St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-04
MORE TROOPS NEEDED.
Maj. Gen. SchOfield Shows How Set
tiers are Protected.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3.-Maj. Gen.
Schofeld, commanding the division of the
Missouri, says, in his annual report. that
his force in round numbers, consists of
$500 infantry, 5000 cavalry and $50
artillery. aggegating $4,000 men. They
occupy 65 different stations, giving an aver
age of 231 men at each. He has the fol-
lowing to say about the means necessary to
prevent great destruction OF life and prop
erty by savage Indians:
The Indians are well mounted, having sew
eral ponies to each man, well armed and
abundantly supplied with ammunition Be-
ing trained from early childhood; they are ex-
cellent horsemen and expert marksmen. being
equal in these respects to the best regular
troops in the world. 1t is manifestly impos-
sble to permanently oyerawe and hold in
subjecton such bodies of sayages by
the show Of any force far inferior
to them in numbers. If Information
of the threatened outbreak of any tribe is OBJ
tanned in time it may be prevented by the
rapid concentration of troops by rail. This
has been done in several instances as in that
of the Cheyennes last summer. Considerable
progress has been made toward the civiliza-
tion of some of the tribes, but their savage
nature has not yet been greatly changed and
their love of war is not yet greatly dimin-
ished, while the temptations to engage in hos
tlities and the opportunities to do injury
have been vastly increased. The reserva-
tions are now surrounded by great herds Of
horses and cattle, and by vast fields of wheat
and corn, and by thousands of defenseles SIS
settlers When the lapse of few years has
duled the recollectionS of
PAST PUNISHMENT
only slight provocation will be needed to in
duce the young warriors to yield to such
tempting opportunities to satiate their native
love for war and plunder and brutal lust. A
great many of the frontier population are
strangers to the early history of the Indian
country. They have settled there since the
Indians were located upon reservations. Rely
ing on the government for protection, they are
apparently unconscious of any danger, while
in simple truth, they are liable at any moment
to experience all the horrors of savage war
fare The number of Indians in this divis-
ion, as reported by the interior department,
is about 1850 OF these about $4,000 are
treated as peaceable, the remainder, 122, ,OOO
being more or less uncivilized. The warriors
number at least $4,000, equal to the entire
strength of the United States army, or 10 600
more than the whole number of troops serv-
ing in this division. The question to be now
considered is whether the vast increase of in
terest of life and property does not now re-
mind that such military measures be adopted
as will surely prevent in the future any whole
sale destruction of life and property by the
uncivilized tribes. beg leave to submit that
in a country with 50,000,000 people, $4,000
men would be small army to be maintained
with sole reference to possible foreign wars,
but when the country has constant and daily
use for nine-tenths of that force to protect
its people and their property against destruc-
ton by savage tribes in their midst, it is eX-
tremely unwise to limit the army to its pres
ent strength.