The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-12-06

retrench every unnecessary expense. | will
merate some Of the measures adopted for this pur-
pose.
The number of enlisted men in the Ordnance
department., prior to the late war, amounted To 300
men; ut during the war it was increased to 5SI
men. BY an order of the department they were
reduced TO their original number.
! Prior To the late war there were only four light
artillery companies. After the war broke out four
more OF the artillery companies were converted IN
TO light artillery, making in all eight companleF
This description of troops, although extremely ef
ective in a regular war, utterly useless In the
kind Of service in which the army 10 now employ
cd. The Department did not hesitate, therefore, to
direct that six of these companies should be dis
mounted. Of this number four will continue dis
mounted, unless Congress should otherwise direct;
but, as il is deemed important to preserve portion
of this description Of force, the two remaining com
panes will be remounted as soon as the Depart
| ment is provided with the means of doing so This
will make in all four companies, or one to each OF
the regiments of artillery, which aeems to have
been contemplated by the act of 1921.
number of persons from civil life are employ
cd in the service in various capacities, such as
| clerks, sc. An order was issued whereby their
number has been greatly reduced, and their du.
tes required to be performed by officers and sol
dicrs
An order was issued last spring that at all the
permanent posts the frontier where II was prac-
tcabe farms should be established, TO be cultivated
by the troops. Sufficient time has not yet elapsed
to ascertain the result of the experiment. Ii 1t
should prove successful il will not only effect
considerable reduction Of expense in the Quarter
masters and Commissarys departments, but will
greatly promote the health and comfort of the
troopa
Besides these measures, various others, which it
is needless to enumerate, have been adopted with
view TO promote economy, and to insure fidelity
and attention on the part of disbursing officers.
The fact is not to be disgu ised that great laxity
of expense, and disregard Of the regulations
looking to economy, had become somewhat preva-
lent in the army. The Department has cxerted it
self TO remedy this evil and is gratiied to say that
in all its efforts for this purpose 1t has received the
aid and jealous cooperation of the superior Off
GERS. The effect of the il has adopted for
this purpose Is already discernble in consider
able reduction of the expenditures; and have the
satisfaction to announce that the estimates of the
Department for the next fiscal year consider
ably below the expenditures of the present and pre-
ceding years.
The expenditures for the support of the army for
the fiscal year ending 3Oth of June
The estimates for the next year are 7,S9S,775 SO
Showing reduction OF ........... Sligo, 492 rs
There other measures of economy
which the Department would have carried out had
the aid of legislation not been necessary to enable
it TO do So
A number Of arsenals have, from time to time,
been established at points where they were then
needed, but where, in consequence of the extern
sion of our frontier and the vastly Increased laci.
litics of transportation, they entirely use
less AS ii Ia doubtful whether it be competent for
the Executive to abolish these establishments it is
tnal THIS authority De vested In II by
In my last report 1 recommended that the De-
partment should be authorized to enlist men spe-
cialy as teamsters, and stated at length my rca-
sons for this recommendation. Further expert
ence confirms me in the opinion that this mode OF
obtaining the aid of this indispensable class of per-
! sons (of whom five hundred six hundred are
constantly employed by the Quarernaster's de-
parment) is far preferable to the plan now resored
to OF employing them sometimes at enormous
wages. IL has been suggested, however, that, in :
stead OF enllsting men specially as eamsters, it
would be better to increase the number of prvates
IN each company on the frontier to one hundred,
and to authorize the allowance of higher rate OF
pay to such of them as should be detailed team
sters. This arrangement would enable the officer
in command to use them either teamsers as
soldiers, as circumstances might require.
The removal of the distractions TO the nayiga-
ton OF Red river and OF the Rio Grande would
greatly reduce the expense of supplying many of
the posts in Texas and New Mexico by diminish
ing the amount OF land transportation. have lit
tie doubt that the amount that the Government
would save by means OF this improvement, in two
or three years, would dcrny the cost of the work.
But whatever efforts may be made, either by
Congress by the Department. to curtail the ex-
pendtures of the army, they must continue to be
enormous so long as it ID necessary that large a
portion Of it should be stationed the frontier.
The history of the world affords instance of an
army being permanently stationed at so great a
distance from the main source gifts supplies 1t is
evident, therefore, that Congress should resort to
every means to diminish the necessity of regular
troops for the defence of the frontiers. Permit me
to offer few suggestions this point, though,
they do not Immediately relate to the operations
this Department
In the first place, would suggest that every ia
cility and encouragement should be afforded TO the
formation of local militia in which our new pos
sessions like all the Mexican States, are very de-
i fcient. As the first step towards the accomplish
Inent of this object, would recommend that the
" Executive be authorized to distribute arms among
the inhabitants. am fully persuaded that the ad
vantages that would result from the adoption OF
this measure, in familarizng the people with the
+. use OF arms, in inspiring them with confidence,
= and encouraging the formation of militia compa-
MES, would more than compensate for the trifling
q expense that would attend it. The very fact that
. | the inhabitants known TO be armed would
tend to intimidate the Indians. The distribution
should of course be made with such precautions as
Il would prevent their being sold converted to an
: improper use.
The quantity of arms to which the new States
> and Territories are respectively entitled under the
act of 1908 is small to be of no practical ad
" vantage, and, as they have not participated in the
!, issues heretofore made it would seem to be but
Just that they should now receive more than their
: distributive share. At all events, they might be
permitted to receive their quota for several years
= in advance. As the arms are lying idle in the de.
pots, no loss to the Government would result from
= this course, and they will probably be never more
= needed than they are at present.
~ In the next place, policy and humanity both re
~ quirc that we should employ some other means OF
= putting stop to these depredaons than the terror
. of We should try the effect of concili.
II atory measures. There is no doubt that the In
= dams are frequently impeed to commit deprcda-
y tons by despair and hunger. As the white popu,
. lation has advanced upon them, they have been
} compelled to recede before it. The lands that
. afford nourishment to cattle and game are also
. those the best adapted to cultivation, and conse-
gently the first to tempt the setter that the In
. dams are compelled 20 take refuge in arid plains
and mountains that afford little sustensnco to ami
NAL life; and even there the circle of white popu.
lation seems rapidly closing around them. This
e is particularly the case in Texas. The United
States, as the owners OF the public domain hay
I always acted on the principle that the aboriginal
race bad at least right of occupancy in the soil
and when ii was needed for settlement this right
: has been exiinguished by voluntary sale. Texas,
: on the contrary, as the owner of all the vacant
lands within her limits, acknowledges il is said
no such right; and she has from time TO time taken
possession of the territory occupied by the Indians
= laid it off into counties and proceeded TO survey
and sell it. Nothing could be more calculated 10
: alarm and exasperate the Indians and to bring
: about collisions between them and the white set
: tiers than the adoption Of this policy That such
haze been and must continue to be its consequence
: there can be no doubt II would seem, therefore,