Arizona republican., 1898-03-26
TO MAN ARIZONA'S FORTS.

We direct the attention of the mem bers of the National Guard of Arizona to the statement made to Governor McCord by General Miles relative to the duties that the guard will be called upon to perform in the event of war with Spain. The United States troops will be withdrawn from the four mili- tary posts in Arizona, the general de- clares, and the National Guard will be called upon to occupy the posts There are now 1,400 troops at these posts. AS there are only 800 men in the National Guard this division would give but 125 men to a post. General Miles, who is a good friend of Arizona and who has kept accurate record of the war spirit in the territory, as sumes that there will be no difficulty in increasing the membership of the guard to 1900 men, the limit set by law. Bearing in mind the importance of these four posts and the popular feeling here the general expresses the opinion that if more men are re- quired they will be found.
 Here we have a plan of campaign that must of necessity become very popular There will be no sailing away to Havana or other Cuban ports or to the Philippine islands by the Ma tional Guard of Arizona. The dangers of the sea or of the miasma laden air fo hn braved by our warriors. There will be no heartbreaking scenes at the rail road stations such as inevitably would mark the departure of our boys for the nearest point of embarkation for a foreign shore. The terrors of Span ish dungeons or of troop ships at the mercy of Spanish torpedo boats will not haunt the dreams Of the soldiers, their wives, their mothers or their sweethearts. No, indeed, The guardsmen will buckle on their war bags and proceed quietly and decor ously to Huachuca, to Grant, to Apache and to Whipple, there to take station and perform the interesting
 
 garrison. Of course there will be more or less danger at some of these posts. The Apaches, for intance, may get a little gay when they see the regulars from their reservation. The Navajos also may see fit to take the bit in their teeth. It is a safe wager that the boys will see stirring times. Theirs will not be kid glove soldering, no matter what some of the fire eaters who dis agree with General Miles's plans may say. Even if there shall not be out breaks by the Indians the troops nec- essarily will have to be put through the stern reality of field drills in or der to familiarize them with the class of work that regulars at frontier posts are expected to perform. While they will not be called upon to chase Spanish guerillas through cane brakes and death-dealing swamps they will be treated to the excitement and hardships inseparable from field in a warm climate. They will, in short, become regulars almost realizing the transition.
 One advantage which the National Guard will have over the men who enlist for the necessarily short war lies in the fact that the four posts in Arizona undoubtedly will be left for it to man indefinitely. Having shown his faith in the Arizona guard by turn ing over to it four well equipped mili- tary stations, General Miles undoubt- | edly will hesitate to send the regulars 1 back very soon. In such case the guard will have to stick to the posts or leave Arizona without protection at the chief sources of danger-a propo- sition not to be considered.
 The National Guard of Arizona ap- parently is on the eve of destinction i such as rarely falls to any body of citizen soldiery. It is indeed to be i congratulated!