The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-11-20
LITTLE PILLS VIEWS.

Some Extracts from the Annual Report
of General Sheridan on the Army's Con.
dition-His Plans for Solving the In
dian Problem : Legislation Needed in
the Army.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1s.-The annual re-
port of Lieutenant General Sheridan, COM
mander OF the army, after referring to the
defenseless condition of the Atlantic cities,
the raids of Oklahoma by the s'boomers, !"
the sincerity of whose leaders he doubts,
mentioning the belief Of some that they are
in the pay of interested corporations who
desire to have Indian Territory opened to
settlement, and the troubles with the Chey-
ennes and Arapahoes, takes up the subject
of the Apache murders and says:
am in hopes of an early settlement of the
Apache difficulty in such manner as will for
ever prevent recurrence of the raids of these
Indians. So long as General Crook had
control of the Apaches under the agreement
of the Secretary of War and the Secretary of
the Interior matters went on very well in Ari-
iona, but when contentious began under the
divided authority that existed year ago,
diStrust and trouble arose among the In
dams, and continued until the outbreak of
the Chiricahuas in May last The outbreak
was petulant and without cause and EN-
braced only part of the tribe, but this eie-
ment comprised the young and most vigor-
Gus. The conduct of this band, not exceed
ing forty-twO men and nine squawS,w IVES fend-
ish in the extreme. Unprotected and rn-
armed people were murdered wherever met
and when pressed by the troops they scattered
like flock of quail and came together
again at some designated spot from
hfty to one hundred miles distant. They
should all be exterminated or captured
and l have the greatest confidence in
General Crooks ability to accomplish this
purpose, though the difficulties are very
great. beg the people in that section to
bear in mind that General Crook is the best
man we have to deal with these hostile In
dians and will accomplish in the end more
IMAM, perhaps, any man in the army. He is
familiar with the Indians and the country,
aud, unfortunate as the people of Arizona and
New Mexico have been, there is no other man
in the army who could do any better or who
is more wrapped up in the welfare OF the.
people OF that section as regards life prop
erty and business prospects. In regard to
this hostile band in Mexico, under the agree.
mont, our officers and men have been treated
with consideration and kindness which it is
my duty to acknowledge. | take great pleas
ure in commencing General Crook for the adj
mirablc disposition Of his troops and his
steady perseverance under disheartening cir
cumstances.
General Sheridan recommends as a solu-
ton of the vexed Indian question that the
Government give each Indian family the
$40 acres now provided for them by law and
buy up the remainder of their reservations
at $1.25 per acre. investing the money for
the tribes in Government bonds, the in
terest to be used in lieu of the annual sub
sides voted them by Congress for
their maintenance, and the principal
to & be given into their control in
the course of time. General Sheridan
100000 acres, the Cheyennes and Arapa-
hoes 100000 and the Utes 800, 900,
which could be bought by the Government
for this purpose. Some of these lands are
worth from SIS to $40 an acre, and could be
sold to settlers readily at an average of
$1.25 an acre. If the treaties in existence
between the tribes and the Government in
terfere with the execution of this plan
General Sheridan suggests that Congress
''could easily devise some means of over,
coming this difficulty The report con-
tinueS:
] can not agree with General Miles in his
ideas regarding the Indian Territory, or in his
confidence in the ability of the Indian to make
himself sef-supporting in SO short a time. All
our experience heretofore does not warrans
such confidence, and such opinions should
be regarded as individual rather than repre-.
sentative of the army. The processes of
civilization must necessarily be slow and
Will, no doubt be worked out in time il firm
ness and fair treatment be observed
and a steady policy pursued; but the
ultimate result is still some distance in the
future When tribe becomes refractory or
has worked itself into state of open revolt,
its temporary transfer to the control of the
military for the purpose of discipline, as
has recently been done with the Cheyennes
and Arapahoes in the Indian Territory
and the Apaches in Arizona, will b5
found of benefit; but the permanent contrcs
OF the Indians is not desired by the army
at large. The Seminole Indian scouts now ia
the vicinity of Fort Clark, Tex. (mentioned in
my last report, have not as yet been brought
back to the Indian Territory. Sympathy foT
them is very great, and the injustice they
have undergone for about eighteen years has
been often referred to without effect They
are good people, and should be provided
Tor in the Indian Territory.
The Lieutenant General commends the
recommendations of the Adjutant-G General
in regard to promotions to the rank Of field
officer; he calls attention to the necessity of
concentrating troops near the large cities,
where they can be more economically sup
ported, and whence they can be more read
lily moved; and says the status of the ma
tional guard should be regulated by gem
eral law Of Congress. The report concludes
as follows:
The discipline throughout the army is very
good. | have no recommendation to make
except to increase the number of men in the
companies and to add two more companies
and two Majors to each regiment of infantry.
most heartily coincide with the remarks of
General Schoheld on the need of military
legislation His views are of such Importance
that transmit them bodily to my report:
:" There is great need in the military serv-
ice OF legislation, under the power conferred
! by the Constitution upon Congress. to make
rules for the government and regulation of
tho land and naval forces. 1t is sometimes of
+ supreme Importance that the responsible
ties OF military administration and command
pc clearly defined by law, and it is important
at all times that the rules for the gov
ernmcnt of the military service be observed
like other laws by competent authority
after due consideration and under all the
nght which experience can bring to the aid of
legislation. Regulations thus established and
subject to change only by Congress would
have such a degree of stability as to
become the basis of a sound military
system, which up to the present time has
not existed in this country. Although
the regulations have undergone changes
almost without number, the most important
questions involved in the command and
government of the army. which have been
the source of constant embarrassment and
the cause of much controversy for many
years, remain unsettled at the present time.
NO commanding General, from the highest to
the lowest, Gun know the extent or limit of
his authority, and no one can have any staff
responsible to him for the faithful execution
of his orders"
During the last twenty-five years the coun-
try has passed through three momentous
crisis wherein these unsettled questions were
OF vital importance to the Nation, and their
decision for. the occasion depended solely
upon individual opinions. Another such
crisis may not be far distant when such a de-
clslon might not be so fortunate Tor the coun-
try. Hence, while present the necessity of
considerable increase of the army, | also
suggest as still greater necessity that laws
be established by Congress for the govern.
ment and regulation. Of the military forces.
The following story is from New
York County, Pa: "While Emor6
Strasbaugh, aged fourteen, was getting
chestnuts at his home near Mount Zion
a large bald eagle swooped down. and,
catching the lad by the clothes, tried
to carry him off, The boy weighs
about one hundred pounds and could
not be moved from the ground He
fought the eagle off without being in
jured in the least, and as the bird
loosened its hold it seized large
turkey in its claws and sailed off with it
to the woods"