The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-02-03
The Lake Champlain Garri sons.

No paper in the country exhibits a
more stalwart national spirit than the
NeD York Sun. Peerless in its old
school democracy, it has been the frank
and outspoken supporter of the presi-
dent in his course in the Chilian affair.
Its patriotism is broad and rugged, de-
void of partisanship or crankism or
effeminate sentiment. 1t believes in
protecting American industry against
competition and American boundaries
against foreign attack, and it spurns
the idea of arbitrating a matter of
American honor. So the SUMS views
on matter of great interest and i'm
portance to Vermont as we'll as the
whole nation will have great weight:
" Last February congress appropriated
100000 for the enlargement of the military
post at Platt5burgh, with the view of re-
enforcing the single company of infantry
now stationed there. About the same time
the house military committee brought in an
additional measure for the establishment Of
a cavalry and artillery post at Swanton
Junction, in Vermont, near the eastern
shore of Lake Champlain and not far from
the Canadian border. Now we find favor
ably reported from the senate military com
mittee what appears to be substitute for
the latter bill, authorizing the acceptance
of a tract of land on the railway between
Burlington and Highgate, in Vermont, and
the erection thereon of buildings suitable
for a military post. 1t is clear, therefore,
that the needs of our northern frontier are
not forgotten. In report made not long
ago by General Schotield to Mr.. Proctor,
then secretary of war, IL was declared TO be
essential " to maintain at proper points on
the northern frontier the nuclei of troops of
all arms, infantry, cavalry, and artillery,
where the forces from the adjoining states
might Immediately unite to take the initia-
tive to prevent the enemy from using their
waterways to move gunboats into the lakes.
With this end in view, a cavalry station,
suitably located near the northern border
of New England, is requisite" Secretary
Proctor, in approving this plan, declared
that these were measures not of provoca-
ton, but rather of prevention, and for the
continued preservation of peace" There
are two facts which may help to sustain the
bill now before the senate, The first is that
the Lake Champlain region has been his
torically shown by three successive wars,
the French and Indian, the Revolutionary,
and the war of 1872, to be a natural strategic
field, Fort William Henry, Fort Ticonder-
oga, Plattsburgh are renowned scenes of
military operations, while the names of
Dieskau, Montcalm aud Amherst, of Ethan
Allen and Burgoyne, of Provost, Macomb,
and Marlborough, recall the Importance of
the Lake Champlain line between 1853 and
1915. The other fact is that Lake Cham
plain is one of the bodies of water which,
under the treaty of 1917, cannot be pro.
tected by more than one British and one
American vessel, and this one not exceed
ing one hundred tons burden and armed
with one eghteen-pound cannon But
this stipulation would not prevent Great
Britain from holding feet of light gun
boats near by and moving them into the
lake, 1t may be suggested that in the
same way, our government could build
torpedo boats, aud hold them ready for
transfer to Lake Champlan. But there are
obvious advantages also, in the other plan,
that of strengthening the military posts.
Madison Barracks, at Sacketts Harbor,