The Washington herald., 1916-11-26
By JOHN l.. BALDERsroN:
CCopSTisht, 1916 b. the Mcclure Newspaper
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where to get men for her armies. At
the same time she must maintain the
navy and merchant marine, keep going
munition industries which are relied on
to. supply not only her own forces but
those of her allies. and retain her ex-
port trade, upon which, to a large extent,
depends the credit not Of herself but
Of the whole entente. No more stipend
Gus task ever confronted a nation.
Having supplied some 100000 combat
ants already out of the Il. 200, 900 males
between Is and S. years Of age who
lived in these islands at the beginning
Of the war. the United Kingdom. ex-
Guiding Ireland. appears to be almost
at the end of its rope so far as re-
cruiting at home Is concerned, unless
to get soldiers the country is prepared
to sacrifice industries which are as neces-
sary for victory as divisions In France.
The question Of man power at home Will
be considered In more detail below.
But soldiers must be had; 1t is ,neces-
sary to support France, whose armies
can no longer be reinforced, who long
ago sent forward her last available re-
serves So the mother country turns
to ireland, and to the dominions and
to the dependencies.
Irish ConscriptiOn Issued.
CONSERVATION in Ireland is an issue
ment and public discussion when the
pressing need for men is more generally
realized: 1t is bitterly opposed by Irish
Nationalist 1t might result in armed re-
sistance that would draw troops from the
battlefield to suppress. At the moment
the government Is letting things slide In
the Emerald Isle, hoping that the bitter
ness aroused by the Sim Fein executions
and the long reign of martial law will
nd revive
But the lull by common admission cannot
last long: the Tories in Britain, and
many Liberals as well. are determined
that Ireland shall bear her share of the
terrible burdens imposed upon her sister
Kingdoms.
Recruiting in Canada has fallen on.
while Australia, by defeating conscriptiOn
at the polls, has served warning that the
end of her contribution in men may be
approaching. There is no word of criti-
cism heard here for the great dominions:
no one before the war would have
thought it possible that they should each
furnish nearly half a million men for a
European war. But, sentiment aside. it
Is frankly admitted that the voluntary
system in Canada and Australia cannot,
on the basis Of the present returns, keep
at full strength the dominion contingents
at the front. There Is nothing for the
turn somewhere else. for the men must
be had.
May Arm Sayages.
Britain is slowly turning toward the
hundreds Of million of her subject races
to supply her the human material nee
essary for defeating Germany. There are
weighty objections to arming savage and
barbarian peoples for service in Europe
against white men, and these have hith-
erto caused the. government to veto pro-
posals made to use the blacks in Africa
and raise great new. Indian armies. But
the desire to beat Germany comes before
everything, and II the decision has not
yet been officially made 1t probably will
be this winter.
Germany, since the beginning of the
war, has vehemently protested against
the use Of colored troops, and ceaselessly
reproaches Britain and France for send
ing "hordes of cannibals" against the
hosts of Kultur in France AS a matter
OF fact. very few native troops have
served with the allies in the main the
ater of war as yet. and Great Britain
has not sent any into action in Europe
who were especially raised for use
against Germany.
In the first winter of the war, two In
dian divisions belonging to the regular
Indian army were brought to France and
mans promptly informed the world that
the English were using Pathans. Sikhs,
Gurkhas, Dogras, and half a dozen other
kinds of heathens to night their battle.
Though literally true, since represent
atives of all the warlike Indian peoples
were included in the contingent, the COM
plants were intended to make people
think hordes of Indians were at the
front. while in fact their number never
exceeded $1,000. The French procedure
was much the same; contingents from
the regular African army have been
used, and savage tales concerning the
Turcos went the rounds Of the German
press. But no appreciable part of either
the French or British armies in France
has been composed Of colored men at any
time.
Must Maintain Prestige.
Native troops have not been enlisted IN
great numbers up to now for several rea-
sons. Colonial administrators have felt
that the prestige of the white man in
tropical countries would be dealt a Sc
we're blow il he armed his subjects and
sent them to fight against other white
men. The success of 126,O00 white men in
ruling 3l5o0o,0c0 natives in India obvious
ly cannot rest primarily upon physical
force; the prestige of the white man in
the eyes of his vassals is the main thing
lhAI Keeps JneU1 IN SuDJeCuOn. lneTe Is
also the difficulty of climate, which
makes service in Europe impossible for
many native peoples. The most import
ant of all practical as distinguished from
psychological objections Is that which is
imposed for the officer problem. To Of
f1cer native troops men must be obtained
who know the dialects. habits and pref
udices of their men,, and who are also ex-
paTienced in msdern warfare. The num-
Der of such men Is extremely limited, and
they cannot be improvised, for the equip
raent required by an English officer of
Indian or African troops takes years to
obtain. The necessity apparently exists
therefore to officer colored troops with
colored men-a solution at which the
white man in India and Africa gasps
with horror. At present no Indian of the
highest caste can attain the rank Of
commissioned officer In the British army,
although he may command a battalion.
II these difficulties can be overcome,
as large and growing faction in Par
lament demands that they shall be, the
recruiting field, which opens before a
country almost drained of available SOL
diers. Is such as to make a war Offices
mouth water. An analysis Of the native
populations Of the empire with reference
70 their availability for war purposes was
furnished by Commander wedgwood, a
member of Parffa Fnanf ruh, cir