OCR Text |
Show SHERIDAN'S ANNUAL REPORT. military Legislation and the National Na-tional Guards A Compliment for General Crook. Washington, November 1 7. General Sheridan Sher-idan in his annual report made public today, to-day, says: "There is great need in the military mili-tary service of legislation. The regulations established, and subject to change only by Congress, should have such a degree of stability sta-bility as to become the basis of a sound military mil-itary system, which up to the present time has not existed in this country. Although the regulations have undergone changes, the most important questions involved in the command and government of the army remain re-main unsettled at the present time. No commanding General from the highest to the lowest can know the limit of his authority, author-ity, and no one can have his staff responsible to him for the faithful execution of his' orders. or-ders. During the last twenty-five years the country has passed three momentous crises, wherein the unsettled questions were of vital importance to the nation, and their decision for the occasion depended solely upon individual indi-vidual opinions. Another such crisis may not be far distant, when such a decision might not be so fortunate for the country. Hence, while I present the necessity of A CONSIDERABLE INCREASE 01 THE ARMY, I suggest as a far greater necessity that laws be established by Congress for the "government "govern-ment and regulation" of the military forces. The status of the National Guards, he says, should be regulated by a general law of Congress ; the number of officers and men be fixed and unchangeable, except as change is necessitated at stated periods by the growth of the population. The general government gov-ernment could then issue them the best arms, camp and garrison equipments, and &xact a responsibility which is not now required. re-quired. General Sheridan reports the army as consisting con-sisting of 2,154 officers and 24,705 men "In the southwestern corner of New Mexico," Mex-ico," the report says, "many lives have been lost by the invasion of small bodies of Chiri-cahua Chiri-cahua Apaches from Arizona. Large numbers num-bers of troops are at present operating in the district with a view to its protection, and I am in hopes of an early settlement of the Apache difficulty in such a manner as will forever prevent a recurrence of the raids of these Indians. The situation in that part of the division of the Pacific comprising the southern portion of the department of Arizona has been, I regret to say, far from satisfactory. So long as General Crook had control of the Apaches under the agreement agree-ment of the Secretary of War and the Secretary Secre-tary of the Interior, the matter went on very well in Arizona, but when the contention began under the divided authority that existed ex-isted a year ago, distrust and trouble arose among the Indians and continued until the outbreak of the Ohiricahuas in May last. The outbreak was petulant and without cause, and embraced only part of the tribe, but ihis element comprised the young men and most vigorous. The conduct of this band, not to exceed forty-two men and nine squaws, was fiendish in the extreme. Unprotected Un-protected and unarmed people were MURDERED WHEREVER MET, And when pressed by the troops they scattered scat-tered like a flock of quail and came together aain at some designated spot from 59 to 100 miles distant. They should all be exterminated extermin-ated or captured, and I have the greatest confidence in General Crook's ability to accomplish ac-complish this purpose, though the difficulties difficul-ties are very great. I beg the people in that section to bear in mind that General Crook is the best man we have to deal with these hostile Indians, and will accomplish more in the end than any man in the army. He is familiar with the Indians and the country, and unfortunate as the people of Arizona and New Mexico have been, there is no other man in the army who could do any better or who is more interested in the welfare of the peorde of that section as regards life, property and business prospects. I take ereat pleasure in commending General Crook for the admirable disposition of his troops and his steady perseverance under dishoart-ening dishoart-ening circumstances." |