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Show I FOBT DOUGLAS MfT I SAYS MAJOR YOUNG H Post Will Not Be Abandoned, H;l but Probably Will Be En- H, larged in Time. Hi REPORT IS PLEASING Military Authorities at Wash-ington Wash-ington Appreciate Fully Its Strategic Value. . Tbo present generation, at least, Hr: should entertain no fears respecting the H'., permanency of Fort Douglas sis a con- ter for troops and supplied, in the opin- v ion of iMajor Richard W. Young. Ma- ! jor Young made this statement in au extended report" to the executive com-Hj com-Hj niittcc of the citizens' committee on ' tho retention and enlargement of Fort Hk Bouglns concerning the information ho H' secured when representing the com- H." mittee recently in New York and Wash- H'.' ington. "Military authorities concede tho titrong strategical position of Salt Lake ' city for tho maintenance, of a garrison and for tho storing of supplies." said Mnjor Young in his report. "And the only consideration that bears to mili- tatc against not only the retention but tho growth of Fort Douglas as a mili- tary post is tho fact that there are no other posts selected for permanent oc-- oc-- cupation nearer than San Francisco on i the west and Knnsus City or Omaha on tho cast." In commenting upon the conferences lie had with military authorities in M- Washington, Major Young told the committee that no definito conclusion to abandon Fort Douglas had ever been made at Washington and that in fact it had only been discussed in a ,' tentative way. Position Insures Retention. "1 beliovo that the strong strategical " position of Salt Lake City renders it . far moro probable that Fort Douglas ' will bo increased to a brigade post than that ultimately it will bo abandoned, -'4 and that its retention and .growth Vi would be practicallv assured it Oen- oral Wedgwood's suggestion of secur-h secur-h inc ample maneuvering grounds within m, i easy distance of Salt Lake City wcro effectuated," added Major loung. 1 i Major Young sail tho fact that thero j ( is no' garrison at Fort Douglas at the present time is not due to any conclu-i conclu-i eion on the part of the government to t abandon Fort Douglas, but that it was to be ascribed entirely to tho fact that 1 the greater portion ot tho mobile army i of the United States was required for ! dutv along tho Mexican frontier. Major Young made mention of the . ! conviction of the leading ofliccrs of J the armv for the past several years that smaller posts should be abandoned, j ' and added that this policy hnd found " expression in numerous reports from chiefs of stair and secretaries of war. fr "Such a policy is deemed to be im- H'-' porlant both for economical and mili- tary reasons," said Major Young. "Mr. ' Stimpson, when secretary of war, es- j $ timatcd that $5,500,000 might bo saved aunuallv to the country by tho conccu-H'ft conccu-H'ft tration'of the army in six or eicht large H ' posts or groups of posts: and it is pointed out that if we would adopt the rational and historic policy of prepar- j' ing for war in time of peace, wo must h garrison our troops in units of not less than a brigade, which consists of at least thrco regiments of infantry, with j n proportionate amount of cavalry and field artillery." Report Is Approved. The executive committee, consisting of Governor Sprv, Commissioner Ileber t M. Wells, A. McKay and "Wesley H King, in addition to Major Young, lis- toned to the report. The report was 1 approved and it was pointed out that I as thero was every indication that Fort j Douglas would be retained and consid- crnblo probability that it might ulti-1 ulti-1 matelv bo enlarged, the purposes of H.t the committco had been fulfilled. It vas therefore permanently adjourned. " i Wesley King, chairman of a special , committco appointed by tho board of Hj j governors of the Commercial club to Hj orgnnizG the citizens' committco, will H, '., rej)ort tho results of the citizens' com- mittee 's work at next Monday's meet-inc; meet-inc; of the club covernors. I The matter of securing a large ma- ncuvcr field near Salt Lake City for the use of tho stato and federal troops was left in the hands of Adjutant Gcn-oral Gcn-oral E. A. Wedgwood. It is the hopo Hi of Gcucral Wedgrvood to prevail upon HJU tho government to set aside a large HJ tract -within a day's march of Salt HI ! Lako for maneuvering purposes. With HH 1 such a Held, as Major Young stated, HH r there is strong pos?ibilitics of tho en- Hl largemcnt of Fort Douglas. Fori Douglas Favored. . 1 "The quartermaster's dopartmeut of H I tho United States army is strongly in ( favor of Fort Douglas," said Secretary H, ( Wesley King of too citizens' comniit- too last night. "It is recognized as a l most strategical point for the location j of large amounts of supplies for trans- i portation to any point on the coast. For ' this reason the quartermaster's depart- ', meat has always been opposed to anv encroachments upon tho military resef ration, fearing that it might bo bo rc-duccd rc-duccd in size that it would bo aban- doucd." I) Since the organization of the com- J mittee, Governor Spry, General Wedg-i j wood, Major Young "and others inter- rated in the retention and enlargement J of Fort Douglas have visited wash- j nigtoii and other eastern cities, where I they consulted with war department I and other militarv officials concerning tho local post. All ar thoroughlv sat-, sat-, istltfd that Fort Douglas will be re tained as a permanent post. It is also , J belioved that if the maneuvering ! grounds in view can bo secured Fori I j Douglas may be ultimately enlarged. |
