New-York daily tribune., 1858-02-06
Shall We Increase the Standing Army'
vuEEmEN CAN PRESERVE THE
PEACE FOR THEMSELVES.
NO MERcENAaIEs FOR KANSAS.
vuar KIND OF soLDrERs WE WANT
NOW 70 KEEP ORDER AMONG THE HDlASs
A SPEECH

q A.. t.heu q very wide range moo ~nic" u" NV
a..,A % follow il. Some elements uhavoreoe 10
..,u Judgment and proper determination OF the qnes
"A. hsye been introduced on both sides by tne as
pstarts in this case desire 70 prng tne o9nD"e
i..t 10 my notion, ts effect snd consequences, asd
the reasons which suggested, rather than argued,
vhen originally made it.
propose TO strike out all Of the first sectisn OF this
mi, except the epsctng clause. the effect Of thst
VIII be TO prevent the addition Of thirty companies to
ths present military Establishment Of the United States
consisting of ninety-sx each making nearly three
tbousand men, leaving the military establishment,
this bill should then pass without furtheI auiehuent
twenty-five thousand men, II the OIL oe Pa9sou
amended az now propose, IL will fix above twenty
two thousand uen as the legal establishment VI the
,Bnited States. Not the peace esta6lishment, for,
under the peace estabhshmen many Of tue eOnpahics
are authorized to enlist only hfy-two men, and, under
the existing law many OF the companies are antno-
yised 10 carry their numbers to seventy-ouri put
under the bill your table, the President Is "utno
Eized IL the public necessities should require IL, 10
carry the number Of each company TO nlnety's1 uen'
The President, therefore, will have legal rgnt 70
bring into the field above twenty-five Thousand men
n this bill passes even with the amendment pro-
pose; and without that amendment, the bill carries
fbe Army Of the United States to between twenty-five
and twenty-six thousand men. That Is my motion,
and the immediate effect OF IL.
The reasons which offered for this motion to strike
out the first section when / proposed it, were based
purely on the fact that the existing military e-tabsh-
second section Of the BILL is at least large enough;
think il much too large. Two years ago opposed the
addition Of the four regiments | believe there has
been no session of Congress since have been Gen'
Der Of either House. at which the head OF the Army,
fhe Secretary of War; and the President ot the United
States, have not recommended an increase. whether
in peace in war, whether we are threatenei
with Indians with Mormons, or with British or any
other power on every occasion, every newspaper
Jumor with refereroe TO war is made the occasion Tor
asking an increase OF the Army. Up TO very few
years ago, and believe up TO the time of the Mexican
war, we had but 900 men on the military estab-
Gshment Of the United States 1t was adequate to an
vurposes for which army ought ever to be used.
am at issue with the chairman Of the committee
Or. Davis to the greater difficulty of defend.
bg the country than has existed from the ginning Of
HE Government until the present time. The great
power Of the Government, its greatly increased
physical power and its consequently Increased moral
power, the cviliziDg and the sueugatlon CT those
powerful tribes who occupied the country east of
The Mississippi have tended to remove the grounds OF
alarm that formerly existed.
The Cretks the Cherokees, and the Choctsws, of
the South have been removed beyond the Mississippi;
and the powerful bands of northwestern Indians who
once gave so much trouble, have been subugated |
and nearly destroyed and apnihiated. Those indians
at time almost defed the entire power Of the Re-
public, from 1890 to 1850. They are gone, and we |
have but few miserable, dejOinted, fragmentary
tribes on this and the other side of the Rocky Noun
tains, without single element of military strength.
A. the Secretary of War has said, they roaming
vagabonds, without culture without any means for
carrying on war except simply their bows and ar
tbey naked ana detensele56 ana give us no
other trouble than to catch them. There force
Of Indians on this continent, within the limits OF the
United States, capable of fighting two thousand Of
sodlers. There has not been an emoodime9t 1 o1
capable Of fighting two thousand Of our men.
II Senators will look into the history OF the tribes
west of the Rocky Mountains, they will hnd that 1t s
said many of these wars are made, ard they may DC
made for all know for the purpose of leading to the
expenditure Of public money. Ii shows hew ttie Tue
Indians are regarded by the community If 1t be true
have known similar charges wrongfully made ABOUT
other sections of the country and they may be wrong
fully made about these people west OF the ROCKY
Mountains in regard TO which we have greater dih-
Guilty in getting at the truth. But 1t absolutely GER
tan have stated that there is no prospect nor
there scarcely possibility thatMat least within any
brief space OF time before the militia of the country
the natural and legitimate and just defense OF the
people in all free G6vernments can be collected to-
eether-a force of Indians capable OF meeting two
thousand United States troops can be mustered any
whore on the North American continent
The proposition to make this addition to the Army
o. permanent peace establishment; and admit the
Chairman Of the Committee meets it frankly and
fany. He does not base this increase Of the Army
our present Mormon difficulties he does not even base
ON present supposed Indian difficulties; but he
puts 1t on the broad, naked principle that the Paonc
necessities require the enlargement of the military
service Of the Uuited States Upon that propose to
meet him. II is true we are appealed to by other
Senators who refer us to the condition Of couple Of
reg iments that, believe, we have in the mountains
between this and Utah. We are able TO bring 5000
men, such portion Of them as may be necessary to
their aid whenever they can be got there II is very
certain that great increase of the force in Utah
either necessary possible to be used 1t is not sup
posed believe, by the officers there, whose reports
and letters have looked into that 5000 could
be used there would be necessary TO be used if
had them there. i presume, If the President had
command Of 100 600 men, he would not place 5000 in
Utah. The cost OF maintaining them would be great
The whole difficulty with the enemy according to the
present opinions Of the military men of the Govern-
ment II seems to me, Is that we shall have to run
down the Mormons from the mountains when we get to
n 10 An abOut two ntS Qra witt Nm
$50 miles Of that place. II is ridiculous to suppose
that this man, Brigham Young is able to compete
With 5000 troops Of the United States. Then the
Army establishment, now proposed, will give you
R000 men more than were ever used before, for the
ordinary defence Of the Republic. II viii leave you
Ixooo men 70 take care Of the Indian frontier, and
Sase you 10 goo men to march against Brigham Young
n Utah. Is not that enough
leave ont Of account the reasons adroitly seized
upon by the Chairman Of the Committee on Military
had prevented side nom killing the other / be-
ttcve the honorable Senator from Michigan mr.
Caandlerl said his side would have slaughtered the
whole OF their opponentsi and my honorable colleague
kAr. Iverson said that without the army his peope
would have killed them all. l do not know how that
Il, ner do osre. l think the country would never
suffer much If both Of them -
Ar. ivnRsos-My colleague does not misrepresens
me Intentionally
Mr.. ToosBs-Certainly not.
Mr.. IvERsos-I said nothing ahout nv mamie lin
Mr.: Tooxss,i did no. assert it. The statement was
shas 'nsy wouo III the Aboluonsts in Kansas.
Mr.. NIRsoE-fes. did not say NV peonie but 7
thonght the Missouri people would have nut them
Scwn pretty snectualy. That is what meant.
Mr.. TooAs-l will not 20 into the cos,ro,,a,sv =,
IN The matter has not been tested. isove a.
question: bat brought II up to enter nv d.ssnt 70
usiDg the Army for any such purpose. win NOT y;e
amsn Of the Army Of the United States TO msin,;o
he civl peace Of this country. tell you the bi.,ora
Of forty centuries has demonstrated that order Oh
tanned by regular soldiers is despotsm and that peace
obtained by regular soldiers the cemetery of liberty
and will never give man for that purpose. viii