Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-09-26
A Standing Army.

General Mcclellan has an able and sensi-
BILE article in the September number of
HarperS' Monthiy, wherein he takes ground
directly in opposition to the current demo-
cratic talk of reducing our military force,
and urges both the necessity and the econ
omy of maintaining an efficient standing
army In general terms, it disposes of the
bugbear that the country has anything to
fear from proper standing army, while it
proves conclusively that true economy de.
mands it. The author does not undervaue
the courage or the capacity of the volunteers,
but in any emergency IL takes time to disci-
pine them; nor does he overlook the necessity
of we'll organized militia in each state to
put down mobs and local insurrection-mobs
which recent events teach us we must guard
against as every other civilized power is
obliged to but with our extended frontier,
our Indian and Mexican neighbors, and our
possible complications with Spain, to say
nothing of other powers, there is abundant
work for proper regular army to do. And
the author shows by statistics of all former
wars that our state of unreadness for them
maintenance of a regular adequate force.
Besides, in what we call times of profound
peace" more money is spent in transporta-
ton of troops and materials to places where
sudden emergencies Qike Indian outbreaks)
call for them than would support the nee
essary troops at the necessary posts.
In combating the notion of the danger to
the country from the army, General McClel-
Ian refers to the admirable conduct of the
troops who have lately been stationed in the
Southern states, and to the high standard of
honor and patriotism which the regular
army has always exhibited. The General
would increase the regular army to about
forty thousand men; the minimum can be
ascertained by the number of necessary posts
to be garrisoned and the additional number
required for scouting purposes and reserves.
The minimum infantry force, he thinks, is
not less than two hundred and forty com
panies of one hundred non-commissioned
officers and men each. But he would have
radical change in the regimental organiza-
ton, introducing the European system, 50
that the force would be capable of an in
crease TO, say, sixty thousand infantry on
an emergency. He would organize the two
hundred and forty companies into twenty
regiments each, consisting of three battalions
of four companies each, which would enable
us in time of war to increase each company
to two hundred and fifty non-commssioned
officers and men, thus giving war strength
OF one thousand men to each battalion, three
thousand to each regiment, and sixty thou
sand for the total infantry force.
The paper very clearly shows the necessity
of an adequate regular army, and the de-
cided economy, in money and life, of such
force over our present system. Writing
before the recent outburst of communism
| General Mcclellan says: " 1t is the duty OF
government to protect its citizens and
maintain its own dignity. In
every country it has been found by expert
ence that there are always some people who
will not readily submit to the laws unless
the government has at its disposition an
armed force of some kind TO call upon in
case of need" And in note written after
the outbreaks he adds "rhe lamentable
events which have occurred since we closed
the preceding pages, and are still in pro-
gress while we write prove that this country
has passed beyond those halcyon days when
public opinion suiiiced to preserve the peace
and protect property within our borders"
Besides the state militia we need a regular
army of respectable strength"