The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-12-04
Report Of General Sherman.
WASHINGTON, November -.

lIall W tilt 1CClClNly VA wa 80 %
the public to-day. After calling atten'
ton to various subordinate reports, tho
General says:
~ agree with Gener,, Sheridan that the army
Il too small in enlisted men to fulfill the heavy
duties now imposed ON it, and is Overworkcd.
!, therefore, renew my recommendation o:
"a I year that Congress be asked to give 5000
enlisted men specifically t. the tO 'ps of the
line OF the army, an to make separate pro-
vision for deyachments of advance men,
engineer BATTALION hospital Stewards
'coin,nissary scrgcants,' West Point detach.
lncnts,' detailed clerks, etc, in the same
as has already been done for the
Signal Corps. In this connection l will VEN
ture to call your attention to the fact that tho
Revised Statutes, edition Of 1873, Sec. Ills,
defining the organization Of the army, limits
the strength to not more than D,OJJ enlisted
men, but subsequent appropriation bills by
provisos have limited the expenditures to ~
900 enlisted men. Still the legal strength Is
d, 900 enlisted men, and that number is the
least possible at which We cab maintain the
present organization of forty regiments in
like good order, discipline and econ
Omy, and infer this end can be reached by
simply emitting the provisOs In the next up
bill.
The prosperous times and easy financial
condition Of the Treasury may now enable
Congress to provide suitable ornaments for
the forts which guard the chief harbOrs Of the
country"
Speaking OF the Northern Pacific, Union Pc
cific and Southern Pacific Railroads, General
Sherman says:
''These railroads have completely revOlu.
tiOnized our country In the past few years,
and impose on the military an entire change
of policy. Hitherto we have been compelled
to maintain small posts along wagon and stage
routes of travel. These arc no longer needed,
because no longer used, and the settlements
which grow up speedily along the new rail-
roads afford the security necessary, and the
regular stations built for storage ut cOnvc-
nient distances afford the necessary shelter
for stores, and for the men when operating in
the neighborhood. We should now absolutely
abandon many of the smaller posts hitherto
necessary, and concentrate 1T strategic points,
generally near the National frontier or where
railroads interect, 50 as to send out de.
tachments promptly to districts where need
cd.
"In my Judgment the time has now come
for the military authorities to select suita-
bic strategic point Tor permanent occupation
and improvement, whence detachments can
be sent out for special service. As long as we
possess and must care for these small posts it
is impossible to abandon them to waste, and
We aie forced to hold them, but II Congress will
designate to the President, the Secretary of
War and Board of Officers the right to sell
these posts and appropriate the proceeds of
sale to strategic points, am certain it will re.
suit in great economy and enable Us to MAIN
tain large garrisons with increased discipline
and better service. For similar reasons and
because the commerce vi the world is carried
on in ships of 900 tons and over, and because
of the heavy draft of war vessels. most OF our
sea-coast detcnses are superiluous. We now
have 81, 10000 people, and the idea Of any
hostile force landing on our coast is
prepOSterous; YET Utlr great commercial ports
should be made SO safe that even anappreicn.
sion of danger would not be felt. Portland,
Boston, Newport. New York, Philadelphia,
Hampton Reads. Port Royal, Key West, PEN
sacOla, New orleans, San Diego, San Francis
CO and Port Townsend should all be properly
fortified and garriSoned. All minor forts
should be sold or abandoned. An annual ap-
preparation of $lOOO.OUO would in ten years put
these forts in good order, and another million
q year would properly arm them, and the sec
rotary of War and President should have DIS.
cretion in the disbursement OF this money,
Artillery officers should also he associated
with engineers in constructing, altering and
repairing sca-coast dcrcnscs, because the men
who have to fight these batteries should have
something to do in their construction"
Referring t. the reports OF General Schotic!d
and Colonel Getty relative to West Point aud
the artillery school ut Fortress Monroe, Gem
eral Sherman says:
"ln my Judgment both these institutions arr
in as good order as possible, and both are ar
honor to the country. Education must alway!
he the surest basis Of National security ant
honor. The education and manly training i'm
parted to young men at West Point have r, pait
the United States a thousand times their cost
and have more than verified the predictions O
uCuOlW " USuIuNAVus rum ViHhV Nv tIW'
periodical complaints have arisen to its prej'
dice, such rs occurred last year In regard q
the cOlOrcd cadet, Whitaker. A thorough
patient, close investigation in the midst of ,
tumult Of abuse resulted In the perfect vindi
cation of the authorities Of that Academy
Every cadet at West Point is an appointcc o
member of Congress, each member having
cadet Of his own nomination there. will
Only ten appointed by the President Il
large. The corps of cadets Is there
fore youthful counterpart of Ou
National House of Representatives. TIN
same laws. the same regulations, the same in
structiO1 hooks, clothing and food are com
mon to all, and more democratic body never
existed on earth than is the corps Of cadets
Prejudice is alleged against colorcd cadets
Prejudice Of race is the most difficult to con
tend against Of any in this world. There is NJ
more such prejudice at West Point than in tn
country at large, and the practice Of elualit,
at West Point is in advance of the rest of tn
country. The authorities ut the Acadcm!
have no voice In the selection of candidates
and must receive, train and educate such Il
are there, regardless of nationality, color, o
previous condition. To discriminate in favO
Of q cO!Ored boy by reason of his color IL a
much violation of the Fourteenth Amend
ment to the Constitution rs to discriminate
against him, perfect impatiality being tn
rule, and that, believe the authorities at IVES
Point have endcavorcd to follow. IN this cor
nectiOn desire to state TINT in my jud .mcn
the requirement that all enlisted men Of tn
Ninth and Tenth Cavalry and of the Twenty
fourth and Twenty.lifth Infantry shall be g.
Ored men, while the officers are white, is no
consistent with the amendment of thc Const
tuition referred TO-. All men shOl.d he cniste
who are qualified, and assigned to regimen;
regardless of color or previous condition,
Such has been the law and usage in the nay
for years, and the army would soon grow &C
customed to it. No body of men on earth ha
more reverence for the Constitution and law
than the army. and pledge my own aal tn
good faith Of all in the service to enforce faith
fully every part of the Constitution of tn
United States, and every law made In pursu
ance thereof. General Schotield is abundant
" able to enforce the laws and regulations O
the academy.
"The education at Fort Monroe. under tn