Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-05-09
aMiseellanenus Beading.
AN ARMY OF NEGROES.
France Has Found 1t Necessary to
Organize One.

organize Onc.
Europe has never drawn the color
line so closely as America has, but all
military Europe is astounded at
Frances proposition to enlist an ac-
tive army of 100000 blacks from her
colonies to offset that element of the
present force which is burning with
discomfort and is no longer regarded
| as altogether reliable. 1t is evidently
setting the black up as a check upon
the growing democratic spirit of the
white man in the army. The huge
force of professional fighting blacks
will constitute a giant fighting mech
anism which would be a power in
any nations hands, but it Is not likely
to be received kindly by the French
people who must support it nor the
French soldiery who must tramp and
camp with it.
Militarism lies upon Frances back
like CALLING pack saddle. There are
629, 500 men who are serving their en-
forced terms in the army, and the ma
ton must support them in uniformed
idleness. The nation is looking to
economy, and the army is murmuring
all sorts of things socialistic. French
armies have always been famous for
their fidelity and patriotism, but there
is a growth of discomfort in the pres
ent force that is alarming the govern
ment.
England is only across the Channel
and Germany, bristling with steel.
hangs upon the border. In Europe di-
plomacy has to be an art Of niceties
and every hour is a crisis. No one
knows when all the men nation can
turn out will be needed nor when all
the fervor and patriotism of a people
will be called upon to Withstand a
shock. France looks to her disgrun-
tied army and is full of apprehension.
She must have troops who are avail
able, and troops who are not touched
with the disintegrating malady of dis
content, and in sheer desperation the
government now looks to the colonies.
There is nothing the black man would
uO lIldIl Hbul, ne Willis W
see actual service and hard service
just for the sport that Is In 1t, and he
has no thought of the right or wrong
of his position, the injustice of COM
pulsory service or the taxes that his
support is imposing upon the workers
Of France.
The enlistments have been begun in
Algiers, French Guiana and the west
coast of Africa. There will be no diff
ficulty in raising the proposed force,
for in all these provinces the military
career is regarded as the epitome of
honor, and the natives are pouring In
to the ranks in the hope that they will
be used in active service.
At the head of the scheme are Col.
Mangin and M. Messimy. OF course,
Germany will be rightfully suspicious
of the new force, and will certainly re-
gard it as a new menace and a dan
gerous weapon In the hand Of her
perennially antagonistic neighbor. If
France maintains a standing army Of
100000 blacks at home and abroad
which can be assembled and trans
ported to any point In week or more
it will certainly be great temptation
to Germany to recruit a similar
dusky force in her African posses
sions, even though the same element
of radical discomfort is not so appar-
ent in the German army, and there
fore does not afford the same excuse
for such move.
Germany at the present time has
about 10000 fewer men in actual SER
vice than France, and the addition of
300, 900 fighting blacks to the French
rollcall with increase this difference so
vastly that Germany will be forced to
act vigorously and quickly to MAIN
tain her standing and prestige among
the nations. 1t Is usually estimated
that while Germany has fewer men In
her standing army than France she
could put almost three times as many
men in the field in case Of actual war
fare.
In the enlistment of this army
France seems to be taking no account
of the types of blacks which will enter
into it. The Moor and the Berber Of
Algiers are regarded as black men
Just as the former slaves and convicts
that make up a large portion Of the
dark skinned population of French
Guiana are looked upon rightfully as
blacks. While they may all make
good soldiers, as perhaps the natives
of West Africa will, they are peoples
of a different temperament, requiring
different handling, and may not even
take kindly to an amalgamation.
The Moors and Berbers of North
Africa are fer@ely Independent, hard
and obstinate fighters, but born deser-
ters. They resent anything that re-
sembles severe discipline and inevita-
bly, fail to recognize any authority as
established when that authority con-
fiicts with their particular ambitions
or whims. AS long as the good fighting
would last and they are kept busy in
the field they might be fairly tracta-
h1a hnt thaV npnn1a Whn enter the
ranks to get all the turmoil out Of 1t
that a soldiers life affords and not to
wear immaculate uniforms on dress
parade in a dull and lifeless garrison.
AS long as they would be permitted to
remain in Algiers there would prob
ably be little difficulty, for the regi-
ments of natives which France now
has in Africa are relatively docile and
well disciplined.
French Guiana furnishes rather a
different class. For some generations
France has made a vigorous effort to
colonize the swamps and fever infest-
ed valleys of it's South American pos
session and finally concluded it was
not even a fit place to send white
criminals In 1S4S all the black slaves
were freed and since 1868 France has
been sending the majority of it's black
reprobates from Africa into the
swamps to thrive or die as they saw
fit. AS a result the blacks lived and
the white population died off and the
black stock was not Of the highest or
der. Of course they will make good
soldiers, but of a different type from
the naughty Algerian volunteers and
somewhat removed in quality from the
poor negro recruits of West Africa.