The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-02-13

the state ui Sew YORK., ami shall constitute military
academy. and the engineers. assistant engineers AMI
cadets the aid corp, shall he snioct 40 an times to ia
duty in sue, places AMI such service as tile President
OF thc lmited states shall dire.i
The next record Of the development OF the
United States Military Academy from ten
cadets, movable. and not one professor on
tutor fixed. into $40 cadets ~ professors
and instructors AMI n little city Of line
country residences. * the act Of Congress
approved April 20, 1912. The third section
Of that statute required that each cadet
before appointment to the Academy should
"sign articles. with the consent of his
parent or guardian. by which he shall on
gage to serve five years unless sooner dis
charged" The fourth section Of this act is
in these words:
SrcrioN Amib, da,a,r ,nrcisI That when anycalct
shall receive regular degree irom acndcmca s,a
amer gpu- through all the classes he sall he considered
among the candidates Tor commits sion amy corps.
conn4 tu the duic, he may he Judged competent io per
forms and IN there shall not at the time he vacancy
~ sucl corps hc may he attached to IT, at the discretion
of the President the United states by brcvet Of the low
est grade asa supcrnumerary officer with the usual nay
and cnoluncus OF such grade. until vacancy shall hap
pcn Proiei that there shall not he more than one Ill
rcrnumcrary officer TO any one company at the same
time
From the letter and spirit OF all this
X
creating the West Point Military Academy
intended only to educate and train engi-
ncers that ii meant to have the engineer oili-
Gers of the army instruct II sufficient num-
her Of cadets to keep up that corps that it
fixed the number at ten rs being sufficient
to provide for casualties and the wants 81
the service. It Is II matter Of history that
the engineer officers were the instructors OF
the cadets, and that it was ten years before
they began to shirk even In part the duty
of instruction they were paid to perform
and also to do that which the law did not
allow. BY that time they had hired. with
out any right To do So n teacher of French
and an instructor in drawing. and they had
to slip into an act of Congress dozen words
which Mt once condoncd and authorized this
Sinking and unlawfulncss. The quotations
we have made from the United States stat
utes prove furthermore that there was no
intent to found permanent and expanding
institution at West Point: no intent to- make
1t n general mandatory Of army officers;
that II permanent army was not thought of;
that graduation ut West Point did not carry
with IL n right to n commission, that II
graduate OF the Academy was but Il candidate
for n commission, and that his entry into
the army as an officer depended wholly ON
the discretion OF the President and was n
question of public policy and economy; that
the Government had the right to discharge
the commissioned graduate at any time:
that the army officer had the right totcndcr
his resignation at any moment, and that
the Government was bound TO accept it il
he had served five years that the Officer
1
and the Government was not bound for an
hour to the officer; that the only obligation
there was rested on the officer who was
bound. at some time OF his life, to serve his
country a. a soldier for five years in return
for the education and nurture he had re-
ceived
From the smalness Of this origin. from
the narrowncss Of this purpose what II
monstrous growth has supervcncd. For
seventy years the Interested parties have
steadily worked to agsrandiIc this institute
ton. Fer seventy years has the army stan
| in Washington controlled and run the Mill
| tnry Committees of the House and Senate.
and for seventy years put through Congress
whatever laws and appropriations they
wanted for West Point. See the fruit OF this
hoary favortism and persistent abuse. The
Military Academy's yearly demand of
money from the Treasury is halfa million
dollars. 1t now has Is professors and assist
ant professors all receiving large pay.
| There il an instructor to every four cadets.
| Yearly 80 cadets are in training to hold
sinecure Offices for life in an army which j.
now SO disproportioned between officers and
soldiers as 10 be the laughing stock OF
| Europe This army Of officers Is almost
wholly the product Of West Point. Look AT
! it For II force Of 2j,opo men there are in
the Inc and stan, on the active list, 2,1S3
commissioned officers. We have a general
IA Sl70OO fellow, II ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
three mujor-gcnerals, fourteen brStlicr-
ENTHUSIASTICALLY IA brigadicr to every
regiment The United States army II
25,OO0 men has 67 colunols two and n
half colonies to each regiment. IL has ST
lieutenant colonies three and half Ia
every regiment in the army. II has ~ ma
jors, or nearly ten jors to every regiment
II has % aidcs-dc-camp. II has J9l captains,
nearly three To every company in the army
II has 40 adjutants who are "cytra " lieu
tenants. II has 20 rcgimcntal quarterinas
tcrs. 1t has 5ss first licutcnants, nearly
three to every company. Ii has AS srcond
lieuteLants and "a additional second
licutcnant= This Is monstrOusly bad But
in addition to it there is Il retired list
which is n contriyance t. give promotion and
increased pay to young officers and to pen
sion in luxury officers who have gained cX
pcriencc and are in the prime of life aud use
fitness On tins retired list are 39s com
missioned officers. So that the total mum
Der Of army officers the people are taxed L
support Is 2,5sl commander to nine sol
dicrs
Representatives and Senators in Congress
The people say that the manufacture of 81
pcriiuous army officers must be stopped
that the commissioning OF the West Poin
graduates must cease till there Is An actua
need Of officers to command soldiers Above
all, the people require you to REDUCE TIL
ARMY TO Ten THOUSAND MEN,
The Effect of IA bad Example.
On the last day Of the last Congress Mr.
JOHN NOUNG BROWN, having helped TO com
| blCtc Inc electurnI rouut and mt II AYES il