, 1866-12-18
COST OF INDIAN WARS.

The way money WIS squandercd in 1854 aud
1st5 in the so.callcd indian Wars on the
PLAINS was..shamcENl and shocking. It seems
nbeolutcly impossible thnt ouder the rrcic1t
Of guarding tmlgrant trains, mall routes and
telegraph lines asainst The raids Of few
hundred savages, chiefly armed with bows
ard arrcEe, that twenty-five millions could
be squandcfcd In 1SA and 1ity-six millions
Of dollars in 1865. But d srcclal despatch
from Washington furnishes the following In.
credible figures, as giving the sums at'stract-
ed from tho treasury by contractors, cosmo-
rants and swindlers
During 1S6I.
EuaIlerinastet's Departmental. :. : a.11as13
Subsistence Department. 1a,sli2.i
1ay ol hooPs''.s - '-.~.---..-.'.'''' asNAe
Tots, 10. 1864. ....--... s., ,l5.. .sso
Dining 3SlS
cuartc1 q aste1s Department -. -. FL, a,efa Sc
S1bsisfrhce department 40. S5.3:S,SI0
Icy u doop4 .....-:-......-....... 1lS~al:
Totsl for ls65...... ....-.......... $5se74,a14
Total lor both ycArs. 80. &Sl1 l1Gss5lA
The comparatively small Number Of troops
employed Is shown by the pay for the. same
II reminds one Of Falstall's pcnny's worth Of
bread aud intole1ablc deal Of sack. For each
dollar raid to the troors, df1y dollars went
into The pockets Of contractors and epctula-
tors who cnycloped them thick a. 1ocks Of
buzzards over a carcass, and with equally
patriotic and ursel1sh objects in view. The
war with the Indians WAS conducted
mainly by heavy infantry against
foe mounted On swift, tough ponies, The
Indtnu bands could move sIxty to eighty
miles dnv, and the blue coats on foot
pursued ten miles. OF course, the latter
easily cornered and captured the for1ncr1 The
whole number OF braves" slain By the
troops during the two years which The war,
lasted, not including the Chivinytou mas.
sacre Of friendly Indians, squaws and pap
pooses, amounted to eighty. The Gust Of
killing each brnve was. therefore, q million
and some odd hcnsosds Of dollars per head.
A large number OF Indians were shot by tho
Colore ado miners, and By emigsant parties
~ho were travelling across the Plains, but
no charges against the Government were
nade for Killing them. The United States
troops specially employed for tho purpose
Of killing Indiana, In two years' fighting,
actually slaughtered eighty redskins, st 4
| cost to the National Trca sury ofonly eighty
one million, five hundred thousand dollars,
which now constitutes a portion Of the
National Debt, and draws In currency
seven millions year Of interest cut Of The
1 pockets Of the tax payers
What WAS needed was Cyiue column o.
active, hardy mcn7 recruited In Colorado and
Nebraska, mounted on tough, feet horses
and armed with long rausc, repeating rides
which can hit an Indian or Lis pony at bal
| milo distance. A force Of this kind, act
Ing in squaarons and hattalions, but acting
under good plan Of operations, and able II
ecotr the plain like apte'opes, consisting o
two OF three regiments, and led By enter
| pristng officers, would have swept the In
dams away from tho Plattc Valley and noun
tain passes, INSURED the safety Of the etui
grants, tho mails and the telegraph lines
closed thc var in half tho time II lasted, IN
Aictcd ten times rs much loss on the savage
rs they Sustained, and at an c1pcus
Of one-tenth Of The cost inflicted on tt
Treasury hy the mode adopted Of e,npfoyin
heavy Infantry, recruited from rebel prisor
crs. proyisioned IRON OK trains, aud maj
shalled By contractors and spceulators VII
made war On The Treasury and not Oh tn
Indians. The money Thus worse tks
uasted in Intellectual hostilities With band
Of savaees, waa enough to build the Natiors
| Railway from O1naha TO Salt Lake and stoc
It with On ample equipment OF cars and e1
zines. The rarenous scoundrels who robbie
The Government Of tens Of millions, for
year past, have been concoctlng and incitiu
. Indian out.ages, and trying every posssb'
mode Of getting up enother Indian war, Il
| the purpose of making fczociouS knd unal