The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-05-03
REDUCE THE Army.

| on former Oocaeiop, 70 reQUcS tue sruy
10 . skeleton Of ito present dimensions,
10 growing in popularity With the people.
The hard common sente of the country
is inquiring into the utility of the present
armament of men and ships, and the ar.
sver is not satisfactory. There is no rebel.
lion or inssrrection TO be crushed; we are
at war with NO power on earth; neither
| Canada on the north nor Mexico or
South America on the south menace US
with invasion. A few belligerent In
dians on the frontier occasionally re-
quire chastisement, and troops enough to
repress the are positively all the army
needed by the country. Why, then,
should the government continue to an
nually squsnder thirty millions or more
to keep up formidable military estab-
lishment such as that we now hsve2
A large stsndln army is not only uh-
necessary in this country, and heavy
drain upon the treasury, it is also danger
GUS to our free institutions, as well as to
the public peace and to our commercial
al d industrial interests. President GRANT
discovered ard blazed the road to mill
tary despotis m in this country, and the
next ambitious and interruptions man
the people raise to the Presidency, it
he fnds an organized army of $1,000
or 10000 men at bis command, will
have no difficulty in reaching the end oil
that road.
The experience of the last two years
shows US that an army in the American
Republic is precisely the brutal, IRE
sponsible and unthinking instrument
that an army was in Rome, and in Eng
land, and in France, and every other
country-the willing tool OF authority,
however lswless or licentious.
A standing army Is in its nature an
organization of brute force, and the only
intellectual portions Of Tits officers
arc educated and drilled in the belief
that obedience to orders is their first and
highest duty. The American people
ought to know and recognize this fact rs
vel. as any people on the earth. for in
the past eight years they have aeon the
men and oficers-even the highest
officers-o -ofthe American army employed
as willing tools to carry out the most
shameful, brutal and fragrant violations
of the American constitution and the
liberties OF the American people.
Indeed, Gen. GRANT has made it
plainly obvious to intelligent and observ'
ing men that the American army is the
same brutal force, different only IN
strength, that raise1 and sustained the
throne of the Ce;srs, and obeyed their
will whether they were tyrsnts or Philo-
scphers, brutes or men.
1t should then be one Of the first oh
iects TO get rid OF this monstrosity in the
American government, and we trust that
when Congress assemblies the Democrats
in that body, instead OF voting an appro.
priation for the present force, will pre-
vide only for the number OF men em-
ployed on the frontier and tor few
hundred to keep possession Of the forts
ano srsenals.
TIE security of the country against
| invasion, and its arm OF strength In war,
should be we'll and thoroughly organ
IL d militia. Let the govern ment dis
band its army of hirel pgs and the mill
tsry spirit among the people of the sew
ersl States will Immediately begin to
revive and military companies will be
organized IN every city aud village
safer and truer detenses of the honor
aud liberty OF the country than the hire
ling and insolvent soldiery who leel no
sense OF honor but obedience, and who
acknowledge no law in peace or war
save the order to march or fire or re.
treat.
We are glad to learn from Washing
t,r specials that bill is being prepared
TO be presented 10 the extra session OF
Congress, reducing the army 10 10000
men. This is a step IN the right direction,
but it would be better to mske 1t 1000
That number would probably be ample
| for all practlcal urposes.