians apparently made good sol
diers. But AZ soon as the novelty OF sol-
! diering wore Of, rs soon as the rcd soldiers
found that they had TO do garrison duty
and could not always be on the warpath,
the interest languished Dosertions began,
and in 1895, after being tried for some ak
years. the last troop Of Indian cavalry was
disbanded. Our army now has an I'M
organized force OF Indian scouts
Foreign armies have found native soldiers
OF value Great Britain has used more OF
them than any other country. and now has
native troops In India, China. West Africa,
and the West Indies. The Sepoy mutiny
of 1857 did not lead to the disbandment
Of the native Indian troops. though h did
result in drastic reorganization; at present
there are In the Indian army no fewer than
! $4,000 men, besides the troops maintained
by the native sovereigns Some Of these
troops are serving In Africa, others in
China, and IL will be remembered that dur
ing the Russo Turkish War Lord BEACoSs-
FIELD brought an Indian force to Malta as
an element in the great game Of blum at
which he defeated Europe The British
Chinese regiment, raised at Weihaiwei.
4. l.. NIL - ~
Kong regiment is also serving there.
The recent relief OF the ,beseged Governor
Of the Gold Coast Colony was achieved by
the Houssas, natives OF Vest Africa organ
lied into a West African regiment, and
the Central African Rifles arc serving In
Central Africa and at Nauritius The
West Indian regiment Is stationed In
Jamaica, Bermuda and Sierra Leone. Thus
it appears that Great Britain finds her ma
tive troops Of value.
France, TOO, makes use Of the natives
Of her growing colonies as soldiers. In
her colpnial army there are no fewer than
twenty-one regiments. Of which ten are
cavalry. Even In the recently annexed
colony Of Madagascar some 1000 natives
are embodied "a soldiers. The list shows
Algerian, Saharan and Tonkin sharpshoot-
ers. zouaves. Algerian chasseurs, and spahis
from the Sahara a. we'll as from Algeria,
Practically all Of these, however. are EN-
ployed in or near their own country.
Germany has raised troops In its new
African domains; the troops Of the Congo
State are ofieered by whites and may
be considered as practically native troops
of the Belgian Army. and the Cossacks.
now considered only as Russian troops.
originated as native troops raised in
conquered country.
Thus it appears that the various mother
countries have found II advantageous
TO raise native troops in their colonies.
both for police service and for war service.
When our own army IL put on better footing
II may be that native troops will be pro-
vided for. not as at present, merely tempo
rarily, but as part OF tho permanent es-
tab4ishment. offlcered not by details from
white regiments. but by officers of their
own. The recent experience of other
countries is wholly in favor of such troops.