The weekly Arizona miner., 1871-02-18
General stoneman's Report.

synopsis of said report, and, talk ing it for granted that tho synopsis cmoou'eS the main points in the report, will proceed to show, where, in our judgment, and that ot our people, the General has ovcrshot the mark aimed at by him.
 The assertion that the General male "thorough inspection of the wh"'e Depart ment of Ar,zona," is true to tke letter, and reflects crcat credit upon hin. It proves him to he man of surpassing energy, for we know that in doing SD he accomplished that which no other commanding ohcer ever at- tempted; that, too, at the sacrificc oi per sonal ease, comfort, md security. for he trav-
 elled over the widest, roaghest portions ot
 the Territory, wi;h an insignificant escort,
 and cxer,e,l nsind snd body as no other mem-
 Der of the expedition did, to overcome ditl- | cul,ies and see all that was t0 be seen. Know ing this we were exceedingly sorry to learn
 that he had allowed the natural ben. ot hts
 mind for economy, and the interests Of the Federal Government, Co warp his Judgment and cause him to appear hostile 10 this Terri
 tory, and its people, for, it cannot be denied that many of our citizens-chsrsined at his
 eeommendations--have denounced him as an
 enemy of Arizona. But, this cannot be. stoneman is our friend, and will yet prove it, even if necessity chould compel hiin to carry
 out the intentions ioreshadowed ln his report, the first of which is the abandonment of Fort Whipple, Camps Mcdowell and Lowell; also,
 the breaking up of the Tucson supply depot. But. let us see what would result from carry inp out this programme: Were the depot at Tucson " abolished" saving of Sl0,UDa
 year would be elected, and as tue posts in Southern Arizona could be supplied directly, from some point on the Colorado river, Gov
 ernment would be gainer thereby, and tue Zen
 thousand dollars thus saved could be applied for the purchase of horses for the cavalry. ot course, the loss oG this sum would be felt in : Tucson.
 Regarding the posts above mentioned, we ' hold 1t to be the sacred duty of Government ! to garrison them awhile longer, with cavalry, D and the following are our reasons therefor whipple is in the heart of the very best DOT l. ton of Arizona, surrounded by important : farming and mining settlements, upon which t the Apache often desceuds, for purposes O s robbery and murder. This being the case IS the keeping up of Whipple, which is eoave E. nient to all settlements in Central Arizona, ! II a necessity, and we sincerely hope it will no r. be abandoned, so long as Apaches make th II section of which it is the protector, thei l. principal point of attack. It need not b It very strongly garrisoned, however. One com
 pany 0f cavalry and one of infantry wOalC T we think, answer for purposes of protection O, The same, or nearly 80, is true of Lowell an TO Mcdowell, the former at Tucson, the latte t. near Phnnix. In fact, these three posts ar u- we think, the most important in the Ter IT, tory, as they are nearest to, and protect thF' he of the largest towus--in three or the mo 's- exposed colonies in the Territory. The IT, again, troops can be naintaiDed at them [ ed lens than at any other points in the iDteriG ax as the day of ''exorbitans prices" hss passe
 never to return, st least at Whipple, which
 now supplied with hay, grain, woodr etc, f
 less thaE citizens of Prescott pay for the
 articles, which may not have been the case Ia the past. Again, should Whippse be abs We ioned, the nearest post fS tho settlemer ne nestled around 1t and Prescott would md Camp Hualpai, thirty live or forty miles ava $ too far, all win admit, to render our peoI ot- aid when they would stand most in need of ins We know that the Department Command 'ng is crowded for means, and can, therefore, f ing give him for straiDing every nerve to ma lee, ends meet. But, believing the proper obj ear of tho Government to be the protection ach white settlers, 1t strikes us that that obj ia'I could be easier and more ehsaply acccmpli 'nts ed by abandoning such posts as Gan the Thomas, Bowie, and one or two others 'g might name, and placing the troops n so "bottled up" there near the white set 'ses ments, where they would be of some sery aim to us, This we think, would be the b Iion policy, just now, when troops are scarce, a ot should the forces not soon be increased, aH hope to see this policy carried out. So ! AT as the present state of affairs exists, will proper way to punish the Indians is to Che sue tbeni, whenever they commit crime, dds. keep up the pursuit until they are caught ... punished This policy has oftentimes !
 :! successful. l' s;..: i .,, s1c,, ,atst' a@ We do not argue thus fer "pecunary :" rity vantage on the contrary, a majority of O to people of this section would thank the be- were the necessity for maintaining irt