The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-06-01
BEN BUFFERS REMEDY.

| Ben. Butler closed long speech against an
increase of the army in the National House of
Representatives on May 23d as follows
For myself let it not be said have given
no plan or details by which Il remedy may be
administered. Under the rules of the House
have neither time nor opportunity. have had
on this bill; for it will be said, What has this
to do with the Army Bil?" | saw no other
opportunity in which could call the attention
of the House and the country to this great and
to me seeming impending danger, and it has
this to do with the Army bill.
1t is claimed that we must have large stand
ing army to repress the possible outbreak OF la
boring men--to put them down with the bullet
and bayOnct, the machine gun and cannon, If
they OUT work and strike and bad men should
band together to take advantage of their ncces-
sites to inaugurate violence and wrong. Re
move the cause, and then you Will not need an
army. The only suggested need OF an army
will cease, except on the Western frontier.
Instead OF supporting four hundred men, at an
expense of nearly million a year, on the from.
tier as a regiment, support four hundred fami-
lies with strong, stawart workingmen at their
heads, in place of that regiment, and give them
arms and they will protect themselves from
your Josephs, your Sitting Bulls, or your In
dians, wherever they may be found. Settle
them together in communities of four hundred
families each, and they will be your army
not of consumers, but an army of producers OF
large numbers, each settlement stronger than
a regiment. Exercise the power the cOnstitu
ton has given you and make them United
States frontier militia, and unlike soldiers
when they do not fight they will produce, and
not eat the production Of others. Send out a
selected head of Il family, willing to work, with
his wife and children, and give him forty
acres of land and what your soldiers cost you
in transportation, clothing, forage, pay and
quarters, and you will have a producer al
home to defend himself as our fathers did in
| New England rs our fathers did in New York
without the aid Of any regular army EXpcnd
| the forty million dollars il year which your ar
my annually costs you in putting settlers on
| lands of the frontier with their families, who
in a few years, will not only be seli-support
ing but a self.recruiting army, which shall add
to and not decrease your wealth. Then twill
be time to talk about disbanding your regular
army cutting it down to "A few soldiers to keep
| the guns and cartridges in the several forts
painted; and only educate your officers and lei
them turn their efforts to civil life until by the
possible contingency of n foreign war they may
be called into action at the head of volunteer
soldiers on whom you must mt last depend
Depend in the several states upon a well-regu
lated United States militia which the constitu
ton prc-supposes; and do not let my ear be
panied again by hearing it said that militia
will not fight, or will sympathize with mol
of rioters. When that hour comes your regu
lar soldiers cannot be depended upon any mere
than militia, and the whole history of the ar
mics of the world tells you that the regulars
fraternize with the people when the cause o
the mob becomes the cause OF the people, ant
the action of the mob is revolution agains
their oppressors who take away their libertie
and their rights.