Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-11
WHERE THE FORT SHOULD BE.

WHERE THE FORT SHOULD BE.
The scheme to abandon Fort Omaha
and establish new fort at q greater
distance from this city has, from tho
outset, been marked by misrepresenta-
tion and intrigue. At first the parties
who are trying to engineer the reloca-
tion OF the fort masked behind General
Sheridan. But with all the prestige OF
General Sheridau's backing they could
not induce single army officer OF rank
to join them. Every commander OF
this department, and every staff
officer has been outspoken against
relocation. General Crook was, If any
such thing could be, more emphatic in
his disapproval than any other COM
mander After the bill had been de-
feated in two congresses by the military
committees OF the house, OF which
several members were personally
familiar with the wants Of the army,
the removal bill was finally put through
by the persevering efforts OF Manderson
and McShane, The pretcnse under
which this was done was that General
Sheridan would never consent to pay
out another dollar for improve
ments at the present fort. After
the death Of General Sheridan
this pretense was no longer tenable.
When Secretary Endicott placed his
veto upon the Bellevue location he
clearly expressed the sound conclusion
that the abandonmento OF the present fort
and the selection of n site that would in
volve the government in several hum
dred thousand dollars Of needless eX-
penditure was contrary to public policy.
But the promoters Of this suburban
real estate speculation took new tack.
They professed to have captured and
corralled General Schofield through
potent political influence, and
publicly passed around strictly
confidential" letter from one OF
our senators stating that General
Schofield would stand in with them.
With this club in their hands and the
threat that the fort would be entirely
abandoned if the Bellevue location be
discarded, they had no trouble in pro-
curing the signatures OF several hun
dred citizens to petition asking Sec
retary Proctor to overturn the judg-
ment rendered by his predecessor.
We make bold to assert that not a
dozen of our business men favor the re-
location OF the fort if they could be
assured that the fort will remain
where it is. In fact our mer-
chants and business men gen.
orally are as much unit in
their opposition to the removal, as are
the army officers of this department.
In the face of this opposition the
promoters and benefciaries of this
| scheme have besieged General Brooke
| and expect to impress Secretary Proc.
tor and General Schofield with the idea
that Omaha wants the fort relocated.
The Omaha Herald, which is motor
iously the organ of the South Omaha
| land syndicate, has the effrontery to as
sert that Secretary Endicotts objec-
not we'll taken, ami congrat
ulates Omaha upon being fortu
nate in having the recommendation
of the late General Sheridan and every
army officer who has been consulted in
the affair"
What officers of the army have evel
advocated the abandonmento of the pres
ent fort? We defy the land syndicate
organ to name single one.
And then Secretary Proctor is gently
reminded that the Bellevue site ha
been approved by the most competen
military officials. This is true, but thi
approval merely recorded the fact tina
among the proposed locations the Belle
vue site had the preference. in en-
dorsing this site the high militar.
authorities did not say that they favored
the abandonment OF the present fort.
Summed up in a few words, the Soutl
Omaha land syndicate wants the for
removed to below Bellevue becaus
they expect the government to rails
the selling price of their lands, an
because, furthermore, they expect tha
q boulevard will be opened from thei
lands down to the new fort. In thi
project they are not laboring for tn
interest of Omaha or for the benefit c
the govern ment. .
When the secretary of war is impor
tuned by some of these land speculator
ut the proposed banquet, he will hav
to take their representations at thei
intrinsic value.
#
IN FAVOR OF POOLING.