Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1866-01-19
The Military System.

Bills are in preparation by Congress TO
proyide for the maintenance OF regular
army of from $4,000 to 5000 men. We
see circumstances in some papers against
such an expense as an army OF that sue
would bring upon the National Treasury.
The directors say that few squads OF men
IN the principal forts, just enough to keep
them from being buried up in dirt or from
being pillaged and destroyed by the idle and
misehieyous, are all that Is necessary w hat
likelihood Is there. it is said, that VIC shaA
10 subicc,ed to an other rebellion, alter the
,x,erieree Of the last, or that any foreign
nation will make war upon q nation when
has shown such power to extemporize stu
rendous armies as We have, and why then
waste 90 much money?
We differ entirely from these opjee'ors'
We believe that the largest number mention
ed above, is not too large for the army when
tho limited States Government ought TO
maintain, both to preserve the pubic peace
throughout so vast country as ours Is ana
TO secure the steady respect Of our own PEG
ple and of foreign nations. OF course we do
not need to maintain any such proportion
atcly great military force as European
nations DO, for the simple reason tha' We
have no adjacent nation Of great power as
each one of the European powers has, from
which it knows from all past experience
that peril to itself may come at any time' Il
it has not on hand great means OF seli de-
fence. There, too, vast multitude OF the
people look upon their own government dc
their enemy. But from the earliest ages oil
authentic history, no important nation mas
been known that did not ind Itsei'
Obliged to keep strong military force ready
for action for its protection and the mantle
nance Of general order. There l. nothing
in the character of our institutions or IN
our situation to exempt Us from similar
necessity.
II was too common belief among
our people q few years ago that there
ned not he any more war, and therefore
there ,r5uld he no more war for US 80 our
regular army was Whitfield down to almost
notbipr-what little Of it there was being
SO far out Of all government reach that II
fell an easy prey to the treason OF lis oihceiS
in command. As for militia-there was
none at all, under national organization
and in all the loyal States what there was
under State organizations was as near being
name n ali save A few regiments in two or
three States. as it conld be. Forty or hity
wears ago the State Militia system amounted
10 a good deal but from the false notions
which came into vogue j: was attacked upon
all hands as needless and ridiculous; and
who can calculate the fearful price which
the nation has had to pay in consequence OF
these neglcctsi
But only think, says one another, oil the
waste of time and money in maintaining so
large regular army and from supporting
militia system? Just as reasonably one
NAV say, what a waste Of time and money
to maintain courts Of justice over all the
land. at vast expense when not one man IN
five hundred ever has occasion to 60 near
one and in short, to maintain all the orga-
nization of civilized society. The truth Is
to secure Justice, freedom ard prosperity
within our own borders, to keep in awe evil
minded men at home and abroad. all this or
ganrzation, civil and military, must be kept
up on reasonable and proper scale; and
the expenditure for it is no loss, but neccs-
sarv means of securing the desired end.
We are glad to see that attention Is to be
given IN Congress to the establishment Of
ma tional militia system. Experience has
shown that the State Legislatures Will do
nothing uniformly or persistently on tins
subject The conduct Of our own State L.
gisiature is n sufficient illustration on this
point. Congress must do the work If II Is
done at all as it should be. \ national mi
htia systcm which should bring under 1t all
able bodied men between certain ages, with
out any distinctions Of race or color, would
be a powerful means Of securing order and
equal rights throughout all our borders and
of strens thoning our nationality at home and
abroad.