The daily gazette., 1877-05-30
The Arm, 90 be m sde aa Eism nat IA
Politics.

The Arm, ta be Made sa Elem nat IA
Politics.
"The United States cannot exist with
out the maintenance Of an army" said
Gen. SherInah at the Chamber of Com
merce dinner E w =
This Astonishing ntteranes has a
double significance. II il the opinion Of
"a westPoint graduate and army oficer.
1t is the opinion of prominent official,
who holds political relations with the
present Administration personally, and
through Il brother who is a Cabinet of.
ficer and Hayes confidential adviser
For the first time in American history
has a responsible public man, ON a pub
lie occasion, in the presence of the Chief
Executive and Secretaries of Depart
ments, proclaimed a principle which, in
effect, marches the army into Federal
politics and camps it there permanently
as part of the government of the United
States.
Gen. Sherman did not limit the mon
strous statement to the contingency Of
a foreign invasion, a sectional rebellion,
or partisan effort to overthrow an ex-
iSting Administration. He well knew
that with the abolition of slavery, the en-
franchisement of the negroes, and the
destruction of the old slave power, not
an element of disunion and civil war was
left anywhere. He knew that there was
not the shadow of prospect of military
invasion from Mexico, Canada, Spain,
France, or England. He well knew
that the party cheated out of the last
election through fraud would not resort
to arms to assert its title to administer
the Government, but would seek Justice
through the forms of law and take vindi-
cation from time and the ballot boxes
Regarded, therefore, in the light of the
Constitution of the United States, and
the forms and habits of our political life,
Gen. Shermans declaration that the
Union cannot exist without an army to
hold it together, is revolutionary aud
wholly withOuth excuse, save in so far
as 1t foreshadows new political depart
ure fifty supplelnen enting a fraud which
put into the Presidency candidate not
elected by the people, but unquestion.,
ably beaten at the polls
The most charitable construction that
can be put on Gen. Sherman's utterance
is that it is an old soldiers convulsiye
scream for the perpetuity of the army.
But Gen. Sherman believes what he
says. He spoke with tore-thought and
preparation; for he had been assigned to
reply to the regular toast, 1.-The Army"
He is the head and representative of
the army. His utterance, therefore may
fairly be accepted as the sentiment of the
military order; and it furnishes an argu-
ment for the abolition of the army, in
stead of it's reduction of ten thousand
men merely.
The Sherman doctrine is utterly often.
sive and intolerable. 1t upsets and defies
the constitutional and popular concep-
tion of an American army. The use of
this is to overawe, contrel, and punish
the hostile Indians of the Plains, and
give prote ction to the exposed border
settlements, That is all. There Is no
other logical excuse for its existence in
a time of peace. But Gen. Sherman, un-
rebuked by the Fraudulent President,
his Cabinet ministers, and the Chamber
of Commerce, deliberately turned the
army into political force, made it part
| of the civil government of the country,
| set it up as a machine to enforce com
plant civil life, aud maintain subser-
vience to the party in possession of
power. His doctrine that the army is a
necessary element of our politics, would,
| II accepted, overthrow democratic gov
ernment fb America. 1t would be the
end of State sovereignty. 1t would be
the end OF popular sovereignty. 1t in
| solently tramples on the conservative
force and virtue of our Constitution, our
laws, the morality and good sense of the
people, their common and mutual in
terests, their habit of democratic public
action, and their patriotism. These are
the ligatures that tie the United States
together. Cannon are not the founda-
uon of our Union, nor are bayonets and
! ball cartridges its saviors.
To narrow and shorten the shadow
flung over the political future of our
country at the Chamber of Commerce
dinner, the incoming Congress should
without dely reduce the army to 10 600
men.