The daily gazette., 1878-11-04
From the New York Sun.
sheridan's Step Forward.

And now Gen. Phil Sheridan. whose
mllitarydivision covers Texas--and there
lore, on Hayes's plan, Mexico-comes to
The 'front.' with bold addition to Hayes's
annexation scheme. If, he saws, in his
annual report, the Mexican Government
does not succeed in suppressing lawless-
ness on the Rio Grande, ~ would re-
commend that Congress pass an act that
from and after certain fixed time, if
depredations in Texas are not discon-
tinued, force of troops be sent across at
certain points, and kept there until depre-
dations entirely cease"
Here we see marked out the next stage
IN the Invasion project--an advance from
the random, occasional raid, to the per-
nahent occupation of Mexican terri
tory.
This cool recommendation Gen. Sheri-
dan launches after an acknowledgment
that "the Mexican Government is max
ing more exertion to suppress lawlessness
than heretofore" and at time when that
Government has just concluded series
OF operations against the Indian maurau-
ders, more successful than any of the
lawless ones undertaken by Gen. Ord's
raiders.
10 trace, therefore, the steady develop
ment of Hayes's invasion policy, we need
| only compare the present recommends
tion of Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan, the prob
able basis of new orders, with the
former one of Lieut.. Col. Shafter, the
basis of existing orders. On March 8,
| lS77-that is, as soon as Hayes began his
present career-Col. Shafter made re-
port to Gen. Ord's headquarters that "to
efiectually put stop to the Indian raids
from Mexico, 1t will be necessary to do
all scouting for Indians on the Mexican
side of the Rio Grande." That, then,
was question of scouting, not of garris-
oning; and when, referring to this report,
Hayes issued his raiding orders, he called
them instructions authorizing "the oc-
casional crossing of the border in pur-
suit of marauders. Three weeks later,
when those orders had reached Mexico,
and had been denounced by the Mexican
| War Minister as violation of internat-
ional law and of the practice of civilized
nations, Mr.. Foster fastened to Mr..
Vallarta's Office, and left with him a
memorandum, the fifth article of which
urged that the instructions to Gen. Ord
had been misinterpreted by the Mexican
Government; that the order authorized
pursuit of marauders only "when his
troops are either in sight of them or
upon a fresh trail" 1t will be seen,
therefore, what step is now taken in
proposing that troops shall regularly gar
| rison certain points in Mexico as if it
were already our own domain.
The step is the more striking because
Gen. Sheridan has not been hitherto
rauked among the advanced champions
of aggression, as his testimony before
the Congressional Committee, last win
ter, shows. When Gen. Ord forwarded
to him Skaters recommendation OF
raiding, IT. was without any approval Of
the recommendation aud when Sheri-
dan in turn forwarded 1t to Mr.. McCrsry,
he in general teims wrote upon 1t :: 81
recommend the Mexican Government
be compelled to prev, mt these hostile in
ours Mr. McCrarvs also sent it
without expression of opinion to Mr..
Evarts ; but within three days after
ward a letter was on the way to Nj.
Fo ter, inf frming him that ''the opinion
Of Col. Shafter that the only way to
check these att oc ties is to follow the
delinquents into Mexico and there at
tack them, Is probably well Funded
and that HAYES might sool be found
sac ing pursuant to Col. Shafter's opln-
ion," as he very soon was.
Ii Hayes in that case foil wed the
suggestion I, fl subo, diutts officer, a.
being the most aggressive, he wi now
presumably l-ok approvingly on the
lsIill more hostile measure suggested by
Gen. SheridaU-with Ibis difference,
however, that, as Hayes must know, the
Congressional act OF war which Sheridan
purposes is out of the question, aud
whatever is done to garrison Mexico
mrst be done under presumptou, order
! like that OF June 1877.
One question only remains To ask
How long would Mexico tamely submit
, to such permanent occupation of he
: soil by foreign troops against her will