The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-12-13

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from long distances at great expense,
while the militia are not to be depended
! on. Then, too, the army is too small
| like operations against hostile Indians.
The army is to the United States what
police force is to a city. 1t has now
enough regiments, companies, and Off
GERS, but all companies of infantry should
be recruited to fifty men each, and bat
teries to seventy-five men, with power to
increase the former to one hundred in
cases of emergency, and the latter to enc
hundred and twenty-five. Attention is
called to the weakening of the force be-
low the figures given in tables by sick
ness and special details.
| RETIRED LIsT-wEsT POINT.
The renewal of the restriction of the
number of retired officers to three hun
dred is urged. There are now fifty
seven officers. waiting retirement, and
their pay would be reduced 25 per cent.
were they retired. Improvements and
enlargements of the buildings at West
Point and the restoration of the
band to its former number, forty mem
bers, are recommended. The cost would
be $218,57s37. A reversion of the
course of study and the possibility of
abolishing Sunday parades are also
mentioned as subjects worthy of consid
Grafton. Details are given of the July
riots and the part taken by the army
| in their suppression, of the Mexican
border troubles, and of Gen. Howard's
campaign against the Indians.
| MISCELLANEOUS RECOMMENDATIONS.
| The Paymaster General renews the re-
| IL
nuity scheme for the heirs of deceased
officers, and to prevent frauds in con-
tracts, suggests that bids be made alb
sureties for at least sixty days, unless
made to accompany his bid with bond
pledging him to keep his engagement
| good for sixty days.
The work of the publication of war
records, both National and Confederate,
has been steadily prosecuted The
amount of printed matter is very con-
siderable already. At present the vol
umes aggregage forty-seven embracing
upward of $1,000 pages), of which
thirty-seven relating to the United States
and ten to the Confederate States have
been published up to the end of the year
for publication is very large.
The appropriations for the Quarter
masters Department for the last fiscal
year were $1,5O0,O00 less than in the
previous year, notwithstanding the in
crease of the cavalry arm. Yet the expen-
ditures and liabilities have been kept
within the appropriations, except in the
item of transportation, for which de-
fciency estimate at 81, 100000 has been
submitted. Exigencies have caused the
numerous movements of bodies of troops,
and great expenditure has been incurred.
in their concentration at critical points.
The courts having decided in favor of
the claims of land grant railroads to pay
for transporting men and material, the
department asks the repeal of the act of
March 3, 1875, prohibiting such pay
ment. There will remain IL, $3.50 claims,
aggregating 1891, ,755. 60 for Quarter
master stores furnished to the army in
States not in rebellion. 1t is recon-
mended that these claims be transferred
to the Commissioners of Southern Claims
or some other tribunal. Two new posts
have been located, one on Tongue River
and one on the Little Big Horn, at an
expense of $2000;i0. The establishment
of new post at He'll Gate Pass, of the
Rick Mountains in Montana, has been
begun.
The Judge Advocate General earnestly
recommends additional legislation which
shall fix beyond question specific pc
riod of limitation to prosecution in
cases of desertion.
ENGINEERING.
The report of the Chief of Engineers
states that work upon seacoast defenses
,, has been practically limited to their care
preservation and partial repair, but he
again urges the adoption of some rea.
sonable system of annual expenditure
upon our harbor defenses. Experiments
and practice on the general system OF
torpedo defense have been continued al
Willett's Point. An appropriation Of
100000 for the coming year is recon-
mended for this purpose, and for the
purchase and storage of such portions
of the material as would be Immediately
required in case of sudden hostilities
In the survey of the northern and north
western lakes, under the Engineer de.
partment, the triangulation has beer
carried from Westield, New York, tt
!. Painsville, Ohio. The topography anC
photography have been carried from
, Ashtabula, Ohio, to Vermillion, Ohio
4 The latitudes and longitudes of Noun
+, Forrest and Cairo, Illinois, have beer
determined, and assistance has been rem
4 dered in the telegraphic determination
: of the longitude of Fort Fetterman, il
Wyoming Territory, and Forts Stockton
5 Concho, and McCavett, in Texas. Th
0 difference of level between Lakes Mich
y igan and Superior has been determined
= A list of the new charts of the lakes
e printed and published during the year
Il will be found in said report. The SUI
vey Of the Mississippi River, which ha
d q been carried on by the officer charge'
u with the lake survey, has been extends
., from five miles above Cairo, ILL.,, to
n point eight miles above Columbus, Ky
T. The systematic survey of the territor
west of the one hundredth meridian
which for several years has been carrie
on by engineers and other officer
# of the army, has been continued durin
( the year in portions of California, NJ
y vada, Colorado, New Mexico. The cor
: tinuatlon of this useful work, in its pref
Y ent satisfactory condition of organizs
/, ton, will, it is hoped, commend itself t
# the favorable consideration of Congress:
If The Engineer Department maps used b
It the troops engaged in the recent can
r paigns against the Nez Perces and Siou
r have proved of great utility, and it
5, desirable that the unexplored areas i
, the countries traversed by the troops an
s, hostile Indians be mapped as soon {
= possible.
y In consequence of the failure of til
Y appropriations for the army, the mani
IS facture of arms at the National Armor
L at Springfield was stopped on the 1st {
IS July last, and there is now only on han
,r reserve supply of 1862 rifles and sos
'e carbines of the latest model. 1t is tt
:; opinion of the department, as a mea
y ure of precaution and military foresigh
re that much larger number of arms
of the latest and most improved patterI
Of should be on hand in our arsenals
'5 cases of emergency.
le The organization, arming and di
c. ciplining the militia has received the a