The daily gazette., 1877-05-24
NOT A CONTRACT FOR LIEE.

NOT A CONTRACT FOR LEE.
At the Chamber Of Commerce dinner
TO- Rutherford b. Hayes, intended to
strengthen his shaky seat in the Presi.
dental Office, Gen. Sherman was assigned
to the congenial duty of replying to the
regular toast, "The Army" His speech
was a protest against its reduction, and
a plea for its perpetuity. His plea was
based on the declaration that the United
States have contracted with every officer
educated for the army and commissioned
into it, to retain him in service for life;
and tn 1t to reduce the army or to abolish
it, would be a breach Of contract viola
tive of vested rights and dlshonoring to
the Government.
Gen. Sherman's looseness of speech
and inaccuracy of statement are proven
bial but his assertion that an army off,
Ger holds in his commission contract ON
the part of the United States to feed,
clothe, and pay him for life, exceeds in
wildness any of his previous eccentrici-
ties. He is the first man in the nation
to publicly prefer this claim. He ought
to know that it is made in the face of the
Constitution of the United States and Of
the act of Congress of March 2, 1921,
which organized the army, and of the
acts amendatory thereof.
The first article of the eighth section
OF the Constitution gives Congress power
"to raise and support armies; but no ap-
preparation of money to that use shall be
plurality of the word will be noted
''armies," not an army. The article
clearly contemplated successive armies,
as made necessary by war, and not per-
manent army. 1t contemplated the rails
ing and support of armies when needed,
and not their retention when unneces-
sary; and the restriction of appropriations
for the maintenance of the armies to
short periods of two years is conclusive
that the trainers of the Constitution had
in mind provisional and temporary for
ces, and not a permanent establish
ment.
The West Point Military Academy
was organized by act of Congress on
March 6, 1902. The third section of the
act required each cadet to "sign articles
with the consent of his parent a guardian,
by which he shall engage to serve five
years, unless sooner discharged" This
period of contracted service of their
country by the cadets, in repayment for
their education and nurture, was sub
sequently extended by the act of Con-
gress of July 8, 1888. which declared:
1.-The term for which cadets hereafter ad-
mitted into the Military Academy at
West Point shall engage to serve, be and
the same is hereby Increased to eight
years, unless sooner discharged"
In both of these laws the United States
explicitly declare their right to discharge
from the army the commissioned gradu-
ates of the West Point Academy when
ever they see fit to do so. No man has
ever questioned this right till Gen. Sher-
man made the Astonishing statement
that the contract of military service on
the part of the Government with the off,
Ger was for life. If the officer was held
to serve for life, then Government might
equitably be held to support him for life.
But he IS bound for only eight years, and
then Is free to go. Mutua1ity of obliga-
ton Is wholly wanting to Gen. Sher-
mans claim for the life support of an
officer. The commissioned graduates of
west Point have ever felt free to resign
after entering the army. In innumer-
able instances they have thrown up their
commissions-to marry rich wives, to go
into civil business, to get rid of frontier
service, from dislike of their profession.
Their right to go has never been ques-
toned. And correspondingly., the right
of the United States to discharge has
never been questioned, till the endeavor
to diminish the waste of the public
money by reducing the army of ten
Thousand men has reused the opposition
OF the contractors who feed, clothe, and
transport the army, and of the officers
who went into it for a genteel and easy
support, and who cannot bear to face the
necessity of earning their own living.
Reduce the army to 10000 men.