The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-25
How the Peoples Money is Wasted
Upon the Army.

There are many indications that a strong
effort will be made during the coming Sos
sion Of Congress TO stave off for another
year the reduction Of the regular army, and.
II possible, TO provide for its enlargement
In contingencies at the pleasure of Mr..
HAYES. These indications arc TO be found
in tho reports Of Gen. SHERMAN and Gen.
SHERIDAN, of the various department com
manders, and of the dc fdcio Secretary Of
War. One and all Of these documents are
full of complaints OF the inadequate iorcc
Of the army. and all hint at or demand
more men and more money, the money os-
peclally.
The Engineers want 10 build more granite
forts on the seacoast Though they know
TINT granite crumbles 10 pieces under mod
ern artillery fire., because stone walls in
volve large appropriations and details Of
officers for sinccure duty. The Ordnance
Corps wants money for now experiments in
email arms and cannon. on points already
settled many times by experience, and pub
llshcd in professional journals and hand
books, merely because great denl of on
joyTnont can be obtained out Of the appro-
priatlon by the experimenting officers. Tho
Surgeon-General wants more money to
erect improved hospitals. and TO experiment
In his department, at the expense of tho on
listed man who is the subject 81 tho
new treatment. The Quar,crmaster-Genera
wants more wagons, moro horses, new har-
ness, new patent teuts, and new clothing;
while the Commissnry-Gcn Is clear that
he ought 10 have n great deal more money
for his overworkcd officers.
While the stan departments thus clamor
for moro money. the general and line officers
cry aloud FOR men. To provide for the
"barest military necessity" according to
their story, they want just about twice p
many men ms they have now. One point is
insisted on by all that the army mover was
in such good condition as it l. to-day, aud
that all IL needs are numbers md money
What men and officers remain Ia this scr-
vice under the parsimouy of "a niggardly
Congress are held up 20 admiration rs pcr-
feet paladins u patient hcroism and mii.-
tary skill.
Considering tho exhibition Of lncompo-
tency made by the army during last sum
mer. these assertions are s!agularly inap-
propriate and out Of place. II is still fresh
in the public memory that a band ot only
one hundred hostile Cheycunes woro able to
march from the borders Ct TeSas through
the heart Of military division where more
than dozen forts lay in their path, while
nearly four thousand regulars, FILTERED
away in detachmeu,s, We're hunting for
them This handful %; sayugrs, cncumbcrcd
with women and children. beat tine regular
troops back five OF fix times, and lnally
ESCAPED 70 Dakota. The wonder il, then.
that Gen. SHERMAN can have the assurance
to say, after such hum!lating reyerse-, that
We have good soldiers, Tut too Few. The
power of elfroutery can hardly 60 further.
Had the dozen 81 useless forts that con-
sumed those four thousand men been re-
duced to one fort, with an adequate force
of really effective cavalry, there would
havo been no trouble in catching the
Cheycnnes that left Fort Reno. The
army asks for moro men; what IL
peeds Is less forts. It is the multi
pllcation Of useless posts that makes the
extravaganza Of our army. Once built, they
are never abandoned while the Secretary Of
War can possibly hold on 20 them. Tho
people who hear Of Forts Lcavcnworth,
Hays, Riley, Harller, and other, ought 10
know that they are mere railway stations
in the midst Of civilization. Were the usc-
lees forts abandoned and their sites sold
tomorrow SHERMAN would hot know what
TO do with lftcen thousand men out Of the
forts, and tho army can be easily reduced.