The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-02-11

/ Point officers are furnished Win charming
! homo and quarters free Of rent, their iood IL
| provided for them their fuel their servants.
| their riding horses. aud their stationery.
| They are "a, no cNpcn-n whatever To- I'VE.
| .avctppurchasccloihi hing, and that they can
| got from the Gpvclumoit uicp-l Their pay
! il higher than in any army ia the world,
| their scr, ice the ightcst and sOitrst. Thus
wrapped in cn-c. comfort. and admintra-
| tive favor why should these officers bc
paid large additional amounts above
! what officers Of the same rank get who
serve in the field in Montana. Dakota.
and western Trvasy An institution which
makes such wrong possible In republic
should be abolished These West Point
officers are bound to serve the Government
for their education and nurture. They
choose To- serve II as teachers instead of sol
dicr-. because instruction Is plVaSanicr and
safer than lighting They should be- paid
iOr but one sor\ Ice. They get pay for two
services The ieutenants who have been
killed out Of thc seventh Cavalry by the
Indians. got paid hut for one srrvicr; and
that WAS all thoy were entitled to. This cN-
fra pay to the West Point lieutenant * rob-
berry Of the treasury and 4 di-hunoring
wrong to every fighting officer In the cav
airy and infantry regiments That any man
Of either party in the House OF Representa-
tivcs can apologize or vote for 1t. lctukrns
Il sad decay ia American morality, political
and personal
| But there are other things ia this Military
Academy Appropriation b,ll than this in
| iquty. IT., superintendent represented to
/ Congress that $4,000 more H. be- spent
on drainage was indispcnsably neccs-
snry" to the health Of the cadets. The
Committee ON Appropriations weakly con
/ ccdci la hini ~j.uOl. Next. S5l.OUO was " in
dispcn-aOly necessary To procure better
| supply Of water for the cadets. and that was
demanded. II turned out un investigation
/ that never but once since the Academy was
founded had its supply of excellent wa
ter diminished, and that was in the
hot summer of 1875. The slight de-
ilciency in that year WAS amply and
easily rcmcdied by hauling. 1t turned
out. too. that another comuiandant of West
Point had reported years ago that the insti-
tuition could get more water than it could
use 10y throwing an additional dam across
the stream which now supplies the post. and
that this would not cost over $1,000. But
| w liiN' IL Alblbl III llRN ~ NtSA UNI
| The academy is now military department
Of the United States army, with costly
stan, and grand and costly ideas, ami new
! water supply. Oi course, WAS indi-pensa-
bly, neers-ary.' 4 main must be- laid to u
Lake four uiles oil ia the mountains To he
sure II would eat up II quarter II II million
Of dollars before 1t was finished. Again.
the superintendent Of this school OF vast"
and privilege demanded 50 large sum
of money is finish the new hospital erect
ing for the cadet, rs t. scale the Com
nittce un Appropriations, aud max" them
investigate thai Improvement ltwa- found
10 be- un u regal scale. Ii was planned Tor
I the accommodation of 3uO sick. and ion the
, elegant quartcring of small army If
medical officers. only the walls ul this
sanitary palace We're up yet they actually
/ had cost $4,000 ii VA, of record at West
Point that the number Of sick cadets in hos
pitul at any one time had never exceeded
seven But here wa PROV i-ion making for
$40. A Medical Director OF the army re-
ported In 1872 that the West Point hospital
was ample in its accommodations, aud well
adapted to It's uses. But Major-Gencral
Of Engineers. who had never done anything
.
thought ho would sisnalize his government
Of the Military Academy 10y erecting hus-
pital building magnificent in size archi-
lecture. aud appointments.
With the stercot yrei phrase Of the " indls-
pcnsahly necessary" he bored the initial
appropriation out OF Congress and planted it
in foundations and walls, and then showed
the Indispensable necessity Of having more.
The Appropriation Committee. with many
apologies, pnt cotton in their cars and re-
ported only $500 to save the walls 10y tenn
uorarly roofing them over But that West
Point palace. hospital j, inevitable. \ half
million dollars will 20 into IT. and there will
never bee uu an average over seven sick boys
in it, vast wards 50 healthy il the place
and 80 sound Of constitution are the cadets
who pass inspection. But OF suckers and
humm"rS. commissioned and non-comnis-
stoned. charninsly qmrtercd in II under
rrctrnco 81 doing something and drawing,
handsome pay iur doing nothing. til" crowd
will always be- just a. great a. Congress
can be- brought TO allow.
1t Is -ickrning to look. on one hand. at the
system Of waste, abuse, and iayorit.m c7-
tuhlishcd AZ West Point, and Oh the other I,
iutegriiy To- put an end to it. Thecurc must
be radical The army should be- reduced T.,
10000 men: the commissioning OF the grad
uaic- Of the Military Academy should b,
stopped till there i aaacinal need III officers
IN the army thus reduced; ON their gradua.
ton from West Point they should be- pledged
t. serve the country a. soldier, III time o
war If called Un and then turned loose t.
earn their living, a. the graduates Of lal,
and Harvard 20 to WoiktO earn their living
inst al Of quurtorlng themselves on the tax
payers of the country But first and fore
most, REDUCE THE Army To TEN THOUsANI
MES
Imprisonment for the Other side.
II has been determined, 10y regular Judi
cial proceedings, that Mis- SUSAN DlCklE