Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-11-02
Gen. Wool and the Harper's Ferry Disturbance.


We are permitted to publish the following
extract from letter of Major General Wool,
commanding the Eastern Division of the U.
> Army, to a gentleman Of this city. 1t is
observed in the letter that, under MIR. Cal
houn's administration of the War Depart
ment, Armories were placed under military
officers. This was caused by General WooPs
inspections of Armories when he was In
spector General He found the Armories in
all respects badly managed, and so reported
to Mr.. Calhoun. The result was military
instead Of civil superintendents-a wise
regulation, which has been changed again,
however, within few years past.-Rich-
mnnd Di<potch.
The occurrences at lIarper's Ferry show
the folly of leaving Armories without mill
duced Brown to establish himself in the
neighborhood Of IIarpers Ferry. 1t is little
else than an invitation 10 violators of law
and order, to supply themselves with United
States arms, and with these TO execute their
diabolical purposes. Ii Brown had prevail
ed on six or seven hundred slaves to join him
Us was first reported, being in possession of
the armory, he could have armed them. In
such "A case, the consequences might have
been fearful indeed. Temptations should
not be held out to those who would excite
the slaves 10 Instruction.
Under Mr. Calhoun's administration OF the
War Department, Armories, as well as Ar
senals, were placed under the superlnten.
dence of military officers. They are military
establishments, and should be under the con-
troll Of military men, with guard to protect
and defend them This ought 10 be more
especially the case with all such establish
ments in the Southern States, and, if for no
other purpose, to guard against attempts like
Browns, lest they should happen in locali-
ties where the results might be much more
disastrous than at Ilarper's Ferry.
THE cost Of the Armories and Arsenals,
including arms and other munitions of war
stored in them. amount TO many millions
This, above all other property should be
guarded and protected against Instructions
or tlibusters. whether established in the
North or South. In no country Is public
property So little regarded, or 50 little cared
for as in the United States. We have erect
ed from Maine to Texas, Notifications. ar
mories and arsenals, at enormous expense,
tect them even from the common lncendlary.
Each of these establishments contains a large
amount in arms and munitions of war, from
which the vile and vicious could at any time
supply themselves with the means Of executing
their nefarious intentions, and thus il has
been for many years. This ought to be cor
rected or guarded against. A marauder of the
ocean might lay many of our cities and towns,
although Qualifications have been erected for
their defence, under contribution, without
the fear of capture or resistance"
The Cost or AN INDIAN iuNT.-Among
the claims that have been pressed upon Con-
gress for the last two or three years, and
that will be pressed at the next session, is
one for what is called the Oregon and Wash
ington war debt. Many Of our readers may
not be familiar with the mode of getting up
these Indian wars; and yet it is u regular
system in the distant Territories. Some act
Of theft or murder, perpetrated by, or impu-
ted to, an Indian, is made tho pretext for
getting up an Indian hunt, whenever the or
binary occupations of the settlers fail them,
and they want either excitement or haul
on the Treasury. Volunteers are enrolled;
they sally out in pursuit Of some unfortunate
band Of Indians. probably have fight, and
then the hostilities are exaggerated into war.
When the regular government troops get to
the ground, they usually find that there is
nothing To do, that il was all cry and lit
tie wool, and that for them Pu-ku-mux-mux,
or whatever other barbarous name the head
man of the Indians bore, had made a treaty
of peace, smoked the calumet, aud buried the
Ratchet
But that is only one phase Of the war. The
next phase it assumes is in the shape OF
tremendous attack upon the treasury. In
other words, the whole people of the United
States are called upon to pay the expenses
of this Indian hunt, enjoyed by only n few.
As the object is t. get all that can be got
from the general government, every one is
allowed to put up his bill at the highest
figure: and consequently the aggregate claim
is rather startling.
We see BY recent report from the Third
Auditor of the Treasury. that the Oregon
war hunt of 1906 is set down as having
cost something like five millions of dollars,
and the Washington Territory branch of the
same, nj between two and three millions, al
though the highest number OF men enrolled
ut any one time, in the former Territory, was
but :, l2i The reports do not show how many
men were in actual service ut any one time,
for how long period the service continued,
or how many fell in the war on either side.
Ii is clear however, that the hunt was
rather an expensive one; that as the French ,
say the game was not worth the candle, and |
that it is rather y cool proceeding on the part
of our friends in the Northwestern Terrific
res, to ask so many millions of dollars for
killing a few Indians The matter will have
to be disposed Of by the next Congress, and
we only wish that the bill could be compro-
missed at a million of dollars, and that would |
probably be double rs much as the thing
cost.-N. T. HrdH.
The TIGERS or SiNG,poRE.-The late
number Of the Complies Rcndus Of the sit
tings OF the French Academy, contains Gu
rous communication from W. De Castenau,
French Consul at Siam, with respect to the
abundance Of tigers in the island Of Singa-
pore. He says