The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-13
Our Army in Time of Peace-SenatOr
Wilson's Bill.

From the Times.
The object of the maintenance of large stand
ing armies by the governments OF Europe is to
protect monarchs against each others amb
tions and against their own subjects. In this
fortunate country, the Government is neither in
peril from neighboring powers nor from its own
citizens. We have had one civil war, it is true,
in which large army was required; but that
war was altogether exceptional in it's origin and
nature. The existence OF a standing army would
not have prevented it, and it cannot be proposed
TO guard against future revolutions by the
maintenance OF great, permanent military
force. Not TO speak of its antae onism to the
theory of our Government, and the genius of our
institutions and people, it would be utterly frivo-
1ous in itself.
We require limited military organization in
the United States for but two purposes the first,
TO form an organized nucleus or trained and
skilled body for the forces OF the nation to rally
around il, in any case, the aggressions OF any
foreign power should compel us TO go to war;
and the second, to restrain the savages who exist
upon our frontiers and the plains of the West
AS for what is called the maintenance of public
order, that is attended TO by the public ITSELF
1t is true it is not impossible that the Govern
nent may have TO give some attention to this
for time in the Southern States. There may
arise difficulties between the two races there.
But even these would only be local, and would,
in any event, require but small military force
be prcposterous 10 maintain large standing
army in the South out OF tear OF such con-
tingency.
AS part OF our permanent system OF defense
against aggression, troops are required Tor the
garrisonlng of forts and guarding OF harbors
upon our Immense irontier-along the Atlantic
coast, from Passamaquoddy Bay to Key West
along the Gulf coast, from Fort Taylor 10 Browns
ville--along the Pacific seaboard-along the Rio
Grande and the Canadian line-along the Lakes
and our northernmost line. Yet, after all, no
great number OF men IL required for this great
work. An artillery company and a few infantry
soldiers are all that is necessary in most instances;
and the small size of our army before the war
attests how small a force is really requisite for
frontier defense.
In the Indian service, we believe our difficult
ties will be the less the fewer soldiers We have Tor
it-although it does not follow that to have no
soldiers is to have no dlihcultles. Bnt our eX-
perience has proved that Indian troubles (so-
caled) are most frequent while or where we
have the largest bodies OF troops posted in their
midst.
LAYING aside for the moment constitutional
and economical considerations altogether, we
are opposed to the retention of a large army
The Government itseit, and our leading military
men are opposed to 1t. Nothing gave more satls-
faction to the country. nothing tended more to
increase popular confidence in General Grant
than the prOmpiitude with which he set about
the reduction OF the army upon the close of the
war. And when the Secretary of War, in his
recent report, proposed the reduction OF our
military establishment to fifty thousand men, at
an annual expense OF less than tnlrty-tOur MIL
lions of dollars, it was generally agreed that the
force was ample for all purposes in a period of
peace. ..
AS Chairman of the Military Committee of the
Senate Mr.. Wilson has introduced bill for the
establishment of our army on peace basis. lit
provides that the military force of the United
States shall hereafter consist OF seven regiments
OF artillery, ten regiments of cavalry sixty regi-
ments of infantry, and such other forces as shall
be provided for by this act-which latter clause
has no great practical scope. The infantry regi-
ments are to consist of ten companies, each
company of iorty-eight prvates with power to
increase the latter to eighty-two, at the discre.
7ion of the President whenever the eXigencies
of the service require such increase. We need
not here enter into the other details of the bill
as 1t has been drawn up; but we believe that in
the main they are approved by the highest mill
tary authorities.
Bv this bin our infantry folce, officers an6
men will amount 10 nearly fifty thousand in
number and with the artillery and cavalry, We
shall have an army OF something like seventy
Ave thousand
We suppose that the estimste of fifty Thousand
made by the Secretary of War included no
alone the infantry. hut AL arms of the service
and all the forces that are included under the
term military establishment" II so, we a
once pronounce and the country will at oneI
pronounce IN favor OF Secretary Stanton's army
as against that OF Senator Wilson. force o
fifty thousand men we believe TO be abundan
and superabundant. The smaller number Is all
sufficient for all temporary purposes, so tar a
can be seen; and the smaller number, II tn
TegCnents are properly organized, furnishes jus