Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-11-26

Commander Wedgwood admits that
the 320,OO0,0O0 natives in lncia. & C'y-
lon, Raluchistan AMI the Malay statea
are mostly of unwarlilNe races who
| had best bc left alone. But ho CON
tends that of this number iiftN anil
lion belong to militant native tribes
wECsc representatives have already
shown their Drowess against the Ger
mars ind Flanders. Since 1t has hce n
(, nd impossible in Europe TO molil-
iGe 10 per cent of "A population for
war. he claims thar five million Sikns.
Gurkhas. Punlubis. Pathlns and 9TH
er renowned tribesmen could be
armed.
The rest of the immense colorod
| army which Commander WCdgewood
desires In order 10 crush Germany
would come from Africa. Ccutinecnts
could be formed. he SAYS, by the white
! administrators already Ol the ground
| in British East Africa, NNassalanu,
| Uganda Mauritus. B1sutoland. hho-
desia, the Union of South Africa. NO
| goria aud West Coast colonies, Ger
man East Africa, the Sudan and
| Egypt. The native populations OF
these countries total $1,000 coo. and
Commander Wedgcwood would cX-
clude 100000 Egyptians from this
total. perhaps as tainted with enemy
sympathies or unWarlkc-tho he did
not cTplil' why -lea"inr 100000
| Africans belongiT =. he says to fight
ing races. applying the 10 per cont
mobilization ratio, o,bcO,jOO Afilcahs
appear 10 be available. Combined
with 5000, ,001 Ibdians. such "A force
might turn the scale against Ger
many when the white races Of Europe
had tc n large extent eNtermnated one
another; while il ii be objected that
the war would be over before such ar
mics could be trained and take the
field. the answer is that the mon who
advocate great native armies are an
solutcly determined to smasl c.
many, to carry the war on to German
soil. and they believe this program
cannot We carried out for at least two
or three years Talk of a five years
war" is common today in circles
which year age were confident the
summer of 1917 would see the surrcn-
der of the enemy.
Difficulties of the Scheme.
is not probable that the statesmen
who seek to bring Zulus, Ashantis,
Matahelcs and Swazis to France ~
fipht beside Gurkhas and Sikhs really
believe anv such nun bers could be-
armed ag those they handy about In
conversation. They well understand
the difficulties in the way of mohili-
zation Gld training, not to speak OF
transport They desire to impress the
Imagination of the pubic anG stir pa:-
lament and the government to action;
they would protabiy be more than
satisfied if two million Indians and
Africans took the field. number
which year or two hence will seem
very much larger tfan it does now.
The ethics Of sending into battle
hordcs of men VINO never heard of
Germany, and do not know there is
a war in Europe. does not worry tie
advocates of the scheme. Whether the
black and brown men know 1t or no'.
they say their dcstinieS are being d..
cidcd in Europe, and If Germany WINS
they will sooner or later he enlisted
The Sunday Times puts the matter
thus in an editorial The colored
peoples have their stake in the COZ
flict ndia. Egypt and the African
races will reap benefit from this vast
struggle for freedom and autonomy;
viewed in that porspecdve II Is some
thing much more than a white mans
war. We have a right, then. to sum
mon Asia and Africa into the arena.
No Mere British Resources.
1t was said above that England,
Wales and Scotland has sent to the
war about six million out of the seven
million men and BOYS, between Is and
60. in those countries when war broh,
out. Without divulging military IN
formation. it is possible to indicate
very clearly the plight this country
finds herself in now that leads to
these plans for arminG subject races
to carry on the war.
According to the 1911 census, there
we're approximately 10000 men in
England and Scotland between is and
Al Of military age, and the general
staff has estimated that 100000 boys
reach the age of Is early. Adding
four continSents of youths to the 1911
figures it appears that the total avail
able reservoir of soldiers during the
war has contained 100000 men.
Before the conscription law was en-
acted, at the close Of Lord Derby's
canvass which was the final effort to
keep the armies full by voluntary
service, the king announced that
100000 men had joined the colors.
This figure included both the army
and navy and also the 100000 soldiers
in the service of the empire when wal
broke out. How many more men have
been obtained since do not know, but
the boys of ls have ben called out,
hundreds of thousands of men who
obtained temporary exemption from
the recruiting tribunals have been
compelled 10 Join the service, and ii
is conservative to estimate that dur
ing the past year !. 100000 additional
men have been obtained under con
scription. making in the neighborhood
of 5000 600 soldiers and sailors alto
gether to this da;e.
If this figure be accepted, il follows.
from the 1871 census figures lust
quoted, that there are only 1.4000 600
men Of military age now left In these
islands not in uniform. t Is not poo
sble accepting the kings statement
in 1915 as correct, that this calcula-
| tion should err by more than few
hundred thousand men. And very
: large percentage of this number must
| be made up of the unfit who have
been rejected for field service.
Carrying on War Labor.
Important Tenforcements for the
armies now in the field cannot, there
| fore, come from England, Scotland OF
| Wales for the men do not exist. II
| is not conceivable that munition work,
not to mention other forms OF Of hard
labor, can be carried out without the
presence of some fit men Of military
age to do the hardest part Of the man.
ual labor.
When attention is turned to the
labor and munitions situation. en-
tirely apart from the continuous de-
mands OF the army, 1t seems that here
too an agitation may soon begin to
| import orentals or Africans to dc
| ,,,Ilo tharn lpnuaY