Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-11-13
THE UNITED STATES 4RMF.


Annual Report Of General Sherman.
AN INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT DOCCNENr-THE
GREAT CHANGES OF FIFTY YEARS IN FART or
THE CoUNTRY-THE PITIFUL CONDITION OF THE
AMERICAN INnIAN-WHlT SHALL BE DONE WITH
HIM"-WEST POINT.
General Sherman in his annual report. sub
mtted to Secretary McCrary, refers to the re-
ports OF the different commanders OF military
departments.
INADEQUACY OF THE ARMY.
Among them that of Lieutenant General Sheri-
dan will, he says, attract the first notice To
this report he invites close study. His COM
maEd embraces eight of the ten regiments OF
cavalry and eighteen Of the twenty-five reg
meLtS of infantry which comprises the entire
army; and although he states this force to b.
entirely inadequate TO perform the duties re-
Quired, yet II is impossible further to reinforce
him without stripping the Seaboard or abandon
ing other territories subjected to the same dan
gers which he so graphically describes in his
comprise twO-thirds of the effective force of the
whole army, and his territorial command eX-
tends from the British line on the north to the
mouth OF the Rio Grande ON the SOuth-an aver
age of 1850 miles lOng-and from the Mississippi
westward to and including the Rocky Mountain
chatham average OF 200 miles broad.
THE GREAT CHANGE IN THE WEST IN FIFTY YEARS
As General Sheridan well describes, this vast
region has undergone in the past ten years a
mole radical and violent change than any ike
space on the earth'S surface during any pre-
ViouS fifty years. From being the pasture fia!d
OF buffalo, elk. &c. affOrling abundant food f1r
the Sioux. Comanche. AraD3ho and Cneye1ne
II has passed into farming country, traverSel
10y many railroads..
TIE FATE OF THE INDIAN.
The game is nearly all gone, the Indian has
been forced On small reservations, and every OK
and steer has an owner who viii tight for his
property. Nearly all the Indian treaties wee
made on the theory that this change WOUlt Oc-
cul more slowly, and that the government WOlld
n us for n ar1l
that he would procure half or a quarter OF the
necessary meat 10y hunting. Again, it was a
Iay0rite theory ti.at the Indian would see for
himself that reason Why he should cultivate
TIE ground Ike White men. but his progress in
this respect is scarcely perceptible save in the
remnants OF tribes like the SanteeS, Pawneas,
CherOkeeS, &c, While the Sioux, CaeyenneS.
ArapahCeS, kiaWaS, de, seem 10 prefer death
TO the common toll Of the farmer. Beyond
question II was hunger which drove the Ban
h0chS ard Cheyenheo TO war this summer; and
similar eScapadeS VIII occur each year unless
these Indians BE- kept quiet with more food 1t
seems idle 10 expect that the enterpriSing white
race will cease till they possess every acre OF
this continent susceptible OF cultivation. II is
not to be expected that these pasture fields
can be used by the two races without
everlasting conflict. The reservations already
set apart for the Indians are large enough, and
should suffice them to raise all the meat and
grain necessary for their subsistence; but mean
time they must have food, else they will steal
and tight. To convert these Indians intaa pas
toral race is the first step in the upward pro-
greSS OF civilization, that Of agriculturiSt must
be the next stage, though slower OF realization:
but in this direction is the sole hope of rescuin
any part of the ''nOmad' Indians from uttei
annlhilation. This end cannot be reached by
persuasion is wasted on an Indian. There mu It
not only be show OF force, but actual force
and subsection used. Force will be necessary
to compel the noInad to cultivate his own
ground. in this particular there is wide dis
tinctiOn. General Sherman says. among the
tribes, and he refers specially TO the Buffalo or
Plains Indians While other tribes, further west.
IN Arizona, Oregon and Washington Territory
maintain themselves as farmers, herderS. fish
ermen and laborerS OF all sorts. Each tribe
must be dealt with according to its nature
ard large discretion to supply food must be
lodged with the President OF somewhere else
or starvation will each year cause wars.
such as occurred this season with the Sh0-
shones and Southern CheyenneS. The army
cannot fOreSee or prevent these wars All II
can do is after the Indians break out, plumber
steal and Kill harmless farmers. to pursue ami
capture them often in detail after Infinite toll:
then conduct them back to their reservations
and turn them loose to return 10 the same game
dd hdttuhn. Congress can alone provide rem
edy, and If prevention be wiser than cure,
moEey and discretion must be lodged some
where in time 10 prevent starvation.
THE INDIANS OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE
The reports OF Generals Mcdowell, Howard
and Wilcox describe the condition OF affairs in
the states and territories bordering on Che Pa
cine ocean. There the Indians have during the
past thirty years been collected by tribes and
families on small reservations well apart, SO
that Indian wars on large scale, requiring
concert OF action, are not probable; yet the NeI
PerceS war OF 1SlI and the ShoShone war OF
taiS summer, Snow how even these small bands
caused great CONSERVATION. AS general rule
the Pacific coast Indians did not originally
depend for food SO much on game as
married by the establishment of fish
cries on the largest scale on the lowe
Columbia are tast cutting Off the supply OF sal
nd flSI VTr1n ,1at,<
adopted, the salmon will become extinct and
the Indians driven to stealing and consequent
war with the settlers. The settlers of oregon
and Washington territory seem apprehensive of
war on the part OF the Umatillas and the river
Indians near the Spokane, and do not seem to
understand that the army has no control OF
tEem, or any right to interfere eIcept after hos
ul1tleS are actually begun. Every pTecaution
has been and will be taken to insure peace but
the whites should not treSpaSS on the Umatila
reservation OF provoke the Indians On the I,pDer
Columbia, already made restless by their short
supply OF salmon. BY mutual forbearance alone
can peace be maintained in that quarter.
THE INDIAN PROBLEM is NOT ONE, But MANY
In Arizona there is danger lurking from SINH
lar causes. The PincaS and Maric0paS have
since 1916 been peacefulcultiyators of the valley
of the ella. That valley is irrigated by large
ditcles leading from the CHA river; but recently
settlers have gore above them and turned the
Whole of the water Of the Gila on their own
fields. Here, too, the army is powerlesS; and ii
war and collision result, Oh the army falls the
the Indian problem is not single problem but
many; as many almost as there are tribes
Measures which would be wise in one instance
would be folly in another and whatever depart
ment OF the government is charged with it must
be armed not only with force, but large discre-
tion and authority to furnish food in emergen-
cieS
IN THE MILITARY DIVISION OF THE ATLANTIC,
Gen. Hancock commanding, there are four regi-
ments of artillery and three of infantry, aggre-
eating Ss5 officers and 3,1Ss men. One of these
regiments of infantry will probably have to 90
to the frontier in the spring. 1t would be wen
if there could be held at points like Atlanta,
Leavenworth, st. Paul and Omaha In rota-
ton full regiment Of infantry or cavalry for
instruction; but hitherto this has been imprac-
ticable. Gen. Sherman doubts the wisdom OF
selecting and preparing in advance, as recon-
mended by Gen. Hancock, forts and camps i'm
the south against yellow fever
The artillery school at Fort Monroe is kent
upon high standard and Is fast becoming a
"pOSt graduate" course for officers.
WEST POINT.
Gen. Sherman cOncurS in the recommendation
OF Gen. Schofield that the September appoint
mentS to West Point be discontinued. and fur-
ther suggests that the new cadets be examined
by the academic board early in June, and that