The Arizona sentinel., 1874-03-14
FROM THE NATIONAL CAPITAL Shall the Army be Reduceds-Gen. eral Sherman on Arizona, and
 Delegate McCormick's Reply.
Indebtedness on account Of the
 Apaches-TheH Hard Money Bill.
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.

WASHINGTON, January. 90, 1874
 The debate which usually take
 place on the Indian question 0prO
 pos ofthe Indian appropriation hil
 has been largely anticipated thi,
 week hy an animated discussion
 called forth by the a, tiOn of the
 House Appropriation Committee
 in recommending such a redUc-
 tinn in the provision for army tx.
 penditures as will. if agreed to,
 reduce the number of eIi-ted
 men from 30.0O0 to 25,0o1 men, By partially stopping recruiting.
 General COhurn, the Chairman of
 the Military Committee. advorat-
 ed the proposed reduction on the
 ground that it was demanded hy economy, and could be made with out exposing the settlers in the
 Indian country to increased dan- ger. as it would not necessarily diminish the force now protecting them, hut would merely lessen the number of troops in the De- partment of the South, on the Att lantic seaboard, in the Depart ment of the Lake. and in the ex. treme west on the Pacific Coast.
 MT. Wheeler, of New York, who reported the bill. vas not, however. so prudent. O. perhaps. so wellinf0rmed in his statements. He conceded that the military force in the Indian country would he diminished by the operations of his bill, and referring to the frOntierSmen. Said
 of there be any force in the legal maxim that private inconveni- enre ought tn give way to agreat public benefit, these daring ad- ventnrars ought. if necessary to come within the limits of civiliza- tiOn, until. it least, we are better able tn protect tham.
 "We hear great deal about the contraction of the currency. A contraction of. our population is quite as desira hle. ifnot necessary. The Government certainly ought not to encourage further expan. sion, eSpeci lily when an army must precede and follow it
 This cool declaration called forth the vigorous denunication of sevp- ral Pacific Coast members If the House. kendall. of Nevada, WAS the first to obtain the floor Com ntncing with a protest against he contemplated reduction which he said would endanger he safety of the settlements from Texas to Washington Territory, md the lives Of a people wha 0und that vast country a wilder 1 ness, and built up, instead, pros porous. powerful. and advancing | commonwealth } he qunteti the re marks of MT wheeler, and earn 7stly proceeded as follows:
 "Sir: are these Senti nents to bo leard in an American Congress, representing a .peOble first in pro. sresSive energy and high spirit of lnferpriSe among the nations Of he earth? what is the object or purpose of our army? is it merely o prntect the old settlements ong the Atlantic sea .loard? Sir,
 had supposed that.the brave and ndomitable spirit of our hardly pioneers who go forth, fer your 'eEefit, to explore, tn reclaim, aud o beautify new lands, deserved encouragement. had supposed hat the daring adventurers' VhO have dug from the western mountain the gold and silver that ( arr ed you successfully through , he war against the rebellion, and tabled you to maintain the cred. [ of the Government at home and broad, were deserving of some Dnsideralion, protection, and en. d engagement at yOnr hands. Ihad ' ardly expected to hear such a + ointment announced upon this | DOT, that the people upon our t ontiers should with iraw from V ,e homes that they with difficult V