The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-26


When Gen GTBBoN was fighting CHIEF
JOSEPH there were in the army 22.3O4 men.
| Gen GIBDoN attacked the Nez Perces
| chief with six companies of infantry The
! majority of the House Of Representatives
has been bitterly reproached with the fact
that there were only 1873 men in these six
| companies. An orator Of waste and an adj
| vocate Of privilege made n picture In the
| debate of Nov. that would have been
| touching had ii not been absurd, OF GIBBoN
| riding ON his marches with rifle over his
shouldcr-a Brigadier-General reduced TO
tho ranks by the smallness OF his force, and
obliged to fight like one OF the rank and file.
The point was not a clumsy one. But no
amount OF money would have hired Gen.
GlBDoN, or any other man who set value on
his life, to follow hostile Indian trail with
out rifle in his hand GrBBoN carried n
long-rangc weapon OF defence as man, and
not "a soldier.
1t was howled through the House of Rep
resentativos that, owing to the niggardly,
unpatriotic. and criminal reduction Of the
army, G1BBoN was obliged to attack JOSEPH
with only 1873 men. With matchess cffront-
cry. the advocates Of privilege and sine
cures endcavored to show that there were
not troops enough In our depleted army TO
give GrBDoS larger force. But the fact
was that during the whole Of the Nez Perces
war there were on extra and civil service
duty 1915 soldiers: there were In the city OF
Washington, msapplied to civil service. coo
enlisted men; there were of troops, doing no
harder work than eating, sleeping. and loaf
ing. 1,466 In South Carolina, 1891 in Louis
iana, and In all the Southern States
1882; there were of privates in the
artillery, idly chewing rations at fancy posts
on the seaboard. 2,S57; there were in the AK
gregate thousands OF soldiers in the 2l2
military posts in the United States whose
only service was to make a semhlance Of
commands for captains and lieutcnants, and
help their housekeeping as servants
Scarcity of soldiers to fight JOSEPH and his
handful Of Indians. There were 1900 men
available. at the very least. They super
abounded. Nowhere on the Atlantic sea-
board, nowhere in the South except western
Texas, nowhere on the Canadian border or
the line OF the great lakes, were they want
ed. In all that region officers aud men
could have been happily spared in large
numbers for use in Idaho, Montana. and
delighted To see them go. But the Military
Ring would not let them 60 The army is
great family. comfortably established IN
housekeeping among those 2l2 posts: and it
is supreme law in this family to keep each
other undisturbcd in domestic happiness.
No troops to fight JOSEPH and his four
hundred The Twenty-second Regiment ~
infantry was in Wilkcsbarrc. Pa, where.
Congressman WRIGHT says Of his positive
knowledge. neither private nor officer, mus
kot nor sabre OF it was needed. The Eight
ecnth Regiment was IN Pittsburgh. The
Thirteenth was in Scranton. The Twenty
third was in Kansas, where wild Indian
cannot possibly be found. The Sixteenth
was mostly in Kansas. helping the Twenty
third To- do nothing. The Fourteenth was in
Utah. and the Mormons were at peace The
Twelfth was mostly in California. which
needs soldiers as much as Vermont does.
These infantry regiments were no more
wanted in the States and places where they
were than they were wanted IN the Prince
ton Theological Seminary. So it was with
th. five regiments of artillery, when this dis
honest cry Of want of troops to fight In
dams WAS lifted up against economy and
rcpublicanism. The First Regiment was
wholly in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.
he Second Regiment was in Maryland.
Pennsylvania, and the District Of Columbia.
The Third was in New York harbor aud
Pennsylvania. Tho Fourth was mostly in
California. The Fifth was in Pennsylvania,
Florida, and South Carolina. The enlisted
men Of these artillery regiments have all
been drilled in the use Of the musket and as
infantry. They are available as infantry at
any moment. They could all have been sent
to Idaho and GGDDoS. They We're Of no
earthly use where they WERE but, ON the
contrary were a constant burden and drain
on the productive labor Of the country. Why
We're they not sent
REDUCE THE ARMY TO TEN THOUSAND MEN