France justified colonial judicial control in 1903 through civilization, economics, and state power

Evidence

In 1903, the Government General declared that it was France’s duty as civilizer to guarantee the rule of law and to institute a fair and humane system of justice throughout West Africa. Once again, political and economic considerations made such judicial control imperative. In order to endure, the colonial state had to be able to wield ultimate power to settle disputes, and to punish perceived deviant patterns of behavior-particularly crimes. Economic development also required a uniform set of laws to protect the interests of European merchants, regulate commercial relations between Africans and Europeans, and facilitate the mise en valeur of the territory’s resources. Yet humanitarian considerations also intervened to determine the form of the new system. The new courts, Dakar stated at the outset, would respect custom insofar as it did not conflict with the principles of civilization. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 295