Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1886-04-10
OUR STANDING ARMY.
Senator Goekrell Opposes the Bill to
Increase It.
fbs GLORY of Dur totntry |, in Her Noble
Volunteer Soldiers.

WASHINGTON, April 5.-In the course Of
debate on the army bill to-day Senator
,-ockrell took the floor in opposition to the
Dill There was, he said, ample power to
protect our institutions without single
regular soldier. Our liberties did not
depend on standing army, but on
the patriotism of our citizens. We need
no standing army in this country, "Eter-
nal vigilance is the price of liberty A
standing army was danger to any re,
public, and was in direct contravention of
the republican system Of government
To-day, if occasion demanded, we could
put in the field from Ave to eight or ten
millions of as good soldiers as ever
marched to the music of the battle field
Whenever the people of the States, with
their own militia, aided by the President
OF the United States with the militia Of
other States, could not enforce rights and
redress wrongs in the several States, then
sef-government would be a failure, If
English soldiers were to appear on the
coast Of Maine, in case Of the war sug
gested by the Senator from Maine (Mr
Frye), the patriotic citizens of Maine
would Immediately organize and come
forth as milit under their State officers
and would destroy any force that it would
be possible to land on the soil of that
State in the next twelve months. Our for
eign wars had been fought by volunteers;
our civil war-the greatest war in history
had been fought by volunteers, Our
great people, y said Mr., Cockrell "isolated
as we are, knowing the wrong from the
right, aud daring always 10 do right, cor
sclous of the rectitude and purity OF all
our national aspirations, content with our
own public domain under OUR own vine
and fig tree, cOvetng nothing which be
longs to our neighbor, and our terms OF
peace and friendship with all nations, with
no national animosities, fancied grleV-
ances or wrongs to avenge, absolutely as
nation bearing charity to all and malice
toward none we have no need OF any
standing army to oppose any foreign foe,
or resist aggression from any foreign ma
ton. The people of this republic can
successfully resist all the combined
nations of the earth Mr.. COckrell
asserted that greater fraternity Of
feeling existed in the United States
to-day-from the lakes to the Gulf
and from ocean to ocean-than had ever
existed in our history, and never had the
sentiment of peace and good will among
our neighbors been held III higher regard
than it was held to-day. There might oc-
casionally, he said be some local tur-
bulence, as there would be under all gov
ernments, but the public sentiment of the
coun ry would suppress it, All that the
country needed in the way of a military
organization was a small compact Or
ganization ON the Indian border Mr.
Logan spoke at considerable length
in explanation of the details Of the bill,
and in reply to criticisms made against it.
With reference to the argument that the
country should rely on the citizens, Mr..
Logan said of course il should. he be-
lieved fully in relying on the citizens in
time of trouble and whenever large
army was wanted. But citizens, to be eff
feCtve, had to be organized If an Indian
raid occurred and the citizens We're to or
ganize to meet it, by the time the organi-
cation was completed the Indians would
be gone. No man ION the top of the earth
had higher opinion of the volunteer sol
dier than had Mr. Logan; but we had no
volunteer soldiers now. They were now
all exrsoldiers If we had war to-day
and we're to call on those ex-soldiers, they
would respond to the music of the Union
in moment, They would gladly enlist
cause of their country But they were not
organized.