Arizona weekly citizen., 1890-12-06
OCULAR ARMY.

Indian troubles or threat en57 -..r U. 5s have served ur1v purpose says hs Denver Times: They have n. sde clearly apparent the utter made g aer ot che regular army for the only pur.e for which it is kept in exist ele- Ir is an assumption that We do a need an army to protect us from .tna attacks or expressions of foreign o.s The independent nations of this continent are rated as too weak to cI for any consideration. And 1t is held nat if We have an adequate navy ID European nation can land for midable force on our shores; at least, not before we have had ample time to organ zs sufficient volunteer force to meet IL
 The two uses for which the regular army -s maintained are to keep the In dialz in subjection and in order, and to protact against internal disorders. The Indians at present who are disaffected, or thought To be disaffected, are the Sioux of Dakota, the Crows of Central Mon tlua and the Assinaboines, and other tribes in the northern port of that State. These number, in the aggregate, about t3.U1 They are within easy communi- la-l- distances of each other. They c5u.. put 5.000 to 10000 warriors in the tal.. They occupy, in considerable part, a mour.alnous country. They know every stream. every defile, every canon, every fortress, every stretch of plain, every valley within It. In case they should break out, the entire regular army would be needed for their suppress sion The nominal strength of that force is 10000 to 25,O0O men. Making allowance for sickness, other absences and ue.zary details, 15,000 is a large estimate ol the numbsr that could be employed in held operations.
 The 1000 white soldiers would in- deed not be needed to oppose 5000 or 10000 Indians in the field. But as is the case in all wars with the aggressive or suursssing force, they would have much else to do besides open-field fight In-. They would have towns and cities to guard, eettlers to protect and lines of communication to keep open. They would have long pursuits to make over the plains. along the valley and through the u8u1 ans. There would be plenty to do for all their numbers.
 Then I the Navajoes and Apaches of New -Iez.co and Arizona should chance to a= out at the same time there would la no organized force to oppose them. There would be no protection from .la-- depredations and atrocities except such as the scattered settlers could -a-5 for themselves. Those two tribes are strong enough to give much trouble. They live So near to each other that eommunication can be readily made and concerted action would be easy. They number 5000 to 60,OO0 and could muster 10000 to 12,000 warriors. The NavajOes have many thousand ponies. feet and enduring. They have commonly been regarded as quiet and peaceful Indians, mild of disposition and oz ouIeJ and industrious pursuits. But this IS an altogether mistaken notion. They are restless and ugly. There is probably more real danger of trouble from them than from any other tribe in lla country.
 As to the other possible need for the IroteolOn of the army, we must re- member that this is an immense country with a great population, We conduct everything here on a large scale except military operations. Other nations oi half our numbers maintain standing armies n comparison with which ouI elurs regular establishment is but mere corporaI's guard.
 II we 5ould ever have any serious dis tar5anees they would likely be of some u-n.tGde. They might involve tens ol
 Lr1dreds of thousands of men
 They would be too great for a company -- -5Lt O. troops to suppress. Wt hal tie suggestion of what the coun
 a5le Of in the line of natiOna -= in the labor troubles of 1877 They threatened to develop beyond the power of the regular army to suppress ol control
 Aa army of 50O00 men would be none too great for the tasks which our regu lar force may be called on to perform The zur-estion that so large a fore, -ous Js a menace to our liberties i -ne most rldiculous of absurdities. Wha would 5J000 men scattered over this i'm u-auze country be against 65,000OO0 peo plez As everything grows, why should not the regular army? There is, indeed EtHs danger of any general Indian up rising roof any serious internal disor dsrs in this country. But if a contin geucv is not so remote, but that pro vision is made against it, it is not s remote but that the provisions shoul ba ample.
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