The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1875-01-28
MAJ $1,000 900 appropriation.

preparation OF SNUutuVV 10 coI-LfuGA u
military road from Sidney to Red
Cloud, Will hardly pass Congress this
session. 1t j. recommended, how
ever, by General Ord and General
Perry, and is urged strongly by
Senator Hitchcock OF Nebraska
When IL Is remembered that the
former two gentlemen, for a year
past, have warmly declared that the
route from Sidney 70 Red Cloud was
a much shorter and much better
route, than the route from Cheyenne
- Red Cload, the wisdom Of spend
ing SIOO,O 900 on il to make IT still
better will not be apparent TO honest
people.
The route from Cheyenne, over
which Indian freight Is now shipped,
is one huSdrsd and -forty-ive miles
in length; and half OF one
thousand dollars will shorten this
distance about fifteen miles. The
rad Is a good one to travel over with
loaded wagons, but the route from
Sidney-according to Ord, Perry and
their tools-is better and shorter.
This beag so, where is the necessity
for plundering the Treasury OF a vast
sum Of money to improve what Is
already gOod-better than the other
route, which everyone knows Is an
excellent road to freight over from
Mere to the Red Cloud Agency. Be
sides, there Is SOW $1,000 OF an APP
preparation already male, and which
IS under the military control. TO build
a bridge across the North Platte in
Wyoming; and IL the intent and
purpose of Congress. in making this
appropriation 90 bridge the North
Platte at or near Fort Laramie, had
been carried into effect by the de-
partment commander, more than the
cost of the bridge would re saved to
the government in two years by the
reduced rates Mt which freight would
be carried. Had this Appropriation
which was secured by the recon-
mendation of General Ord-been
$4,000 instead OF what 1t is, there
might have been erected a s15, 900
bridge now, and the military herds Of
cattle and sheep in the vicinity of
Sidney might have been largely in
creased. The purpose of Congress in
making this small appropriation for
a bridge on the North Platte has
been steadily frustrated by those
whose duty it is to carry 1t into effect.
To erect a bridge, an iron bridge too,
across hat river and pay for It out OF
this appropriation, would not lesve
much OF a margin for either specula-
tion or division. The Grasshopper
Fort IL the Loup Fork country was a
more profitable thing, according to
all accounts; and a hundred thousand
dollar military road owe an open,
arid, sandy stretch OF country, would
"pan cut" more satisfactorily to the
parties nursing the project than
twenty such bridges.
Those who are familiar with all
the circumstances in this case, enter
tain strong suspicion that this pro-
posed 500, 900 appropriation for &
military road is a tolerably thin,
transparent military ''job," which
we regret to say has the express sanc-
tIon of the commanding officer of
this department. Freighiers and
frontier people generally, bluntly call
it another steal" and would view it
quite as favo!ably il the a%ppropria-
tion was made direct TO what is
known as the Omaha military ring.
These plain, practical people have an
honest way Of forming their judg-
ments about such things, and look
upon the Ord-Perry-Brisbin mill
tary road. from Sidney TO Red CIond.
as a Credit Mobilier or Pacific Mail
subsidy scheme, on a reduced scale.
Members of Congress will do remark
ably well to give this project their
attention, and lin their eyebrows a
little when the representatives of the
military ring are explaining the
military necessity" for this appro-
priation.
The truth is, that ten times a hum
dred thousand dollars will not make
II good road from Sidney to the
North Platte River. The country is
mainly an open, packed sand deposit,
and the more it is travelled and used
by loaded wagons, the wors it will
become. 1t is not much better be-
tween the Platte and the agency.
The difference in the actual distance
travelled of the two routes from
Sidney, and from Cheyenne TO Red
Cloud, does not exceed twenty miles,
and the road from here is hard and
well watered-there being not more
than six or eight miles Of heavy sand
on the entire route. Give the u
try 8 rest from swindling appro-
priationsi ti