American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-09-06
The Scheme for Republicanizing the
.Hsr Army

H0 CCuculO IOI hcpuullCaulZluS tu0
4 flr Army
The announcement by Secretary Nc
| Crary of his determination that no
more cadets shall be sent to West
Point without subscribing to the doc
/ trine that this is Nation is of less inn
| portance, in itself, than in what it
/ implies. It is not at all likely that
there is, or ever will be, any candidate
for admission to the Military Academy
who will have any scrup1es about ac-
| cepting the doctrine that this is a Ma
tion-with just as big an IN as the
Secretary desires. No one disputes
the doctrine, and no one doubts it, I'M
| less the inference is to be drawn from
the constant iteration of the ''stal-
warts" that they are unsettled in
| their minds about the matter and hope
to convince themselves. There may
be difference of opinion as to the
meaning and extent Of the doctrine.
To some it probably means just what
| McCrary wants il to mean-=that the
Federal Government has in some mex
plicable manner changed its character,
and that, being Nation, it has, or
may have if it sees fit to assume them,
! all the governmental powers there are
in the cotntry, including those hereto
fore exercised by the States. To
others, that is to all intelligent Ameri-
cans familiar with the structure of the
Government and the theories upon
which it is founded, it means that this
is N alton because it is made so by
the Constitution, and that it has Just
such powers as are conferred by that
instrument, either expressly or by inn
! rlication. The latter class can, how-
ever, subscribe &c the doctrine that
"this is Nation'' quite as cheer
fully, and will do it as readily, as the
former class. Indeed, the whole truth
Of the matter csn be put in a nutshell
by the statement that no Youth who
has the requisite intelligence to pass
successful examination for admission
to West Point can possibly be idiot
enough to suppose that calling the
country a Nation, or subscribing to the
doctrine that it is one, makes any diff
ference whatever with the character Of
the Government or its powers.
But when we consider what Is implied
in the Seer etary's decision the case
really has some significance. Where
the Sc cretary gets the idea he has the
authority to determine what doctrines
cadets shall accept is an unfathoma-
BILE mystery; but his claim that he has
1t Is full of danger. The right to COM
pei applicants for admission to West
Point to declare their belief that this Is
a Nation, or that the Capitol at WASH
ington is a finer building than st.
Peters at Rome, implies the right to
compel their acceptance of any doc
trine, political, partisan, social or re-
ligiors. II the Secretary may compel
the young man who seeks to enter the
Military Academy to solemnly declare
his belief that this is Nation, he may
with just as much authority or pro-
priety compel him also to declare his
belief in the Trinity. in Transubstan-
tiation or in the right of the Republic
can party to perpetual rule. The
baselessness and absurdity of such a
claim of authority scarcely need to be
pointed out. Not the least among the
absurd results of adopting such doc
trine would be the endless confusion
arising from PRONUNCIATION of conflict
ing doctrines by successive Secretaries
of War or perhaps by the same Secre-
tary at different times. 1t requires no
violent stretch of the imagin alton to
picture Secretary of War changing
his mind occasionally even as to the
most weighty doctrines; and if it ever
bee ONES the rule that the Secretary's
opinions shall form part of the qualifi-
cations for admission to the Military
Academy, it will be necessary to have
bulletins posted monthly or oftener in
the grounds of the Academy showing
what the Secretary's current views are.
The dangerous side of the doctrine
is more important than the absurd side.
Ridiculous as the Secretary's claim of
power is, it is high-handed as well. If
once acquiesced in, as with the support
which his party seems inclined to give
the Secretary, it may be, it will turn
the Military Academy of the country
into an institution for the graduation
either of partisans or hypOcrites. or
both; and there can he no question
that it is the purpose of the Secretary
TO bring about this result SO far as the
partisans are concerned.
This is apparent from the second
part of the Secretary's announcement
which requires the cadet to subscribe
also to the doctrine that a citizens al
legiance to the Federal Government is
paramount to any claim of his native
State upon him. If this does not mean
an acceptance of the Republican the
DRY of Capitalization it is arrant nom
sense. As a citizen, the cadet or Off
Ger in the army is just like other citi-
ZGnS anu owes Ill " dilcSldHCc III 1h0
word has any proper use in a republic
like ours-equally to the State and
Federal Governments. In other words,
he owes to each obedience to its laws;
and there is no question of ''para-
mount about it. The obligation to
obey the State laws is just as binding
as the obligation to obey the Federal
laws, and no more so. AS a soldier he
is bound by the army regulations,
which are made by the Federal Gov
eminent; but these are in no sense
paramount" to State laws or State
Governments, because the power to
make such regulations belongs exclu-
sively to the Federal Government. 1t
would be just as appropriate to speak
of the laws regulating the transporta-
ton of the mails or the coinage of
money as paramount to State laws.
| The States have no laws on the subject,
and there is, therefore, no basis for the
comparison implied in the use of the
word. Unless, therefore, the Secretary
[ is attempting to inculcate the doctrine
/ that obedience to the Federal laws and
Government-which is the only ale
/ glance there can possibly be-lusti-
/ fies disregard of State law and State
Government even within their proper
( sphere, his announcement is utterly
meaningless; and as the Secretary Is
/ far too shrewd man and politician to
make such an announcement without
meaning something by it, we are bound
/ to conclude that his meaning is just