Arizona citizen., 1878-09-06
OUR USEFUL ARMY.
We Rise to Apologize.

TWO weeks ago we puDllSheQ al article under the above caption. Tn, refusal of our Department Commando to use the troops to protect the United States mails was what suggested tn, subject and we gave our opinion il plain terms That article has had tn, effect of bOmb-shell in the ranks O our weak and pandering fellow citi zens. They are rallying at last how ever, and we are denounced with muct spirit and vOciferOusness-n -ness-ness.
 We wrote because, first, we thought the troops or scouts could have been used without violating any law, and second, we did not like to have the ' General refuse protection "even if he had the lawful authority" and to show we were not alone in our first proposi tion we quote the following from a Prescott exchanges:
 "The Territories are the wards of the Federal Government; most of them are thinly popuiated need the foster ing care and protection of the Govern ment, so we doubt if the General would have made a misstep had he seen fit to comply with the request of leading citizens of Southern Ari- zona. Enterprise
 As this paper is published at Depart ment Headquarters, no one will accuse it of "predjuce and "personal en- mity"
 A Tucson exchange devotes several columns to our special benefit, employ ing the usual number of slurs and bad names. To show how unwanton " our article was the following sentences have been written, to-wit:
 No one regrets the situation of affairs in reference to the fact that the military cannot act in the capture of thieves and murderers on the highway, more than Gen. Wilcox. He would gladly send his last soldier were it in his power to do so.-Star.
 And to show how weak and worth less those sentences are, we quote from the Generals telegram:
 PRESCOTT. August 19.-H. s. Stew ems, Lord & Williams and others :: Your dispatch of 16th instant just re- ceived. regret to say in consequence of reduced force, 1 am not able to com ply with your request at present, EVEN IF HAD THE LAWFUL AUTHORITY.
 Signed, WILCOX.
 The following is a mild extract from very spirited article:
 After the few months we have pros pered, TIE CITIZEN, on the eve of it's removal to Tucson, makes an unwant- on, unjournalistic and degrading at tack upon Gen. Wilcox, our new De partment Commander, who has shOwnI the people of Tucson and Southern Arizona every courtesy in an official capacity as well as socially.-Star.
 Now this is a little rough, but we must consider the class of animal by 1 whom it was said. Socially every one will be pleased with Gen. Wilcox and oficially-well, this Is the first emergency since he assumed com mand of Arizona. The General chose his course, hence we were obliged 10 make a remark or neglect our duty, the latter we seldom do even on grounds of policy. Our best explanation of "un- wanton, uniournalistic, &c.," will be to quote some of our former remarks then our readers can judge without re- ferring to back issues. So here they are:
 At least 800 cavalry are stationed in Arizona; we have no Indians 10 fight now: no trouble in the Territory ex- cept that caused by the wholesale operations of highwaymen, and yet the General Commanding says he can not spare even twenty or thirty out of 300 10 assist the citizens in protecting the mail and in capturing robbers. Pray, what do these 800 men do? Does it re- quire that number to guard the homes and wait upon the officers? We had hoped better things of our new com mander, but alas here is the same old story-an emergency, human life in danger, property plundered and de- stroyed, the United States mail stolen and rifed, civil authorities and the government defied, and yet the army can't come-that is, just now-not enough troops. Perhaps by and by when the trouble is over they will be on hand. What a protection.
 It is quite the thing to feed and pay an armed force to do your fighting and then when the emergency comes wake up to find you must defend yourself, whether prepared to do so or not, as it is not convenient or not lawful for your force to come to your relief. Won't. some one please duplicate the Forty-fifth Congress and the War De pertinent? We would be so safe if we only had a couple of regiments more. The government will spend about Sl,- GOO, 900 10 support troops in Arizona this year. For what'
 THE Salt River Herald states that w. B. Hellings, Superintendent of the Golden Star Mining Company, is mak-