Varying French interests opposed African conscription for political, economic, and administrative reasons.

Evidence

Colonial recruitment nevertheless had its detractors. Several members of the General Staff expressed reservations about the military value of African soldiers serving in Europe. As early as 1910 the Socialists, led by Jaures, opposed the creation of an African army, on the grounds that it could someday be used to repress the working class. The trading firms active in West Africa were particularly concerned that recruitment would deprive the rural economy of its manpower and jeopardize their profits. Further criticism came from the lower echelons of the colonial administration. The lieutenant governors and the commandants de cercle foresaw and denounced the disruption and hatred of the French that colonial recruitment would cause. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 499