The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-11-21
Report of the General Of the Army.


His command, says Gen. Sherman, en-
braces eight or ten regiments OF cavalry,
and eighteen or twenty-five regiments of in
fantry, which compose the entire army ; and,
although he states this force to be entirely
inadequate to perform the duties required,
yet it is impossible further to re-enforce him
without stripping the seaboard or abandon.
ing other Territories, subjected to the same
dangers which he so graphically describes in
his own. His Territorial command is one
thousand i've hundred miles long and one
th0usandtwo hundred miles broad. This vast
region, has in the past ten years undergone a
radical change. From being the pasture field
of millions of, buffalo, elk, ETC., affording
abundant food for the Indians, cit has passed
into a farming country tfaversed by many
railroads. The game is nearly all gone, ami
the Indian has been forced on smsll reseK
vations. Nearly all the Indian treaties were
made on the theory that this change would
occur more slowly, and that the Govern
ment would have to furnish partial food for
the Indians, and that it would procure half
or quarter of the necessary meat by hunt
ing it. Again, it was a favorite theory that
the Indian would see for himself reason
why he should cultivate the ground like
white men; but his progress in this respect
is scarcely perceptible save in remnants of
tribes like the Santees, Pawn ees, Oherskees,
etc. while the Sioux, heyennes. .Arapahoes,
Klowas, etc., seem to prefer death to the
common toll of the farmer. Beyond ques.
ton 1t was hunger which drove the Bah-
nocks and Cheyennes to war this summer !;
and similar escapades will occur each year
unless these Indians be kept quiet with
more food It seems idle to expect
that the enterprising white race, will
cease till every acre of this conti-
nent is susceptible OF cultivation. 1t is
not to be expected that these pasture
fields can be used by the two races without
everlasting conflict. The reservations al
ready set-apart for the Indians are large
enough, and should suffice them to raise all
meat and grain necessary for their subsis.
tence; but meanwhile they must have food,
else they will steal and fight. To convert
these Indians into pastoral race is the
hrst step in the upward progress of civiliza-
| tlon; tnat OF culture must be the next state,
though slower of realization .si9't
But in this direction, is some hone of res.
cuing any part of &c Nomad" Indians from
utter annlhilation. This end cannot be
reached by means of the present Peace
Agent, because persuasion is wasted on an
Indian. There must not only be show of
force, but actual force and subsection, used.
Force will be necessary to COMPEL the " No,
mad to cultivate his OWN ground.
There is wide dis inction among tribes,
and each tribe must be dealt with according
to its nature. Large discretion to supply
food must be lodged with the President: or
somewhere -else.I Starvation will each year
cause wars such as occurred this season
with the Shoshones and Southern Cheyen-
mes. The army can not foresee or preven,
these wars. All it can do after the Indians
mt nil md l..
less families, is to pursue and capture them
in detail after infinite toll, then conduct
them back to their reservations and tnrn
them 1osoe to return to the same game, ad
libitunl. Congress can alone provide a
remedy, and if prevention be wiser than
cure, money and discretion must be lodged
somewhere in time to prevent starvation.
| The reports of Generals Mcdowell, How.
| ard and Wilcox describe the condition oi
affairs in the States and Territories border,
ing ON the Pacific Ocean. These Indians
are collected by tribes and families on small
reservations, well apart, so that Indian wars
on large scale, requiring concert of action
are not probable. Yet the Nez Perces wal
of 1877 and the Shoshone war of this sum
mer show, however, these small bands Of
Indians did large amount of damage and
caused great tconsternation. a{ -t+
The Pacific Coast Indians depend mucl
on fish for subsistence, and the establish
ment of fisheries on the Lower Columbi,
is fast cutting off the supply. Unles.
suitable regulations are adopted, salmoi
will become extinct, and the Indians driver
to stealing and in consequence war will
settlers. ,lt
Reference is made to the danger of hostil
lies between the Indians and settlers il
Oregon and Washington Territories, an,
also IN Arizona, owing to. trespasses b,
whites. The army is powerless to act il
either case, having no control or right t
interfere, except after hospitalities are actu
ally begun. The General repeats that tn
Indian problem is not single problem
but many, as many almost as there ar
4 tribes. Measures which would be. wise il
one instance would be folly in another. an
whatever department of the government
charged with it must be armed, not onl
with force, but large discretion, and author
lty to furnish food in emergencies
One regiment will probably have to go t
the frontier in the spring from the Diyisio
OF the Atlantic. 1t would be well if ther
could be held at points like Atlant.
Leavenworth, St. Paul, and Omaha, in rot,
ton, full regiment Of infantry or cavalr
for instruction.; but hitherto this has bee
impracticable.
zen. Sherman doubts the wisdom of s.
lecung and preparing in advance, as recon
mended by General Hancock, post an
camps against yellow fever. The artiller
school at Fortress Monroe is kept to hig
standard, and is fast becoming a "pos
, graduate course for officers;
, TheGeneral concurs in the recommend
ton OF General Schofeld that the Septen
, Der appointments of West Point be discol
, tlnued, and further suggests that new cade
De examined by an academic board early
June, and no cadet be admitted after the 1
OF July. He questions, however, the wi
2 dom OF the recommendation that the sta
dard for admission of cadets be raised.
' He thinks that the erroneous impressic
,, is common that the academy graduate
: more officers than are needed for The arm
: but experience has shown that vacanci
n annually occur in the army to at least Il
v number Of sixty, which is more than IL
|, average graduating class. 1oE
q The report shows that there are 7,S
9 enlisted men in the ten regiments of cayal
: in the army, $3.50 men in the five regimen
!, of artillery, and II ,205 in the twenty.fi
regiments OF infantry, making a total
o 21,664. Besides these, there are in t
= engineer battalion. 1879 permanent and ]
o crultfng parties; music bureaus, and j
: cruiting depots, 121; enlisted men detach
a on general service, 372; ordnance depa
q ments, 344; West Point detachments, 19
prison guard, II: hospital stewards, Is
e ordnance sergeants, ia commissary S,
8, geants, As; and Indian scouts, 340-a tot
c of 3,097, making the whole number of {
e listed men in the army "a, ,761. The rept
n concludes as follows: ,;5eff! r. y
:, In cone usion, beg to state that. .frt
personal inspection and from official !
; ports am sure the army is well and e,
n nomically supplied. Its discipline and
le structions are as good as could be expect
is from its scattered condition, and from I
-e vast amount of labor imposed on it; Il
,r it has met promptly and cheerfully eve
e call of duty and hardship. 1t has acco
,, ! plished an amount of work which, as G
q eral Sheridan has well said, no other natl
IN in the world would have attempted VI
Is less than 10000 or 10000 men,"
lie Is there any conceivable reason W
the orchestra should spoil every pathe
y passage in a play by wailing
~, ot compartment? Why a noble emoti
:, nobly expressed, heroic act or
- agonizing death should be made rit
% % uIous by squeaking band, remains
- to the present moment ntincomprehensit