The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-03-24
Our Present ATmy-A Call for Immediate
Reduction.

Fro the Times
We suppose the people of the country in gene
raj we're considerably astonished on learning by
the statement Just communicated to Congress by
the Secretary OF War that the,e are still in the
service and pay Of the United States over one
hundred and ffty thousand troops II is all but
year since Lee surrendered, and the work for
which our army was raised was finished. 1t was
almost Immediately thereupon that General
Grant began his famous labor of reducing the
military establishment which gave him as much
renown as his warlike achievements. We know
that from midsummer till the close of the year
the work was carried on vigorously, and the
tramp of returning veterans was perpetual all
over the Union.
When Congress met in December, Secretary
Stanton was able to announce that Of the mil
lion men in our service seven months before,
''oVCr eight hundred thousand had been nus
tered out If service" This showed the muster
inc out TO have been going on up to that time at
the rate Of considerably over one hundred
thousand per month. 1t appears, however, that
during the four months that have elapsed since
his report was written, the work of mastering
out has been very nearly stopped, for as there
were less than two hundred thousand on the
rolls on the 22d of November last, and there are
still 1852, GIL, there cannot have been over forty
thousand discharged since then or ten thousand
per month.
1t was impossible, of course, that the work of
reduction should have gone on for even another
month after tie Secretarys report was written,
as it had been done in the months precedino; be.
cause, in The hrst place, Of the comparatively
limited number Of troops left; and because, in
the second, there were no great concentrated
bodies then existing, which could be dismissed
en- nIdSSe. The troops were scattered over the
South, I ar and near, IN small detachments and
garTioOns. Many of these, from local or other
causes, could not at once be called in; and In
many other cases new distributions had to be
made of a variety of DOQlaS in a given locality
before any one could be withdrawn. But we
must say cons dcrng the many calls and
grounds tor urgency in the case, that we cannot
but think that much greater degree of activity
might have been displayed than appears by the
Secretary's statement has been.
We are sure that at least ten thousau per
month might without difficulty. have been paid,
mustered out, and transported home: and the
difference that even this would have made in
the expenses OF the Government and the taxa
tioD OF the peOplels one that no man, no R.a-days
at least, viii regard as inconsiderable. at one
time last year there was difficulty in the way of
obtaining sufficient transportation, and at
another there was an alleged difficulty In the
way of procuring the necessary money to pay
the men off. But there have been no lch diff
Culties during the last four months. The Gov
ernment has had superabundance of trans
portatOn at It's command, and the resources of
Secretary McCullOch have been hun lred-fold
ample Tor anv demands in the way OF the pay
meDt of troops.
We do not for a moment, however, hold Score
tary stanton in any way culpabie or responsible
for dilatorness or indisposition in the prosecu-
ton OF this matter. We know definitely what
his IDEAS are as to the desired strength of the
army. In his report he proposes its reduction
to fifty thousand troops. We know also his en-.
ereetlc force In the execution of his purposes
The Secretary has undoubtedly boon de.erring
to ascertain the action of Congress as to the
magnitude, composition, and character of our
permanent armv. There have been proposi-
tons before it for military establishment
almost as large as that which slll remains: and
wele some of the policies towards the South
that have been advocated put into legal and
practical shape, we certainly do not think il
would be safe to go on much further with the
reduction of the army. This matte of the per-
manent army we are to retain is one oil the very
first upon which CONGRESS should have taken
action. Every weeks delay means heavier bur.
dens for the already oyerbmdened people
means higher living, deeper poverty, and a
graver financial tuation.
EccIetery Stantonlin his last annual report
p,t down the military estimates Tor the current
6scal year. after careful revision, at something
ulCtr thirty -four millions Of dollars $33 sl4, ,46l)