Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-08-09
Increase the National Army.
From the Chicago Tribune.

III the disastrous anu SaDBulnary
results of mob-rule in this country
during the past week have no other
effect, they will at least show the in
sensate folly of that class of State
Sovereignty demagogues who have
been persistantly bowling that the
Federal Government should never in
terpose its power in State matters,
but that the States should take care
of themselves. The utter shallow
ness of this policy, and its disastrous,
almost ludicrous, failure, are shown
by the action of Pennsylvania, Mary
land, West Virginia, and other States.
So long as the strikers were peace
able, the States took care Of them
selves, and everything was lovely !;
but when the mob broke out in open
violence and commenced its career of
murder and incendiarism, and the
State militia had in some cases
showed its incompetency to deal with
mob, and in other cases showed its
sympathy by affiliating with the dan
gerous classes of the community,
deserving their posts, and in some
cases handing their arms over to the
rioters, then these States, through
their Governors in some instances
these very Democratic State Sover-
eighty Governors who had been
bowling the loudest against the Fed
eral Government,-implored it to
send troops to help them.
States might take care of them
selves if they had standing armies, but
they have none. The State of Illinois
has just one soldier,the Adjutant- Gen
eral. If it had ), 900 or 10000 WELL
drilled, disciplined, and seasoned
troops, it could take care of itself in
any emeute or uprising of mob, and
would never have to call upon the
Federal Government for aid. In
| place of this we have about $500 uni
formed militia, who meet at certain
times for drill, but who are not avail
able for the defense of the State, or
| OF any part of the State outside the
immediate vicinity where they happen
to be, and in some cases, as has been
| shown IN other States. they are not
| available even for local assistance in
preserving the peace. The main reli
ance of the larger cities where these
| emeutes occur is upon the police, but
the police forces are small, however
effective they may be. In Chicago,
for instance, they are in the proper
ton of one to every 1000 of the pop
ulation. As a matter of necessary
economy, the force has been reduced
to the minimum required to protect
the people against thieving and ordi-
nary disorders, but for general up.
rising of mob they are not sufficient
of themselves TO handle it.
1t is we'll enough to talk of State
Sovereignty when States can take
care of themselves and protect thu
peace, but it is not we'll for State tc
turn up its nose at the Federal Gov
eminent until it has made such prep
arations against the outbreaks of thu
criminal and idle classes in the large
towns that no danger to life or prop
erty exists. That preparation ha
not been made in any State which
this strike has penetrated, and it hal
not and cannot be made in any othe
State. 1t is idle to talk of local1 mill
| tia. Local mobs have little fear o
militia, because they know the sol
diers are not trained and disciplined
and have net the GOODNESS and firm
ness of regulars. Every Federal reg
iment is q machine. The ndividua
| is sunk in the regiment. The regi
ment is a devil-fish,-one body will
500 arms. The men have no sympa
thy with any class They are color
less in sentiment. They are polio
armed with muskets. They are of
. cered for life. They have no polite
and never vote. They are not excit
ed by the passions of the day. Dem
; aoogues cannot control them or eve
gain access to them War is thei
!, trade and they shoot TO kill. If Oh
, Federal Government had even 1000
! more men, so that il could seattle
] them in squads of 1000 each With
immediate call of Chicago, st. LOUIS
, Pittsburgh. Baltimore. Philadelphia
Cincinnati. and other important Ger
! tres, to act as q rallying point for til
I forces of the State authorities.
> would be worth more than all the mi
litia of all the States combined ]
! we had 500 regulars in this city, 70
Y instance, to reinforce the city author
tiles in taking care of mobs an,
, stamping them out, it would quadru