Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1866-10-13
SPEECH
of Hon. W. R. Shannon, Of johnson
County, on the Frontier Protection
Question:

/ vi Hon. W, II. onhnuOni VI JoHhaou
County, on the Frontier Protection
Question:
SENAsE CHAMBER, Sept, 18th, 1866
Senate being in Committee OF the
whole to consider the subject oi
frontier defence, Senator Shannon
/ said: Mr.. Chairman, since the be-
ginning of the discussion of this, Ia
me, and to my constituents, most
interesting subject, in tho Senate
and in Committee, | have spoken q
good deal, and it was not my pur'
pose to have said any thing more
| 1t was not my design to have tres
passed more upon the time of the
committee, or the patience of Sena-
tors. 1t was my wish ir,that Sem
ators of greater powers than ! pre-
tend to claim, should conduct this
discussion to its conclusion, but the
ingenuity, and i'll may be permitted
to say, the unfairness developed by
Senators opposed to giving protcc'
ton to the frontier in their discus
sion of the relative merits ofthe two
propositions (Thc House bill as
amended by the select committee OF
the Senate, and the substitute offer
ed by the Senator from Cherokee }
now being considered by the com
mittee, is such that feel called up
on, once more to ask the indulgence
of Senators while |, in rs brief a
manner as |, can, compare some OF
the most important features of the
two opposing propositions, and call
the attention of Senators to the un-
fairness ofsomc of the arguments OF
the opposition.
The House bill, sir, which passed
that body by an almost unanimous
vote, and for which the Senator
from Cherokee proposes this, may
say at least, remarkable substitute,
provides for the organization of fif-
teen companies ofrangers, requiring
them to furnish themselves with
horses, arms, accoutrcments and
clothes, and proposes to provide
them with ammunition and supplies
and pay them at the rate Of thirty
dollars per month in currency.
To these features, the friends OF
the substitute, or in other words, /
might say, with reference to some
of them at least, the opponents Of
frontier defence, object first: That
fifteen hundred men are more than
are-necessary to afford the protec-
ton required, and, secondly: That
thirty dollars per month, is more
than the State ought to be required
to pay under the circumstances.
They propose to reduce the number
of men from fifteen hundred to one
thousand, and the pay from thirty
to twenty dollars (in carrencq) per
month.
Permit me to call the attention OF
the committee first, to the first OBJ
lection raised by the opposition,
that is to the number of men. Are
fifteen hundred men, more than are
necessary to give anything like etfi-
cient protection to The frontier?
To arrive at q correct conclusion
upon this subject, we must consider,
not only the extent of the border
we propose to defend, but the char
acter of the foe against whom this
defence is asked. Our border sir,
reaches from Red River, extending
along an irregular line Of frontier
settlements to the Rio Grande, a
distance of about seven hundred
mis-, tlA.nl1DaAQf Of which is at this
time q vt defence, and
Now . history ofthat
"border W5l, Tor the last few years
conclusive that the toe are disposed,
to the very extent of their capacity,
to take advantage of its unprotected
condition? What is that history9
Six years ago, before "the war, J"
when there were garrisons of Fed
-eral troops, stationed at intervals
along the entire frontier, when the
Indians were only armed with bows
and arrows, and before they had
become associated with bad white
men, whose evil passions had be-
come developed during the. contin-
-uance ofthe unfortunate war through
which we have just passed, the
Legislature found it necessary to,
organize State. troops to protect
the lives and property of our citi1
zens, the Federal troops led too,
by such distinguished officers as
Van Dorm and Hood, not being able
to give the protection which human
ity itself demanded.
"The war; began, The Federal
troops were withdrawn, hey ,were
replaced with Confederate and State
troops, who, during the continuance
f"the war" offered as good protec-
ton to the people as could have
been expected under the cireum-
stances. When "the war" ended
with the triumph of the Federal
arms, the Confederate and State
troops, were disbanded and the
frontier abandoned to the merciless
attacks of an hereditary Y f6esproyir
ded with the most Improved fire.
arms and lead on by daring despe.
radoes, deserters from the Federal
and Confederate ranks 81,
Since the disbandipg of the Con
federate States troops, the history
of that border has been the history
of a series, continued and unbroken,
of robbery, violence and murder, Of
outrages too horrible to contemplate,
and even now s'r, while we are here
collaborating in cold debate" upon
the question of how much money
we can afford to appropriate for the
projection of the lives and property
20 .,r,- r,aor,la while Senators are ex-