The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1891-10-15
SEVERELY CRITICISED.

SEVERELY CRITICISED.
The Board Of vlsitors to the West Polnt
Military Academy Submits Severe Re-
port to the Secretary Of War.
WASHINGTON. Oct 12-The secretary
Of war has received the report of the
visitors to the military academy Of
West Point through Maj. John Carson,
Of this city. . member of the board and
its secretary. by whom Il was prepared
It i elaborate and comprehensive, COW
ering upwards of 100 printed pages and
treating the subjects discussed in .
novel and striking manner.
The first QUESTION considered by the
board was whether the strength of the
corps of cadets as now established
should be increased The board agreed
to recommend the passage of an act
fixing the strength of the corps at .
maximum of 400. The board recon-
mends that, in addition to the present
allotment of one cadet to each repre-
sentative and delegate in congress, two
cadets be allowed to each state at large
to be nominated by the senators re-
spectively, and that the president be
authorized to nominate from the
country at large twenty. The board
calls attention to the ineficiency of the
present preliminary examinations as
shown by the failure 10 graduate of
more than so per cent. of the cadets adj
mitted AS showing the merit of the
competitive system o. selecting candi-
dates for appointment the board pre-
sents tables to show that under the
competitive system 80 per cent gradu-
ated and 10 per cent failed to graduate.
while Of those appointed direct only ~
per cent graduated and So per cent
failed.
The board strongly condemns the
practice of filing the professorships at
the academy entirely of army officers.
They might, it is said, hold such places
as have intimate relation with the
science Of war. not otherwise. The
deficiency in English is said to be pain
fully apparent in the academy and it is
urgently recommended that more at
tention be given to the subject In this
connection the board also says very
pointedly: None of the instructors in
the department of modern languages
has speaking knowledge of either
French or Spanish, the two modern
languages taught at the academy. The
ability to speak these languages does
not seem to be regarded as essentially
instruction at West Point"
The board says: while the corps of
cadets is thoroughly instructed in all
field movements, certain details are
omitted from the scheme of military in
struction to which we respectfully di-
rect the attention of the proper au-
thoritieS In the school of the soldier,
mounted, the cadet receives no instruc-
ton in the care of horses He never
sees horse groomed and knows moth.
ing about saddling and bridling, unless
he obtained such information before
entering the academy. 1t seems to the
board that instruction on these points
is essential"
Again the board directs attention to
the utter lack of proper arms and
equipment for field exercises and par.
ticularly to the need for modern ord
nance. Having in view the failures of
former appeals, the board says: "Ur.
til the government can supply the
academy with modern guns to take the
place of the antiquities now in position
in the seacoast and siege batteries, we
recommend that these two worse than
useless batteries be dismantled, aud
that wooden guns, fashioned after the
latest approved models and furnished
with modern carriages and cranes,
be mounted in their stead Such
course would not avert the ridicule
to which the United States is now just
ly subjected by maintaining obsolete
armament in these two batteries for
the instruction of future officers of its
army, but it would furnish evidence
that our military men are cognizant OF
the fact progress has been made in the
fabrication of great guns, and that they
fully appreciate the importance and
value of the improvements In addi-
ton to this wooden models of modern
fashion would at least give the cadets
an idea Of the kind of guns likely to be
used in warfare and of the methods en-
ployed in serving them"
The members of the board are Sem
ators Henderson and Pugh; Repre-
sentatives Burrows of Michigan;
Scranton, of Pennsylvania, and Lam
ham. of Texas, in addition to the fol-
lowing appointed by the president:
Rev. Frank A. O'Brien, Kalamazoo,
Mich; Col. j. T. Murfee, Marion, Ala
Hon James A. Waymiere, Gan Fran
cisco; Maj John NJ. Carson, Washing
ton; Mr.. David w. Payne. Elmira, N.
v; Gen T. S. Peck. Burlington, VT,
and Hon. Robert o. Fuller, Cambridge,
Mass.
RUEFIAN ROBBERS.
Young Woman Mnltreated and the !
House Robbed.
MARSHALL, Mo-, Oct i2-Yesterday !