Omaha daily bee., 1877-11-14
NATIONAL DISGRACE.

A NATIONAL DISGRACE.
lhe American Army skeIeton-A
Protest from the ar West Against
the Con ederate Policy.
In the National House OF Repre-
sentatives, on November 10th, dur
ing the debate on the army appro-
priation bill, Delegate Maginnis,
from Montana, made the following
appeal against the Confederate poll
cy of reducing the army to $4,000
men
Mr.. Chairman-I have been sorry
to see in this debate that gentlemen
from the West care 80 little for the
lives and property Of their friehdsl IN
the newer lines of States and Terri
tories. 1t seems singular to me that
gentlemen who represent the dark
and bloody ground, whose memoir
leg are the romance OF American
history, from Indiana where the
field of TIppecanoe raised its hero to
the Presidency; from Ohio, whose
earlier struggles aroused the sympa-
thies and called out the assistance
OF the whole country; from Illinois,
where the grass Is yet green over the
victims of Black Hawks bands,
should be more liberal toward the
new frontier than the far eastern
States.
I know you are farmers and you
need economy; but what makes
your farms and houses secure? Isit
not because we have pushed on be.
yond you q Gordon of new States
and Territories, and have raised a
barrier Of gallant hearts and strong
arms between you and the savages
that raided your early settlements
but a generation ago? Now you
have peace; you are beyond inva
sion. Our danger Is your safety and
our exposure is your security; but
should you not extend to us the
same sympathy and the same pro-
lection that the nation far less able
then extended to your fathers when
your lands were the frontier? Be-
cause you are safe are you to be self
ish? Does not the blood Of your
fellow citizens, sy; of your sons and
relatives, weigh anything against
your dollars because danger is no
longer at your own doors? Is all
patriotism lost in your desire to
save; and Will you allow your citi-
zens to be butchered, your country
Knocked at, her flag and its defend.
ers lnsulted because it is done 1ar
away in the new country?
Why do you leave US to be mas.
sacred? Why leave your flag to be
insulted? Why leave us to feel that
your promise of protection is simply
q mockery and that the shadow OF
the American flag is q snare, delud-
ing the poor settler from his own
defense that he may be murdered
beneath its powerless folds?
Gentlemen, 1 cannot believe that
your apathy to our condition arises
from selfish Indifference. [ have
fought side by side with the men of
Illinois, and Ohio, and Indiana, the
frugal tillers of a fruitful soil, and l
know they never count the cost of
the demands Of patriotism. i know
the gallant and chivalrous people OF
Kentucky, ard I believe their Rep
resentative [Mr. Blackburn when
he intimates that they would fly TO
the rescue OF tie flag when the most
remote point OF the most remote
border was threatened with inva-
sion, OF the most distant settlement
attacked by savages. The difficulty
in this cas- is the difficulty only OF
making you understand and feel the
direct necessity we are under for the
protection that the army recruited
and filled can afford. And l can
only add my voice to that Of other
gentlemen in saying that not only
on the Mexican, but on every other
line of our now double frontier ne.
cessity exists for succor and increase
of the troops already there.
My friend from Missouri TMr.
Crittenden says the Indian war Is
over. Joseph captured and Sitting
Bull gone. Why, cir, when this
Congress adjourned last spring who
ever dreamed that you would have
a war with Chief Joseph And
who can tell how many wars you
will have before the end of this year
with all these Indian tribes? They
are threatening everywhere. You
have an army Of twenty five thous-
and men. Some ask what it is do
ing. 1t has to deal with and keep
down three hundred thousand saw
ages, brave men who know how to
ride, how ID live in the wild coun-
try, who are natural soldiers and
who, when armed IS they are now
armed with breech.loaders and mag
azine r:fes, are equal man for man
to any troops in the world. That is
what your army is doing. 1t is
holding in check those three humid
red thousand savages. And
why has the frontier Of Texas not
been protected? 1t is because when
the Sioux war and other wars broke
ont the troops had to be removed
from these to meet the difficulty.
An Indian outbreak has just been
subdued in New Mexico, another in
Arizona; another may break out
to morrow. Some soldiers are NOV
ing the Sioux who have treated,
others securing the country for
bands who have not come in. Some
are on the march to winter stations
from the recent campaigns. All
along the lines your forces are every
where weak, everywhere outnum-
oered and none could be summon.
ed to meet an emergency tomorrow
without leaving some other point
fatally exposed.
But the gentleman says we will
have no more trouble with Sitting
Bull, az he is beyond the Canadian
border. But what Is he doing there?
He is endeavoring to organize the
Northwestern tribes, aud if he sue
ceeds, he can march a force of ten
thousand men, equal to any soldiers
you "a put IN the held, and sweep
avarv aaftiamant hafOro him . ba