Arizona citizen., 1873-09-13
ABOUT COMPLIMENTS.

A1eSy o0oooW Iucm duu dll uldy lo- ceive as many and as highly exag- gerated ones as they care for. The good and bad, worthy and unworthy, often get equally high compliments from the same source, which leads many sensible and observing people to pay little regard to praise of men and things; and still we are not pre- pared to affirm that compliments are always worthless in practical sense, because there Is so much of pride, of vanity, and of ambition centered in the human breast, that may be flat tered until the possessors will make extra and useful exertions to win more if not to deserve that already received. A man dies who during life was constantly misunderstood or wantonly abused, and the same tra- ducers of him will meet and pass res- olutions setting forth his generous, patriotic and even heroic qualities. Some man or woman does an act of very common occurrence, attended with little or no difficulty, and it is pronounced by wise people and dis eliminating press as an unparalleled feat of moral or physical bravery perhaps both whereas hundreds of acts more worthy of commendation are being constantly done and are re- warded with silence.
 These remarks are suggested by a perusal of the complimentary orders published by the War Department and the General of the Army to Gen. Jeff. c. Davis and the troops engaged with him in the Modoc campaign, and their total silence on the infinitely greater and harder work and victo- ries accomplished by the troops in Arizona within the past ten months. Gen. Davis did we'll with the Modocs after taking command, but all in all, there is not in the military annals of America, more trifiing series of en- agreements, such as every true friend of the U. s. Army could but wish plotted from our history and the memory of all living men, than those comprising the so-called Modoc War i; whereas the work done by the troops in Arizona during about the same pc riod, was marked by deeds of great skill, true bravery, and remarkable endurance. There are no ten miles square operated on in Arizona by the troops after the Apaches, but what presents as formidable obstacles to military success as the worst of the lava beds of Modoc fame. The coun- try secured by the Arizona troops for Apaches, is hundreds of miles in ex- tent that of the Modoc lava beds but of comparatively few miles. When the troops here began to fight the Apaches, the latter were at least twenty times as numerous and equally as we'll armed as the Modocs and had our troops been directed as were those against the Modocs, our loss would have not only been much greater than that of the Modoc army, bat the subjugation of the Apaches a total failure. The country will hardly ever know the hardships, dan- gers and labors the troops of Arizopa underwent in the last Winters caA- paign. For miles and miles thgk were compelled to march on fSot. carry their rations and eouipake, exposed to storms and often skb- iected to that excruciating punish ment which want of water alone can infict; going into Indian strong\ holds under cover of night, where by daylight ten Indians could have held the place against thousands of troops, and really gaining many victories by extraordinary surprises before the fighting commenced.
 All this required the highest order