Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-07-13
Shame I.

To the Editor Of the KeHHeJ,e Journals
IL American citizens can find any source OF
pride iu the Indlsn campaign going on, we
would like to know how they do it. The news
comes to u, that band of citizens who volun.
teered in Oregon, to fsht the savsges, have near
lv all been killed, while what little force of the
United STATES army there may be in that vicinity
is 10 peril, and grave doubts exist whether the
red men may not enact another Custer scene, or
make a whole summers campaign, in which many
valuable lives will be uselessy sacrificed, and i'm
men,e sums Of money sqnandered. All as the re-
suit of the gigantic stupidity of cutting the army
down to a basis which renders it almost useless
Never, since God permitted ignorance to he &C.
cepted excuse Tor wrong doing, has there
been such spec scle of down right imbecility as
has been witnessed in the dealing with our army
aud IT, lay if there was per capita price for
demagogues in this country even at a very low
figure the country would have immense wealth
within her borders. 4 he serious question Of the
hour Is, have the people any political vitality left
with which to shake Il these tyraus. We saw
tyrauts, because the Congress of the country has
a. ls-t become despot OF no small proportions
That al the members, during the past few wears
>hluli tall under sach a ceusGr+ of course is not
true; but the tendency of the democratic party and
its leaders ia Congress has been to domneer over.
aud interfere with the interests Of the peope, to
an extent seldom ever witnessed ia any monarchy
Let every father who has son on the frontier
Sc king TO build up future home let every moth.
Ell who has babe clinging to her bosom, ask the
question, am parry to that miserable policy iu
J. NH y,aa 80,
peaceful young men are slain upon their farms,
aud innocent women and children murdered
around their homes because there is not vitality
enough left in the Government to protect them
from the handful OF dians that still roam at
will over the Western wilds
The whole legislation toward the army by the
democratic party has been inspired in the inter-
ests OF demagogues, and we may look for. and
expect trouble, not only from Indians, but also
from every other law breaking class of men
throughout the realm. They have cut down the
army to save expense y and thereby they have
stimulated warfare which annually costs the gov
eminent hundred times more than it would to
maintain decent sized army, capable Of keeping
the ssvages in hand without murder. If we
cant present a better picture, let our motto be-
"lIere imbecly regns supremely and here to be
a demagogue is the chi,f road to success" To-
day. the unlettered savage, uneducated in the sci
ence Of warfare, is showing superiority over the
government of the United States. BAH out up
on all such creatures as have brought this hum ILL.,
alton upon us. 1t is time that the opening of po-
litical graves for demagogues was commenced.
General Garfield, on the Fourth of July, gave
US timely warning. and what wa. it, WHY,
that after one hundred years of our boosted and
beautiful management, we were almost as it were
sleeping over magazine, while our citizens many
of them were ready 10 light the igniting fuse
And whyi Simply because as a government we
have allowed demagogues to brighten US into a
position OF puslllanimity, where We have no more
power for enforcing law and order, than crippled
old woman, whose every limb is palsied, would
have in coercing a half dozen, over grown, un =
ruly boys. If we mean any longer to make q
claim to the least respectabihty as a nation, in
mercys name let us stop this humating non
sense, and put the government on footing that
shall not only demand the respect of our own
people, but the respect of the whole world. A
footing that shall enable Us to keep the few doz-
ems of hostile Indians 9nia II.
July 10, 1873