The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-12-05
sTANLEY's RECOMMENDS.
Fort Duncan Should be Re'EstabIshed-
To Protect the Soldiers Interests.

The following In the report Of General
ID. s. Stanley, in which several wise re-
forms In army matters are recommended,
will be of interest: To the Adjutant-
General, Division OF the Missouri. Sir:
l have the honor to report, for the infor-
nation of the Commander of the Divis-
ion of the Missouri, the conditions and
wants OF this Department. During the
past year its affairs have been unevent-
full; Indian raids. the record of which, so
few years ago, formed a goodly portion
OF department reports, have ceased; and
Mexican outrnges. when sifted to the
bottom, have generally turned out to be
neighborhood fueds, In which the ag-
gressor Was as likely to belong on the
left as the right bank OF the Rio Grande.
The call for troops IN Texas Is to be near
the place where the peace seems most
likely to be broken, and to be ready to
act promptly when needed. The Rio
Grande. separating this Department
from the States of Mexico, gives from
tier of more than 1000 miles; throughout
its entire length there Is constantly a
smuggling comm cree carried on, with
more or less profit. 1t Is occupied on
either side, by stockmen rather than
agriculturlsts. In many cases these
stockraisers have lands on both sides,
with residences either In Texas or Mex
leo. With sparse population, not very
highly civilized, and with an extradition
treaty so defective as to be wholly In
operative, 1t Is not so strange that crime
is committed upon this border as that
there is so little OF 1t. The powers of
the military authorities are very res
tricted; but experience shows that the
presence Of troops has most beneficial
effect In keeping down robbery, and
even disturbance. The orders Of the
Department require constant scouts to
be kept up from the mouth OF the Rio
Grande to the mouth Of the PeoOs, with
occasional scouts from Fort Davis to the
border south of that post. The posts Of
Fort Concho and Fort stockton are still
kept up, with no other reason than that
there are no quarters for their Qarrlsons
elsewhere, and the danger, judging from
the cutlery of the citizens In the vicinity
OF the posts of anarchy, should the
troops be taken away. The small sub
posts upon the line Of the Southern Pa
clfic Railroad and the lower Rio Grande
are still maintained, occurring peace and
safety to these great routes OF travel. Ii
is recommended that the old post of
Fort Duncan be re-garrisoned, at least
as a sub-post, as 1t commands one of the
principal highways into Mexico, and Is
well situated for observing and scouting
the river. The permanent posts, where
the titles have been vested In the United
States, have all been slightly improved
during the past year, and measures have
been taken to continue improvements
during the coming fiscal year. 1t is dis
oouraging that the amounts allowed for
barracks and quarters are totally inade-
quate to the necessities Of the several
posts.
The late act OF Congress, providing
for a retired list OF enlisted men, has I'M
doubtedly improved their prospects; and
we should raise the standard of merit,
and at the same time correct the word
ing of soldiers discharges. Only good
or bad should be allowed in giving char.
acters ON discharge papers. Scaling Q
mans character as one would the price
of cotton, or the quality of lot Of
beeves, Is absurd and misleading; ant
when an officer gives bad character to
a discharged soldier he should, as n basil
therefor, show the number of times the
man has been tried or punished, thu
guarding the soldiers against caprice ant
Injustice.
My report OF last year called attention
to the inequitable manner in which tn,
Subsistence Department bought tn,
company savings Of pork, and sold veg
elhults W thc companies 10 the amour
credited for the pork. This evil still con
tinues, and Is made worse by the in
struotions Of the Commissary General O
Subsistence. limiting the period durinl
which shipments Of vegetables may b
made to few months in the yeai
Nearly one-half OF the pork issued b.
the Subsistence Department is sold bac
by the companies, thus showing the dis
like for 1t as diet in this climate, an
thar 1t Is not valuable part OF the IA
ton. but Is used as a medium Of eS
change, TO the disadvantage of the so
der. This matter results In almost de
privng the soldier OF vegetables, an
seems to me so unjust that | recommen
II be made subject ofspecal investig,
tion. am, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
ID. s. STANLEY,
Brigadier-General, Commanding.