The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1879-01-14
FoR TUE BiLLErlN.
WHAT a BLESSING THE MONEY
MIGHT BE MADE.

Mlulil pS ihAbL'
Our Army and Navy cost the govern
ment about sixty millions Of dollars every
year. This Is equivalent to two hundred
thousand dollars for every working day OF
the year. Apply this sum great national
works like the Eads plan for the improve
mcnt of the Mississippi river or SCOTS
Texas Pacific railroad and it would give
perpetual employment to one hundred and
thirty-three thousand men at one dollar
and half per day! 1t would furnish
profitable employment for every tramp in
America 1t would place sixty thousand
fresh hardy settlers in our territories every
year; pay for farm for each OF them, and
leave a surplus of fully $500 to support
hih until he produced his crops. The money
would, if so applied, people our trackless
territories fast enough to bring new State
into the Union every two years; and fast
enough to give the settlers complete asccn-
| dancy over the savagcs in all the territories
| of tho United States in less than five years.
1t would, if applied in that manner, board
every Indian warrior in the country at the
Fifth Avenue hotel, and pay for two police
men to watch him. All this and thousand
other things could be accomplished by a
use Of the $G0000000a year that is paid
by the government for the maintenance of
the Army and Navy.
AS expended OF present, what do we re-
ceive in return: Thirty seven Of the sixty
millions are expended in maintaining the
army, and the army keeps the Indians in
check"-in Big Horn" 1t destroys
their villages, trades the lives of two soldiers
for the life Of one Indian, and brings ven
geancc, murder and multiplied horrors upon
the heads of scores and hundreds of unpro-
tected frontiers men. If all this is essen
tial to the ''perpetuty of a Republican form
of government" why cant the militia bring
it about, and then disband and 90 homel
The cost would be less than one-fourth the
amount that is required to support the
army; and when it comes to the real slug of
war;" what does the regular army amount
to, anyhow? 1t is good as far as it goes;
but experience has shown that the country
must always rely upon its militia; and,
since the several states have organized
strong, thoroughly drilled and well equipped
state militia, there would be no lack Of
good soldiers should the emergency require
an instantaneous movement. If, as COM
munitics, we are just to one another, and it,
as a nation, we are moved by an honest
upright and magnanimous foreign policy
we shall not be called upon to draw the
sword once in century. If we are, and
when we are, the volunteers and state mil
tia will do the work, as they always have
done.
As for the Navy it is far more useless
"branch of the service than the Army
The industrial Liberator" tells the truth
when it says the business of the Navy is
sailing aimlessly about in all the seas, even
where oul proft-mongers have no business.
And the same authority says; "Thc Navy
protects our carrying trade" does it,
What is our carrying trade worthl Two or
three millions nett, perhaps, and we pay
SEQ, 100000 for protecting it. And the en-
enterprise and capital engaged in this same
carrying trade could be far more proftably
employed at home.
So it is not worth two or three millions,
nor one million, nor one dollar. 1t is
loss and a heavy loss, to us-the heaviest
of all losses. 1t is the destruction of the
morals and manhood of our youth, and
their death by thousands by drowning and
premature disease We have navy only
because the funkies who lie themselves
into the Government desire to follow in the
track Of the "respectable' Government of
England. And 1t was this navy and scar
rying trade" which, beginning in the ''alien
and sedition" Presidency of John Adams,
crowded us into war with the Barbaw
pirates, in which hundreds of our young
men persisted, and later into the war with
England in which 10000 Of our people
were slain. Not one life of which would
have been endangered, even, if chad stayed
at home ploughing the land instead of the
ocean, and cultivating in the field and
workshop the arts of peace. When this
nation comes to its political senses II will
sell the old ships and abolish the navy"