The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-10
what Gen. Ord Saws.

That Gen. ORD should bring some contri-
button, In his annual report to HAYEss in
trigue against Mexico, was TO be expected.
He does 1t by charging sundry Mexican
towns particularly Santa Rosa and San
Carlos, with harboring Indian cattle thieves,
and buying the plumber they gather In
Texas lie also accuses the State of Chi
huahua OF making treaty whose effect Is
TO aid and abet the Comanchc outlaws.
How Gen. ORDs report fays into Gen.
SHERIDAN's is clear Gen. SHERIDAN recon-
mcnds that hereafter troops shall not only
be allowed to raid in Mexico, but shall be
"sent across TO certain points, dndkept there
until deprcdations entirely cease" Gen.
ORD furnishes evidence, or, at least, accusa-
lions, against two Mexican towns as II for
the purpose Of justifying their permanent
occupation by his troops.. In addition, he
brings a charge against tie entire State Of
chihuahua, which will perhaps be tortured
into cxcusing its occupation at any conve-
nent points, when HAYES takes up SHERi-
DAMS suggestion of garrisonlng Mexico,
and carries il into effect.
That such an occupation until depreda-
tions entirely cease" would be simply
permanent seizure Of Mexican territory, is
clear enough from ORD's own testimony;
for this officer, in his present report, as in
the one OF n year ago, shows, first, that
such deprcdations have been going on for
more than century; and, secondly, that
these Indians have always lived in an inn
mense. unexplored. and rugged region con-
tiguous to the United States" To expect TO
stop at once these established maraudings.
under such difficulties. is prcposterous; and
proposition to occupy certain points in
Mexico until they do stop Is proposition
for permanent occupation
Besides IL is evident enough from Gen.
ORD's report that troops thus sent into gar
rison in Mexico would not be stationed In
the Indian country at all, but In or near
populous towns. Gen ORD testified to Con-
gress that the zone in which the cattle
thieves operate is "a desolate waste, bear
ing nothing but grass and Indians" that
"our troops going into that country have
frequently marched ninety miles without
finding water" and that Lieut.. BULLS had
reported the country TO be the worst he had
ever seen. The mere question Of supplies
would prevent this region from being the
one selected for occupation And the Ger
tain points" 10 be seized under SHERIDAN's
plan are more likely to be the Santa Rosa
and San Carlos mentioned by Gen. ORD, the
Saragossa and Rimolino that attracted the
censure OF Lieut.-Col. SHAFrER, and other
Mexican frontier towns.
The explanation OF these now features In
the Mexican business will not be hard TO
find. Gen. ORD himself supplies it in the
testimony he delivered last winter to the
Committee OF Foreign Affairs, when he said :
our orders are very strict the where
the Mexicans have any troops at all who have the ahi
ny to follow the raiders cmscves-any troops capable
OF o,eraking the raiders and restoring the property
So long as the troops OF TREvISo and CA
MALES were occupied with watching Esco-
BEDo and the revolutionists, who organized
in Texas an armed expedite, against the
Mexican Government, and successfully
transferred 1t across the Rio Grande,
HAYEs's orders really allowed free raiding,
despite their nominal restrictions. But the
case Is altered now. II Is a matter Of public
notoricty as we'll as OF official notification
at Washington, that Mexican troops have,
for many weeks, been successfully campaign
ing against the Lipan raiders. and now " our
order will no longer be operative" says Gen
ORD. Under these circumstances, what can
be done except to trump up new excuses for
new and more outrageous orders