The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-09-29
colored Soldiers From African Pos
sessions May Be Salvation Of the
country's Standing
Army.
ARE THOUSANDS OF THEM
Great Trouble Is That the Wives and
Children of the Men Insist
on Following
Them.
[By William Philip Simms, Paris cor
respondent of the United Press.l


respondent of the United Pressl
PARIS, Sept. 29.-Is France destin-
ed to be overrun with blacks as is GER
tain parts of the United States?
There are number of thinking men
here who see such thing happening
If what appears to be the Republics
ultimate military policy be carried out.
BLACK France" This is the latest
Gallo phrase, used to denote Frances
black colonies in Africa and her darby
soldiers there. The average French
man thinks of 1t with a thrill of pride
but there are those who fear that the
country is brewing for herself pot OF
trouble, without realizing it, through
the fast-increasing native African sol
diery and the proposed importation OF
them into France.
The falling birth-rate has made dras-
tic action necessary. No attempt was
made to conceal the fact that this was
the cause for returning to the three
year military service law just passed
by both the chamber OF deputies and
| the senate. But even with this addi-
ton, Frances standing army is not big
enough; something else had to be
done. That thing seems to be the for
nation of the mightiest negro legion
the world has ever see. Senator Ger
Ivais is fighting for 100000 black men,
but others declare that eventually
there will be under the tri-color OF
France an army of native Africans
100000 strong.
The black soldier was sanctioned by
law in 1910. There are 10000 of them
already,
The argument for the innovation Is
simple France, being at a standstill'
or worse, SO far as population is con-
cerned; and Germany, her mortal en-
envy, being on the rapid increase, 1t IL
| pointed out that no other alternative
: presented itself. Manifestly France
d with her 100000 people, cannot pro
a vide white army as big as can Ger
many with her moro than 100000
8 Germany's new army law gives hel
: about 100000 soldiers on a peace
q footing; Frances new law gives hel
9 $4,000. In France every youth mas
]. serve three years, in Germany he ser
! yes but two. Suppose Germany like
wise should take the notion to adop
three-year service. Germany woult
have far over million men ready t.
take the field at an instants MOTTO
! and France, having already gone he
limit, would be helpless to meet tn
;, Increase.
The only remedy for the situation
1t is argued, is to introduce the negr
into the military scheme. There ar
a millions of blacks In Frances Africa
!, dependencies and Colonel Mangin an
!, Colonel Marchand, heroic French leat
\ ers in Morocco, give them good chal
= acter. The thing to do Is to use then
they say.
. But suppose this race for militar
"a power between Germany and Franc
: continues and the 100000 negr
!. troops spoken of are realized. Obv
: ously they would be of little use acros
: the Mediterranean In case Of might
:, clash on the FrancoGerman frontie
- Some $4,000 of them might be use
to defend the African colonies, but tn
remainder would be so much waste
power. Equally obviously, the impo
tation of scores of thousands OF thel
70 into France would be urgent
I'd And there, in the opinion of man
g. is where the trouble would begin, Il
OF 1t has been found that in actual pra
lg tice the Senegalian Ga generic ter
d. applied to all Frances black trooI
IS. whether Senegalians or not) is NJ
1t. worth much as soldier unless he he
"a his family with him. He must carr
his wife-or wives-along to act ;
to cook, porter and clothes member, al
er without her he is utterly lost. Their
en- fore If the Senegalian be brought
a. France, Mrs Senegalian will have
come too with the thousands upc
,rt thousands of little Senegalians ira
Or. ing at her abbreviated skirt.
ra Which, declare those who have stu
nd led United States history, is where Il
OF trouble thickens.
The first appearance of blacks up'
I'm the battlefields of Europe came duril
er the France Prussian war, France |
ing her "Turcos" as the Algeri
to troops were called, against the G.,
nj mans, evoking the bitterest CRITICS
on the other side of the Rhine. Fran
was charged with using Savage
against civilized people. SO 1t renal
- to be seen what Germany will ha
Ii to say of the military project now Gre
tied to her old enemy.
on Evidently" declares one writer
the subject, ut is not today or tom
row that France can garrison Ter frt
tiers with the aid of her tropical S
u.s. diers, but commencement has be
at made of which none can tell the
lie velopment The most obvious pl
g. would be to use the Algerians