movement of the Indians, peace will be preserved on our Western borders;
but if they should, unfortunately, be delayed until the discontent which
exists among many of the tribes breaks out into open hostility, and the
first movements of that wild and warlike people prove successful, as
they infallibly would do in our present unprepared state, it might
require double the force and quadruple the means I have here indicated
to restore and preserve peace along that extended frontier. All which
is respectfully submitted.

"JR Poinsett.

"Honourable James K Polk,

"Speaker of the House of Representatives."

The acting quarter-master-general, in his report, makes the following
observation:--

"The obligations of the Government in reference to the Western frontier
are of a very peculiar character. It is first bound, by a common duty,
to protect its own border settlements, extending along a line of one
thousand miles, against the incursions of numerous savage tribes,
separated from those settlements by mere imaginary lines; and it is next
bound, by the solemn treaty stipulations, with such of those tribes as
have emigrated to that frontier, `to protect them at their new
residences against all interruptions or disturbances from any other
tribes or nations of Indians, or _from_ any other person or persons
whatsoever.'

"If these obligations are to be scrupulously fulfilled in good faith,
which would seem to be due to our character as a nation professing a
paternal care over these people, a military force of _thirty thousand
men_ on the Western frontier would scarcely be adequate to enable the
Government to discharge its duties to its own citizens, and redeem these
pledges of protection to the Indians.

"It is not my intention, however, to propose such a force. Political
expediency, I presume, would not tolerate it, however it might be
justified by military considerations. It is merely adverted to here in
connexion with the _heavy obligations_ which rest upon Government, and
which have probably been contracted from time to time, without any very
nice calculation of the means that would be necessary to a _faithful
discharge of them_. I will, therefore, without enlarging upon this
point, proceed to state the _minimum_ force that is deemed necessary to
give protection to the border settlements, and assist in preserving
peace among them and their Indian neighbours along the line of the
frontier. These are great and impor