Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1878-02-13


we want to refer to military as well as civil
service reform. Happening to glance over
| the Congressional Record for Feb. 1 we find
therein reported very interesting debate
| over the question of admission Of civilians into
the service-the West Point appropriation be-
ing undea discussion. We find Hon. Clark
son Potter, New FORK Democrat and mem
Der of the House of Representatives. dealing
with an important phase Of the question as
follows:
It so happens that during the past eight
years | have never made an appointment to
West Point except by competitive examination.
1t so happens, also, that | am, as | think,
especially well situated to select a class OF
gentlemen competetent to conduct such an ex
animation, because several OF the prominent
private military schools in our State are within
NV district These schools are conducted by
! gentlemen who are, some of them least,
graduates of West Point. 4 general officer Of
the Army, of very high rank and character
referring To one of these schools, said to me
that he regarded it as without exception the
| best school for boys in the United States.
| NOW | have had the advantage Of selecting the
committees who kindly conducted the cOmpe
| tive examination for me in my district from
the principals OF these schools, but | am by
no means sure that after all the hest selection
among the candidates for the nomination was
secured by these examinations.
It never occurred 10 ne, until I vas called
upon last summer to nominate a young nan
to West Point, that there might be some
question about the advantage of this method
Of selecting candidate but one morning d
gentleman, himself a graduate Of West Point
and subsequently distinguished soldier in
the confederate army and one who later served
with distinction in this House as well happened
10 come iutO my Office | WAS selecting
committee to CondnC. such an examination.
| He said, ~ on are making a mistake.
Whv!' inquired. - Because lie answered,
you are about to DO first what they do over
again and better at West Point. The young
man is to be examined in respect to his at
tainments in geography, arithmetic, and
other branches of learning by your committee
and to be selected for his proficiency in these
respects; then he must pass similar eXamln-
alton, and one that will be better or at least
as well conducted at West Point. The au-
thorities there will take care that he does not
get into the academy without possessing III
sufficient degree proficiency in those branches
of knowledge What you ought to do is to
select young man with reference to his phys
ical capacity, with reference to his moral quail
tiles, with reference to his race and descent
and character and temperament and to all
other qualities wnich 60 to make up a good
soldier, and which are outside of mere SchOI-
astic requirements, fitness i'll which he must
have besides to get into the academy, and
which fitness the military authorities will as
certain and require without reference TO the
result of your competitive examination.
d" If you do that" he continued You will
get II better class of men than You will under
the system of competitive examinations. |
then asked him what was the Judgment of
other army officers on this question and he
replied that SO far IS his observations went he
thought they were beginning to feel that the
competitive examination system had not worked
well and that as a rule better class of men
had been admitted before the system was
adopted.
In other words these observant, practical
men have discovered that what the service re-
quires is men, healthiul, strong, well proper
toned men and not book-worms. And SO
with the civil service. The education got in
public life is what fits men for public station.
The better his educutlon the better the man.
But there is vastly better education in this
world than can be got out of books. Your
great and useful men are not always your
highest scholars, us for example William Of
Orange, Palmer ,ton Arthur WELLESLEY, Abra
ham Lincoln AMI Ulysses s. Grant. You can
not educate tn supreme quality of Judgment
into any man Sumner was an idiot i'll the
ways of mon; and Horace Greeley, the most
compendious newspaper writer of his day
was the laughng-stock of all worldly minds
Vanderbilt and not Charles Francis Adams
Jr, was the railroad king Of the United
States; and John Nackay and not Profess,r
Silliman is the greatest miner Of gold and sill
yer known since the world began,
AS to the Civil Service Reform, dreamed OF
by AIr. Curtis AMI prated about by the self
conceitcd amanueuaes who write pretty plati- |
tudes aid speciou3 sophistries for the com
nercial pres, the ljne draws nigh when, like |
Bret Hart Addic De Lame, it VII be
Uon> the bubble that burst in die sun;
&. C h>. he gr.,I wdcn the reaper Is done;
i,.,. lii. he Dc the fresh mOrling grass
Gone vic. It Tl ng farewell and alas,
Gone Wit la ."I Of hydrogen sas!