Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1858-10-30

great power among the civilized and ciyiliZing
nations of the earth, is well deserving of inqui-
ry. 1t is an inquiry however, into which we do
not propose to enter at present.
We would prefer to go little farther back
and point out as a remote cause and as an In
stance of insincerity in politics dangerous to
popular institutions, one of the first steps that
was taken by the government at the close of the
Mexican war. This step was to reduce the ar
my at once to its old limits before the war, q
measure which implied that no violence had
been done to the pacific character of our policy
and our democratic institutions by engaging in
a foreign war; that the standing army, so dan
gerous to civil liberty, had not thereby been in
creased, and that no necessity for its increase
had been incurred-whereas, it was well known
that necessity for an increase had been incur
red, and that several of the new regiments ought
to have been retained in service, for the purpose
of taking possession of and preserving some
order in the newly acquired territory.
We still maintain that if only one full and
well disciplined regiment had been detailed at
the close of the war for establishing posts along
the Platte and across the mountains to the Pa
cifc, travelling would not only have been Sc
cure, but railroad route would have been in
itiated and well prepared for its opening, and
Mormonism, in the present aspect which it has
assumed in Salt Lake Valley, would have been
an impossible thing. The rifle regiment that
was sent to its original destination in Oregon
and where it might have accomplished much
towards the prevention of the nhumanity that
has been practiced upon the Indians in that
quarter and thus prevented ruinous warfare,
was recalled to preserve order in Texas. As
the example which had been set by our govern
ment in aggression upon Mexico was leading
our citizens to continue those aggressions, our
own people had to be watched as well as the
Indians, and thus Texas alone soon absorbed
large part of the numerical strength of our old
army giving most emphatic though costly
reproof of the insincere and demagogic poll
cy which had led to the reduction of the new
army, and as final link in the chain of that
policy we may adduce this army of Utah and its
extraordinary expenditures = all of which
might have been spared by the timely use of one
full and well drilled regiment
With regard to profuse expenditures we may
go back little farther stll--to the period, as
we remember of 1928 and 1929.
1t will be recolected by those of us who were
upon the scene at that day, that the most unu-
sual means were taken to injure the adminstra-
ton of Mr.. Adams and among other unprn-
cipled acts, was the misrepresentation of his ex-
penditures, especially in a pretended sumptuous
Punishment and ornamentation Of the White
House an idea well calculated to ruin him in
the minds of a virtuous and economical people.
The well known facts of the case WERE that
some of the chairs in the East Room were brok-
en- legged and the whole establishment was too
shabbily furnished to be even decently respecta-
BILE.
And now comes another instance of candid
and sincere dealing with an honest, intelligent,
selt-goycrning people. When General Jackson
became elected he seemed to think that it was
proper to sustain the jealous efforts of his friends
in his behalf and accordingly, in his very first
inaugural address, spoke with a becoming aver
sion to prohigate expenditures, as follows-vz:
"Under erery aspect IN tchich IL can be consider
ed, it must appear that adoantage ,oould result
from the observance Of strict and .fdithfM
economy, This I shall ain, ut The more anrious-
ty both because Il ,cW fdciiitate the erGngnish-
ment Of the national debt-the unnecessary dur
alton Of 'ohich is incompatible rih real indepen-
dence and because IL ,cW counteract that ten
dency to pmblic and prirate profigocy tchich a
profuse expenditure Of money by the gopernmem
is bm too apt to engender."
The fact is that General Jackson who here
speaks with such pious and becoming horror
of prohigacy, was himself the first link-the
first stumbling step that was imposed upon our
National policy BY an imperious, overruling ne
cessity. 1t was the first deep ground swell
the first insane surging of notification, states
rights, ETC., that pointed out domineering mi
lnia General, of peculiar local influence, as a fit
instrument in the minds of the people for man
aging the ship of state in the threatened storm.
1t was then that law, order, custom, regularity
every thing valuable in fine to republican gov
ernment, was made to yield to the hasty, pas
sionate, self-willed expedients that were adopted
while breasting the violence of the gale. And
let us be thankful, perhaps, if we now witness
the last beatings of that gale-the foam and
the breakers here dashing themselves out against
the blanks of the Rocky Mountains. 1t is time,
at all events, that we should begin to look
around more calmly and dspassionately for the
laying of some course in accordance with de-
liberate and dignified national policy. Itis time
to make some efforts to recover from the effects
of the storm and repair damages.
In the meantime the army of Utah appear to
be rendering itself usefuf in taking possession
of the country and opening it up for future use
"a work which might have been left to emf
grants and their civil officers had the once
healthy state of our body polite been preserved.
The route from the Missouri to the Pacific is
now dotted with the following posts, viz Forts
Leavenworth, Kearney, Laramie, and Bridger,
the station in Salt Lake Valley, and Temporal
ry command (Which however will become per-
manent) on the Humboldt River several hun
dred miles west of us i'm all averaging about
one post to every three hundred miles, though
they are not thus proportionally distributed
Besides these posts there has been one estab-
lished recently between Forts Laramie and
Bridger, and another and very important one
has been ordered to be established at CHEYENNE
pass. Others will follow in course of time
and twill not be long, perhaps, before the trans
atlantic telegraph will be continued on to the
shores of the Pacific. In the meantime, how
ever, there is vast extent of desert country,
known as the Great Basin, which has not yet
ever been explored. 1t lies slumbering in prfm-
eval repose. There is a talk of beautiful oases
in it-of the "Valley of Rubes," and also of
the "Valley of Thousand Springs" which
springs, flowing together into large crystalline
lake, give charming refuge to thousands of
geese, swans and ducks.
Nothing new has occurred since we last wrote
except movement of the army to its new can
tonment and sudden change in the weather.
The position to be occupied by the army this
coming winter is ten miles due south from camp
Floyd and forty or fifty miles from Salt Lake
City. 1t is some eight or ten miles west of
Lake Utah and is in one of the most drear and
desolate looking regions of wild sage that has