Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-05-25
OUR EXCESSIVE ARMY.

The statement made on the floor of Con-
gress by Mr. Ellis during the debate on Mr..
Hewitt's army bill confirms WHAT GLOBE
has repeatedly said, towit, that the Repub-
lcans are laying plot for the introduction
of the military as means of controlling the
elections for Congress in certain Southern
districts. MIR. Ellis declared that twenty
districts had been marked out for such in
reference, and told MIR. Banks, who asked
whence the information came, that he would
hear shortly, and that he would then think
san earthquake had broken around his ears"
The fact is that the leading men in the
Republican party have never abandoned the
hope OF once more subjugating the South
by force Of arms to a rule similar to that of
the carpet baggers. The Pennsylvania Re
publicans showed very clearly what they
Thought of Mr.. Hayes policy of Cancellation
when they utterly ignored him and his
doings in drawing up their platform. The
Vermont Republicans, in their convention
on Thursday, gave Hayes a sort of general
commendation, but it needs no supernatural
acuteness to see that they cid so only to keep
up semblance of harmony in the party.
Their resolution referring to the South has
the ring of the old blood-and- thunder war
cries, although somewhat muffled in tone SO
as not to scare the Hayesites.
IT is this intention of using the army
again in the South that causes the Republi-
cans in Congress and out of Congress to be SO
aercely determined in their opposition to "a
curtailment of the military force. They
know as well as anybody that the nonsensi-
cal palaver about the danger to be feared
from Communism is q ghost story that
ought to brighten old women and toddling
children only. But they shake the rags Of
their scare-crow of "Communism'' before
the eyes of the public, just as they have
formerly waved their bloody shirt, and trust
that the dear people will not discover the
trick that is being palned off upon them.
The Republicans in the House
also know that twenty thousand men are
far more than enough to take care of our
frontiers and leave an ample surplus to do
all the guard duty that our system of forts
calls for. Many of these posts are utterly
unnecessary and could be abolished with
advantage. Generals Pope, Terry, Crook,
McDowell, Kautz, Sheridan, Hancock and
Ord have between them recommended the
adjustment of more than thirty posts that
are now wasting the peoples money. With
the putting down of these useless stations
and others of the same kind, the number of
men required for guard duties would be
greatly lessened. The cry for troops that
comes from Texas is instlgated to great
extent by spectators, annexationists and
people of all kinds who hope to make money
out Of the army directly or Indirectly. But
giving the Texan border the generous assign
ment of five thousand men, there would
still remain enough and an excess Of troops
for all other purposes.
The Republicans in Congress know these
facts perfectly well, and their loud mouthed
reiteration of the stories that there is danger
here and danger there is simply cover to
hide their real purpose. At the hrst shadow
of an excuse that offers itself they will dis
close the true intent of their bitter fight
against the effort at economy made by Mr..
Hewitt and the Democratic party.
There are in Congress few Democrats,
most of them from Texas, who for selfish