The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-17
Real Competitors Are Russell at Cheyenne and Logan at Den
yer, for Vastly Increased Establishment.
ADVANTAGE IN MILES OF SALT LAKE CITY
BY RUTHERFORD coRBIN.

staff. W hose head is Major General J.
Franklin Bell. chief of staff of the
army. He is the right hand OF SecTc-
tary Taft, and i'm strictly military mat
tiers is referred to unquestionably by
the secretary. The brigade post pTOpo-
sition is, however. another matter. as
the establishment of such a post would
require an appropriation from con-
gTesS. The matter will come before the
senate and house committees on mill
tary affairs at the next session Of con-
gress. Should they approve the war
departments brigade part in toto, they
will put it uD to their colleagues i'm
congress to loosen for three or four
million dollars TO start work on at least
four brigade ports. There are several
tentative plans. in the east, Fort
Meyer, across from Washington, with
hardly enough room, but cheap Viz
ginia land to the south: ChickamaUga.
where the troops were concentrated
during the war with Spain, and which
can expand without great cost, as the
government is there the owner of q
large national park with plenty of
ground. Fort Thomas. three miles
from Covington. KY, across from Gin
cinnati, Ohio. which has back of it the
tremendous pull of their home town
upon Secretary William II. Taft of Gin
cinnati. secretary of war, and Senator
Joseph B. Foraker of Cincinnati, MEM
Der of the committee on military af-
fairs. who are in this instance strangely
enough teammates.
Salt Lakes Railroad Adaptabiiity.
Fort Sheridan. twenty-five miles
north of Chicago. and Fort Smelling.
near st. Paul, are the two principal
competitors for the northwestern bri-
gade post In the southwest Fort Sam
Houston. at San Antonio, is agreed
upon without question. Fort Riley, in
Kansas. is already a brigade post.
The competition for the western pOr-
tor of the United States is practically
narrowed to Denver, Cheyenne and Salt
Lake These points are for cOncentra-
ton and supply purposes in time Of
war, and are a second line to, and an
entirely different proposition from the
first line of defense. which is COM
posed Of the coast artillery, with
infantry and naval support. fort
resses and defeuses of the sea-
port towns, such as San Francisco,
San Diego. New York. Fortress Mon
roe. etc. The establishment of d west
eru brigade post would have nothing
to do with the military defense sitUa-
/ ton at San Francisco. Seattle, Port
| land. San Pedro or San Diego, or with
/ first defense line of small posts on the
/ Canadian and Mexican border.
Reason for Brigade Posts.
The brigade post would have to be so
located as to be capable of enlargement
in time of war to hold great num-
Der of troops, and its relation to the
first line of defense would be that of
! feeder" 1t would accordingly have to
/ be connected by rail with the five
great Pacific ports. those on the Ca
madam border I'D 10 the point TO the
eastward on the Montana line, where
/ its scope would overlap that Of
! Fort Sheridan Chicago OF Fort
I Smelling (St. Paul. and with
/ the pests of first defense on
/ the Mexican border as far east as the
/ military zone of its next neighbOT, Fort
/ Sam Houston a San Antonio. The
| point of contact would probably be at
| Continued on Page 3.