The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-04-11
TIE BASIS BY I
ARMY

Gen. Sheridan Summons Gem. A. -. Terry
to Washington TO Consult Upon the At
fairs at Fort Smelling, Including the
Building of New Barracks n the Quar-.
tertng OF q Large Number Of Troops
There.
Washington, Special Telegram, March &-
"You have sent for Gen. Terry TO come from
St Paul to Washington" said your correspon-
dent to Gen Sheridan, this afternoon,
eyes" replied the general, II wanted Terry
to come down here and help me to secure an
appropriation for q new barracks at Fort Smell
ling. He is a good talker, and understands the
situation and the congressman take a good deal
Of stock in what he says. / DO not know any
officer in the army who is more highly respect
ed or more influential than Gen. Terry. We
want s2O0,O00 to build q new post 1t Will cost
more to fix up the present barracks than to
build new ones. We want a new and q nice
post up on the higher ground above the old
one. It will cost about 100000, If the sol
diers perform the labor, and will save all it
costs in one year"
How do you figure that out?"
'It is nv policy to concentrate the army, as
far as can, in large and convenient posts. 1t
costs a good deal less, and the railroad facilities
are so good now all over the West, that we can
send soldiers wherever they are wanted cheap
er than we can sustain them IN the outlying
frontier posts Ny policy is to concentrate
them at convenient points where the railroad
facilities are good. ST. Paul is a
very convenient location, and | want a big
post there, With q regiment of cavalry and
another OF infantry-say twelve or fifteen hun
dred men. They can go TO Fort Keogh from
St Paul as Quick and as easily as from the
posts IN Northern Montana, and at a great deal
less expense TO the government"
gErT~, H. -rr Gv1r nuf that Won CaD 1avp
enough IN 8 wear 10 build a new postE"
'sIn this way: Including the transportation
of clothing, subsistence, forage, fuel, and
quartermaster's supplies, with the expense OF
maintaining a post, it costs S3i.GS per
day to keep 100 infantry soldiers at
Fort Smelling. and SCI. 50 70 keep 100 cavalry
men at Fort AssinaboIne, for example, 1t costs
s52W q day to keep 100 infantrymen. The
saving, then, in keeping the men at Smelling,
is s3l35per day for a hundred infantry, enc
s4666 per day for the same number OF ~cavalry-
men. The saving in q year at Fort Smelling is
sIl, $50 40 for infantry, and $22,557 for cayal-
rymen. 1t is an argument IN favor OF economy
that nobody can get round, IN you see?
Then take an estimate of 500 men. The saving
to the government would be 1918 20 in
keeping that number of infantry atForsS Smell
ing q year and SIP, 76Jin keeping 500 cavalry
men. Then take an estimate Of a thousand men
the savings would be s115,S14D a year on In
fantry and $225, 800 a year on cayalrymen. sup.
pose / put a regiment of 800 cavalry at FOri
Smelling 1t would save the cost Of the post in
q single year.
What is the proepect Of getting the appro-
priation?"
81 think il ia good If congress wants econ
omy, 1 have given some arguments they cam
get around"
Gen Terry will feave st Paul for this city on
Monday or Tuesday,