The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-13
now TO REDUCE THE ARMY.
Tho department Of wc.t Point.


To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-iSir: Chief
among NIL the anomalies in the present United
States Army ranks the so-callcd Military Do
pnrtmont Of West Point" commanded by Major
Gen. ]. NJ Schoneld. Here all TINT IL snowy
and expensive in tho army is concentrated into
the gay spectacle to which visitors flock every
summer. The average number Of officers and
cndcts increases gradually every yenr til II hns
now mounted to some throo hundred. all draw
ing pay. rntions and quarters; while outside of
these nRain are some three hundred enlisted
men. whose duties are OF tho clnss to which
Lord Dundrcnry refers ms things no follow
can find out" In tho pnst few years several
efforts have been made by economical members
Of Congress to cut down the expenses Of this
famous institution. but without any SUCCESS
worthy Of the namc. Wherever the House has
cut down. the Scnnte has been equally rcsolutc
to restore. and the result Inns been that to-day
all the old abuses exist undated and new
ones arc constantly arising. The academic
staff" grows from yenr TO ycar In geometrcal
ratio. At present there is mn instructor to every
two and n half cadets. but tho faculty Of the
Academy IRE anxious 10 reverse this proportion
and give each cadet two and half instructors.
70 make things quite satisfactory. When TINT
happy day arrives West Point will supcrse,le
Saratoga as n fashionable resort. and Schoneld
will have nothing to do hut smoke the cigar of
peace on tho PIMA furnished by Government,
and endorse reports once .wcck.
thori,irs are nlwnys digging new drains and
EiicheSs within Is limits. BY dInt q q liberal
managed to establish q laundry where white
trousers and dress shirts cnn. be done up IN
lrst-class STYLE for tho sum OF two and half
cents cadet. This. II must be confessed. IL an
achievement to he proud Of: but innsmuch ma
practical lnundry managers insist that II costs
work, IL is evident that tho difference comes
out OF the public pocket. and that the pretended
improvements constantly, going on Mt West
Point have already cost the, Government sew
err million Of doGrs and s nd fair to cost an
For all this expenditure tho results, nrc lar
from satisfactory; H"althlu ms 70 tho location
the average health Of the cndcts Is lower than
TINT of the men NJ any post in the country;
Compared with the health Of the dctnchmcni Of
Frcd Grant rradSa,qd NE sick lex list was some
teresting to remark, that Il gradually lncrensrd
with every year OF TINT spirited youths cadet
shir. Whom he entcred, each c9lct wns sick
ycnr. but when he graduated there were nearly
iwclvr hundred rnscs on. the years ;, sick r.
port" TO loss thnn two hundred cadets. To
show that this is something not altogether duo
~ climate and soil, tho sick list 81 tho three
hundred soldiers Mt the post shows less than
one cas-" per man per nnnuin.
One queer feature aiout this sick cadet list Ia
nc large prTccniage Of intermittent fever pa;
with perfect and rapd drainage. should not he
iniasmatic. md tho inference is Irresistible
ih, me cndls cp 1 taer levers ny rSoTn ,s
Wow is borne out by tho fnct That the fcvcr pa
ticnts have decreased in numbers every year
since young. Grant lrit while il is notorious
TINT during his cadctship tho discipline Of the
Acadeemy was lower than ! had ever been BE-
lore. thanks 70 me open lhvoritism under his
Setting inside all questions Of discipline. how
ever for the sake Of trcvity. ] come TO on" OF
more importance to the taNpaycrs % the coun-
try Does II nay 10 secp w West Point on Us
present basis! The graduating class OF the
present PR, year nnmh ls iortyitnree' OF whom
cie- In regiments and the engineer corps. New
erthelrss the other twcnty-four are showed on
the ray rolls as additional Second Leuten-
ants" 10 await for vacancies. thus compelling
tho people Of the country to pny out s3l 200
year to officers for whom IL Is confessed there
l. no work. This picrr II extravaganza Is au-
thorizrd by section l .2l3 Of the Revised Stat
utes and Is repeated in various proportions
from year tn year. II rests upon a Inv made in
1912 for very different purpoAe. The object
Of that Inv WIS 70 put every cndct on prohibition
dirrs but now. ne in every other possible rase
under thu rule Of Fraud. the law IL stretched Ia
make sinecurc places and waste the peoples
II we're to M column after column with facts
drawn from the official reports Of West Point.
|. already The Academy hns outgrown its use
fulnrss and should DO cut down to at least one
fourth Of its present size. The experience Of
therivil war showed that tho elaborate ctuca-
ton ~ West Point ia not needed to mako excel
lent on 'ers Of infantry. cavalry and ncld aril-
lery. IL is useless waste 81 money TO keep
cadets AZ West Point four years except Tor the
purpose uf making engineers military survey
orc. and ordnance officers; anil. To supply all OF
these needed IN the United Suites. n cuss OF i've
or six graduates n year Is the utmost that is
required.
No one knows this better than the present
General Of the Army. There were only two VA.
cnnri"s this year in the engineer corps 10 be
filled hv cadets, only one in the artillery and all
IN" rest of tho boys had 10 be shelyed in the in
fnntry and cavalry regiments. 10 lounge round
useless posts and learn dissipation from their
more SEASONED seniors. There is no reason
why our taxpayers should be mulcted twice
over. first to educate these boys. then To- support
them IN idcness all their lives. They nre ~ no
usr TO tho rountryi they produce nothing their
only mission Ia 10 whit fur war, 80 TINT they
may thrive ON tnr cnlnmlfics NJ their country.
II the stan ~ West Point were cut down to-
morrow to six teachers. and thu cadets reduced
in number Ia one from rnrh state choaen by
public competition from the state schools. pub
lie and private. We would save three millions "A
year in salaries, ind have n better army innn
we have now. No one knows this hrttcr than
William i. sherman. the overpRid General ~
that eStraynHant and pcrniciOus force Of niieu
mercenPrios mlscalcd the regular army Of the
United States MILITIAMAk.