The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-05-06
The ArmV.

800
Capital. The representatives of
the people knew only too we'll that
their constituents demand a redue-
ton of tho army to a peace footeng,
such as it was previous to the late
war. The expenditure of over
eighty million dollars II that di-
rection receives nc warrant what.
ever from tho situation. The plea
made by the General that we have
acquired vast territorial possessions
which call for protection of a mill
tary sort, in not tenable. We have
only the frozen regions of Alaska.
in the way of real estate gained,
ane it has been demonstrated that
If we wish to remain at peace with
its sparse settlement of natives, our
better way is to remove the soldiers.
We have but one interest in that
direction, and that is the seal fur
business-aud the company now in
possession, that bought out the
Russian fur traders, ask only 10 be
let alone.
The old cry of policing The South
has died out. The fact comes TO be
patent that We cannot hold the
States lately in revolt as conquered
provinces, and having secured to
the negroes their political rights,
and gwen them great advantages
IN the way of education, the pres
enc of a few soldiers is something
more than a mockery; it is an ag-
ravatIon, and serves to keep open
wounds that 1t is our interest to
heal.
If, in keeping up this heavy ex-
penditure, in times of profound
peace, we wer preparing ourselves
for war, there would be an excuse
for its continuation. But the late
civil conflict taught us, if it taught
anything, that the whole system is
worse than useless. The standing
army, or al 1t is called, the regular
not form even a nucleus
around which to organize an eff
Gent force. The Government was
forced to call for volunteers, and,
when collected, we fonnd our fatal
error. We discovered a fact known
for q thousand years in Europe,
that we did not need an officer, but
a private.
The West Point graduates could
be used only as drill sergeaDts, and
with fatal blindness we lifted them
out of their vocation to make Gen.
erals, where brain, not drill, was
required. With the best material
the world ever saw, the bravest and
stoutest men were sacrificed by the
thousand for lack Of organization
that Is based on dicIpline. And we
came out of the conflict the vrc:ors,
through our superior in
the way of money, and the fact
that our enemy was only a shade
worse off than we.
Of curse my criticism will be
sneered at by gentlemen who con-
sIder epaulettes as a good substitute
fer intellect. l humbly suggest,
however, that having had an oppor-
tunity OF studying military orgHni-
cations IN Europe, during the Girl
mean war, and havinggone through
our own, 1 had opportunities for
stvdy not given to many. And the
result of my observations was, that
while abroad, the energies of the
Government n given 10 the
making of o private, ours are de-
voted to the creation of an officer.
that is all.
liut, aside from this view, the
other and more significant fact re-
mains, and that is, that a standing
army IS notonly in deadly antago-
nism to our free institutions, but
has at all times been considered
dangerous. l have no great conf q.
dence in the morals of the fathers,
but experience has taught me a
profound regard for their wisdom.
Their last work, the testament they
left US, was to beware of a standing
army.
Our system was based on that
of England, and hence the signii-
canoe Of the warning. There the
aristocrats are born to command.
Having no aristoerats by birth
here, we have sought to create
them. We house our delicate hedg-
IIngs in a little school on the Hud-
son. We nurse them tenderly and
graduate them into a command.
While the humblest private in the
French army may look forward 10
Il Marshal's baton, u private is q
dog, denied promotion. The one
looks to his pay, the other IS all
mated by ambition. The ono serves
under a republic, the other under q
despotism.
l know that l will be met with