The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-11-23

Ellis, Maginnis, Shaw, Missoula and others
would he considered useless and must meet
the fate Of the first named. But the general
proposes 70 remedy these losses by concen-
trailing troops .'at strategic points, generally
near the national frontier or where the rail-
roads intersect, so as to send out detacbmepts
promptly TO districts where needed,n There
are only two things that interfere with the
successful working of this nice little plan.
One is that we have not or are we liable to
have any railroads running TO the camps of
hostile Indians, and the other is that hostile
Indians do not choose their battle ground on
the line of railroads.
We think 1t will appear to the settlers that
the generals plan is no better than the pres
ent one for offensive or defensive operations
against the Indians. While the removal of
military posts to The intersection of railroads
may be in point of convenience and comfort
to the officers and men occupying our western
posts a great improvement over their present
isolated condition., it strikes us that the change
would not impress our savage nelghbors with
the same wholesome fear with which the close
proximity of the present line of posts in
spires them.
Further on the General states that .sthe
time has now come for the military authsri-
ties to select suitable strategic points for per-
manent occupation and Improvement, whence
detaclments can be sent out on special serv-
ice.' He furthermore advises the holding on
to the present small posts until congress will
delegate the right to a board of officers to "sell
them and appropriate the proceeds to strategic
points," where, he says, sit will enable us to
maintain large garrisons with increased disci-
pine and better SERVICE" OF course these
''la!ge garrisons" will be built and maintained
'heal the national frontier, or where the rail-
roads intersect." The query will naturally
arise in the mind of the average Montanian
that if Forts Keogh and Custer arc not need
ed in that exposed portion OF Montana why
large garrisons should be maintained at
points "where the railroads intersect," and
that if, with few exceptions, our present lines :
OF defence are not "near the national from.
tier" where could they be better placed than
they are now to serve the purposes of de-
Tense, taking into consideration the fact that
"troops should be concentrated" at a fayora-
Die point "from whence to send out detach-
ments promptly to districts where needed"
From what we can gather from the appar-
ent mass of inconsistencies contained in tho
report we infer that the General is Influenced
by a charitable desire to procure better or
more luxurious quarters for his western Off
GERS and men than they now enjoy. He
would remove them from our exposed from
tiers ard place them in 'large garrisons'
built at our centres of population where rail-
roads inlersect. We conceive that we are
Justified in this Interpretation of his language
by the suggestions he makes in regard to our
coast defences. He says call the minor forts
should be sold or abandoned" and observes
that "we now have fifty millions of people,
and the idea of any hostile force landing on
our coast is preposterous." This is true. and
no one can doubt it, but the remark unpre-
pares the reader for what follows. He recon-
mends that the ports Of Portland, Boston,.
Newport, New York, Philadelphia and near
ly a dozen more seaport cities which he men,
lions, 'should all be properly fortified and
garrisoned," and states that san annual ap.
preparation of 81. O00, 900 would in ten wears
put these forts IN good order" Well, we
think it would, but in view of the fact that
"the idea Of any hostile force landing on our
coast is preposterous," we cannot for the life
OF us see the necessity for this OUTLAY of
$~lo,oOO,OOO. 1t is true that the cities named
may be considered by the officers and men of
our army as very desirable places in which to
live, but we are inclined to believe that the
Of the United States will not look
with favor upon a project to dismantle our
frontier outpos's for the purpose of present.
ing upon our ~seacoast a useless show of force
to the world.
They will demand that our frontier SETTLERS
shall oe protected, that our homes shall he
secure, and that trave, in apv and
every part of our territories shall be as safe
from the murderous interruption of the saw
age as II Is in our eastern cities before thew
Will consent 80 make popinjays and sideshows
Of our soldiers at seacoast cities and watering
places. We imagine that our delegate in
will feel called upon to defeat some
OF the measures proposed in tins remarkable
report should they appear before the proper
at Washington for its favorable
action.
GP&3 exR -