The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1867-12-19
Standing .4ranies.

than in the unrepublican service of op.
pressing aud iutimidating the Southern
people. Gen. Grant has been much
praised for his activity in reducing the
expenses of the War Department; and
for any approach to economy in that
respect our tax burdened countrymen
have reason to be grateful. But the
dismissal of a few score of clerks and
haugers>on is scarcely matter of con.
sideration, in view of the fact that we
are supporting a standing arma three or
four times more numerous than the
Government requires for any legitimate
purpose. The people have as much as
they can do to pay the enormous bill
that was run up during the war and it
is about time for them to object to this
extravagant military expenditure in
time of peace. The working classes,
who toll from morning till night to buy
food and shelter and raiment, at war
prices, for their families, will naturally
grumble to see large share Of the earn
ings applied to the maintenance of thou
sands Of lusty fellows who are restrain
ed in military service for no better pur-
pose than to assist the schemes of de-
signing and unScrupulous faction. A
political party that cannot work out its
ends without an immense army to do its
bidding, is too dangerous and expensive
an institution for Republic to tolerate
The soldiers themselves do not relish
the humiliating service in which they
are employed, is evident from the great
number of desertions. During the past
year thirteen thousand soldiers deserted, d,
or as many as constituted the entire reg
ular military force in the days when the
Republic was governed upon republican
principles.
The sixty thousand stalwart men who
are now helping to carry ont the Re.
construction programme OF the Radicals
would be doing better service to their
country in the several fields of industry
hauonal strength and prosperity. In.
stead Of welding swords and muskets,
they should be at the plow, the anvil, in
the workshop, in the counting>yoom, or
wherever else their toll or their talents
may contribute to the mate1,al wealth
of the land. We are Low paying more
than seventy million of dollars for the
support of a standing army and to what
end? To keep up the military depart,
nents Of the South, to hold a section of
the Republic under military government
to violate the fundamental principles of
our form of government by subjectins
American citizens to terrorism and du>
ress.
No one imagines that the Southe rn
people purpose any act of insubordina.
tion. They have neither the viii, nor
the power to raise an armed hand against
the Central Government. If left to
their own local resources they could ef
tectively guard themselves against any
sedicious movement of the freedmen
the only danger to be apprehended.
Blu. then the Radicals propose to dictate
to their Southern States their votes at
the next Presidential election, and to do
that they must have bayonets at their
command. Is it not hard that the peo-
pie should be taxed to supply the means
OF trampling upon their own liberties +?
The masses of the north are not afraid
OF their Southern countrymen. They
feel that they are secure against either
treachery or violence. They know that
all the fighting has been done and that
there is no need OF a vast armed force
to preserve the peace of the common
wealth. Why then pay seventy mill.
ions a year for the maintenance of a
standing army? To keep a minority in
power? We do not think that the
popular sentiment will tolerate any such
outrage upon selfgovernment.
The shaky political fabrics of Europe
may require great military organizations
to prop them up; the strength OF our
Government is, as it has always been in
the consent of the governed. Whatever
issues may have to be determined by
force of arms, whether from foreign an
tagonisms or domestic contention, the
republics dependence must be upon its
volunteer SOldiery. They can be trusts
ed in time of war large standing ar