General Sherman has officially remonstrated, and not without reason, on
the chima3rical economy which attempts to make an army of 25,000 men supply the needs of such a territory as that of the United States. He compliments General Sheridan, his lieutenant in dealing with the Indian troubles, on the skill he has displayed ; but intimates that but for the extreme easy- goingness of the United States officials, the Indians alone would have required a much larger force. Add to this that a Government, which is compelled, as General Grant's Government was the other day, to temporise with rebellion in Louisiana, simply because it could not for a very long time have got together the force to put it down, can never exercise the authority needful for the organisation of a great nation, and you have a most sufficient reason for a considerable increase of the United States' standing army even in a time of profound peace. America has inherited some of that English jealousy of a standing army which preceded the complete establishment of the authority of Parliament. But in a democratic country, this jealousy is not only a mistake, but a very mischievous one. After all, popular Governments need to be far more jealous of anything like chaos or anarchy than Governments of any other kind. The very essence of popular liberty is authority and order, a dignified government and a strong one. You cannot have that without a sufficient physical force always at disposal.
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