Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-11

e" HE United States should
demand IA It's right. the right
= OF civilization. that mill
lions OF mon OF savage races shan
not be trained TO take part In pos
sihle wars OF civilized nations. IL
civilization wants to destroy itself II
can do it without barbarian help"
General Taskcr II. Bliss.
One OF the most vital problems
connected with tho limitation or
armament, as IL affects civilization,
has attracted. since thu Peace Con-
ference. almost no attention. This
concerns the right of tho great ma
tlons of the world, which have In
tutelage tho weaker races OF Africa
and Asia. 10 arm these natives and |
use them as soldiers in fighting their |
own wars. There were those at |
Paris who we're profoundly con-
carncd over the growth of this ugly |
practice: who saw In the use, in the !
great war OF hundreds OF thousands |
ur Chinese. Siamesc, Senegalese. |
Arabs. and Sikhs. a profound men |
ace 10 future civilization. EaSr and
cheap transportation from all parts
OF the earth had made II possible to
employ these troops, under the COM
mand OF white o0cers. as never be-
forc. What was to prevent the
spread OF this practice? And now
that natives had been trained and
disciplined in military matters what
was 90 prevent their turning this
knowledge against their white
neighhors? Tho use by Ne French
OF colored troops in Germany after
tho war closed--which the Germans
resented as the "black horror on the
Rhine"-caused great bitterness OF
feeling.
Leaders who. like General Smuts
OF South Africa, knew most about
the danger. were most concerned.
He had had actual experience with
what IL might mean in the struggle
20 overcome the Germans in East
Africa.
The native Askari soldiers. well
NA&ned and disciplined under white
German of,icers. proved very
formidable and effective force
Part Of the German. War Scheme.
IL was ono OF the accepted ideas
that great native armies could be
built up IN German Africa which
could be used not only in African
wars. but for hghting for German
causes elsewhere in the world. Herr
zimmerman anticipated that in fifty
years the German colonial empire
would have a population Of so. .eoo. 600
blacks and 5000 whites, and that.
q properly trained. an army OF
l,ovo,ooo natives could be mobipzed
az any time. The control OF the
seAA by the British feet during the
Great War prevented the use OF
such troops by Germany except in
Africa itself. but tho French, who
had long had form OF compulsory
military service. in certain parts OF
her colonial empire. did use such
troops largely on or behind the bat
tie lines in Europe. and so did the
British. Up 10 July i, 1918. the
French alone had employed in the
Great War nearly 100000 colored
troops.
In the African colonies taken from
Germany there was a population o.
nearly la.oco.o0o natives. Gould
anything be done to prevent these
natives from being armed by tbs
nations who were TO hold them a.
mandator1es? Could any new prece
dent be set for dealing with thi.
whole dangerous problem?
Certain OF the leaders at Paris
American and British. had positiv,
Views upon the subject and wer'
determined 20 Get up new policie
and prohibitions. The history o
the origin and development OF the!
program Is OF profound interest ant
importance: for 81 reveals thA diff
nculties which hedge about any IN
terference with the present system
President Wilson had set fort
clearly two principles both OF whicl
applied to the practice:
First, armament OF all States ''wil
be reduced to the lowest point con
sn'ent with domestic safety" (Poin
~ OF the Fourteen. That is. troop
wore 20 be raised merely TO main
tain internal order.
Second. the powers which were (
have mandatory rights over thes
undsveloped people were to act a
trustees for them and not TO benef
from their trusts. IL troops were
be raised in colonies they were I
be used for the benefit and protec
tio1 of the people OF the colonie
and not for the benefit OF the pows
that held the mandatory. This I
regarded as a fundamental Amer
can principle.
General SHUTS took a decided pc
sition before the Peace ConferenS
met In his plan for a League
Nations issued in December, 191
he sets forth his idea OF the use I
native troops:
That the mandatory state
shall form no military forces be.
yond the standard laid down b,
the League for purposes Of In
tsrnal police.
omuts' Ideas Adopted.
II Is well known that Preside,
Wilson read and was greatly In
pressed b. General Shuts plan 4
a League Of Nations and added
his original draft of tho Covenant
number Of supplementary articles.
which b. incorporated some Of &c
eral omutT ideas; and this arnol
them: but he ade q very importa
extension OF the principle. IND
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