The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-11-16
LATEST TELEGRAMS.
THE ARMY.
A Synopsis of General Sher-
mans Report.

ASH 49, BS1~A ApOL A. - - W.
| therefore renew my recommendation OF I
last year that Congress be asked TO give i
25. 600 enlisted men specifically TO troops I
Of the line Of the army, snd TO make /
separate provision for detachments OF
advance men, engineers, battalion hos
uital stewards, commissary sergesnts,
West Point detschments, detsiled clerks,
ETC., in the same manner IS has already
been done for the signal corps. In this
connection I will venture TO call your
attention TO the fact that the Revised
statutes Of the edition Of '7S, section
Ills. defining the organization Of the
army, limits the strength TO not more
han $4,000 enlisted, but subsequent
appropriation bill, by prOvisos, have
limited the expenditures TO $4,000 enl sted
men. Still the legal strength is 10000
ENLISTED men, aud that number is the
least possible at which We can maintain
the present organization of forty regi-
ments il anything like coed order,
discipline and economy; and infer that
the end can be reached by emitting thel
prov rOs IN the next appropriation bill. |
The pr speIous times and easy financial
louOition OF the treasury may now enable
Congress ~ provide suitable ArmGmonts
for fsrts with which 10 guard the chief
hsrbSrs Of the country.
speaking of the Northern Pacific,
Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Rail:
roads, Gen. Sherman SAys: These rail-
roads have completely revolutionized our
country in the past few years, and i'm
pose on the military an interchange OF
policy. Hitherto we have been con-
PEELED to MAINTAIN small posts aloug the
wagon and stage routes Of travel. These
are No longer needed, because no longer
used, and the settlements which grow up
speedily along the new railroads afford
the security necessary, and the regular
stations butt for storage at regular dis
sances, aft ,rd shelter for the military
torres and for men when operating in
| the neigh bOrhOod. We should now alb
solUtely abandon many Of the smaller
posts hitherto necessary and concentrate
1t strategic points, generally near the
national frontier, pr where railroads in
| sect, so as to send out detachments
promptly to districts where needed.
4 Congress, alone, has power to dispose OF
/ property Of the United States, and we,
| the military, find ourselves possessed
Of lands and houses, obtained
10 early times, which now offer
OPP ,rtunitieB for settlement, and
/ earnestly recommend that provision be
made by law for the sac Of fuch sbkn-
dOned military posts and outbuildings as
is found to be necessary, with the right to
apply the proceeds Of the sale to other
PAGES. The property OF the United
States which Sherman thus specifies, in
| cludes posls 10 kanG g, New Mexico and
Arizona and also Forts Keogh and Gus
ter on the Yellowstone, butt only four
| ears ago, ana he expresses the opinion
that, in 8 very short time, they will be-
come commerc iGl towns rather than mil
ItSry posts. In my judgment the time
has now come FOR the military authorities
to select suitable strategic points for per
msnent occupation and improvement,
whence dstschments can be NJ out for
special service. As long as we posses.
and must Care for these small pests it i;
impossible 70 abandon them TO waste,
and we are forced to hold in them; but il
Congress will delegate 20 the President,
secretary OF war and board Of officers,
the right to sell these posts and Rppropri.
ate the proceeds of the sale to strategic
| points, am certain il will result. in great
economy and enable Us to maintain large
| garrIsons, with increased discipline and
better service. For similar reasons and
because the commerce Of the world lie car.
ried on in ships OF 8, 900 tons and over, and
became of the heavy draft OF war YES
sells, most Of our sea coast detenses
| are superfuous. We have now 90, 600 00C
ueople, and the idea Of any hostile force
an lag on our coast is prepoIterous.
/ Yet our great commercial ports should
be made so safe that even an spprehen-
zion of danger would not be felt. Port
land, Boston, Newport. New York,
PuIlsdelphiA, Hampton Roads, Port
Royal, Key West, Pensacola, New Or
leans, San Diego, San Francisco and
Port Townsend should all be properly
ortiied and gzrrisoned. All the min !
forts should be sold or abandoned. An
annual ap vropriGlion Of 81 900, 900 would,
in ten years, put these forts in good order,
and another million q year would prop
perly arm them, AMI the secretary OF
war and the PRECEDENT should have dis
| cretion in the disbursement Of this
| money. Artillery officers should also
be associated with engineers in construct.
ing, altering and repairing sea COST de-
lenses; becauseImen who have to fight il
hese bate les should have something to
do IN their construction.
Referring 10 the reports Of Sco6eld and
and Col. Getty, relative to West Point
aud the artillery school Of Fortress Mon
roe, GeH. Sherman says: In my judg-
ment boti these institutions are in as
good order as possible, and both
are an honor to the country. Education
is always the SureSt basis of national
security and honor. The education and
manly training impaired to young men
at West Point, has repaid the United
States q thousand times its cost and has
more than verified the predictions Of
General Washington. From time tc
time periodical complaints have arisen
to its prejudice, such as occurred last
year in regard the colored cadet Vita
ker. A thorough, patient and close in
vestigsIion in the midst Of tumult oil
abuse, resulted the perfect vindlcAtion OF
The authorities q that academy. Every
cadet st West Point is an appointee of .
member OF Congress, each member haV-
ing q cadet Of his own nomination there,
with only ten appointed by the president
at large. The corps Of cadets is there
fore q youthful counterpart Of our ma
uonal House f Representatives. The
same regulations, the same instruction
books, clothing and feod are common to
sll and . more democratic body never
existed on the earth than is the corps Of
cadets Prejudice is alleged sgainst COL
ored cadets. The prejudice of race is the
most difficult to contend against of any
10 this world. There is no moro such
prejudice at West Point than In the
country at large, and the practice Of
equality at West Point is in advance of
the rest Of The country. To discriminate
in favor of colored boy by
reason of his color is as much a violation
of The Fourteenth Amendment to the
Constitution as to discriminate against
him. Perfect impartiAlity is the Iule,
and that l believe, the authorities at
West Point have eBdeasored 10 follow.
In this connection l desire to state that,
no nv Judgment, the requirement tina. all
enlisted men Of the Ninth and Tenth
Cavalry, ard of the Twenty-fourth and
Twenty fifth Infantry, shall be colored
mn, whilst the officers are white, is not
consistent with the amendment to the
constitution referred to. All men should
be enlisted who are qualified, aud as
signed to regiments regardless Of color or
previous condition. Such has been the
law and usage in the navy for years, and
the army would soon grow accustomed to
it. No body OF men on earth has more
reverence for the Constitution ard laws
than the army, and l pledge my own
and the good faith Of All in the service TO |
enfore faithfully every part OF the Con-
stitution Of the United States, and every !
law made in pursuance thereof. Geo. |
Schofsld is abundAntly able to enfore the
law. and regulations Of the academy. |
The education at Fort Monroe, u. der |
he SUPERVISION Of Col. GeIty, is purely |
professional, and limited chiefly to the