The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-04-30
THE MILITARY ACADEMY.
An Able Report Just Issued by the
Board Of Visitors.
Where and How the Officers for Uncle
Sans Army Are Trained - Mistaken
Notions Which Should Be Up
rooted without Delay.
Especial Washington Letter.i

Especial Washington Letter.t
The report of the board of visitors to
the military academy at West Point,
which has been recently completed, is
the work of Maj. John NJ. Carson,
Washington correspondent of the Phila-
delphia Ledger. He was appointed Sec
Rotary Of the board for the purpose of
preparing a practical and correct de-
scription of the academy.
At the outset, Mai. Carson calls at
tention to the fact that, upon the occa-
sion of one of his visits to the academy,
after he had visited many foreign
countries, Gen. U. s. Grant expressed
the opinion that there should be one
thousand cadets maintained at West
Point constantly. The board believes
that this statement on the part of the
distinguished soldier was intended to
express his high estimation of the value
of the academy rather than as an urg-
ent recommendation that such num-
Der of military students should be
maintained there. Such corps might
not be impracticable, but it would be
impol1tic for a number of reasons, not
the least of which is that of expense
The board believes that the present
capacity of West Point is fully equal to
supplying the annual casualties of the
army, but Is inclined to the opinion
that the country would be largely bene-
fted by having in civil life, in every
state in the union, men who have
passed successfully through the military
academy, who would become identified
with the national guard and become
efficient instructors and competent
commanders of newly formed regiments
and brigades.
At present, under the law, there is
one cadet from each congressional dis
trict, one from each territory, one from
the District of Columbia and ten from
the United States at large by the direct
appointment of the president Under
this apportionment, during the next ten
years, the annual strength of the corps
viii be 81, Of which number 81 would
be graduated every year, 46 or Sc of
whom would be needed to supply va
cancies in the army caused by death,
resignation and retirement. The board
discovered that, owing to the poor ma
terfal selected by members of congress
the actual strength of the corps of
cadets is nearly 80 per cent. below the
number allowed by law. In order to
cover such contingencies the board of
visitors unanimously adopted report
and agreed to recommend the passage
Of an act fixing the strength of the
corps at the maximum of 469. With the
usual OBJECTIONS this maximum would
bring the actual strength of the corps
up to the proper number of 81.
Maj. Carson particularly dwells upon
the fact that in the choice of professors
for the military academy it is custom
ary to limit the selection to officers of
the army, and says: SIT cannot be sue
cessfully commended that man should
be selected as professor of the modern
languages, of ethics, or of drawing,
primarily because he has been a sue
cessful soldier and an accomplished mas
ter of strategy. The construction of
roads and bridges and ERECTION of forth
fications, the fabrication of guns or the
movements of large armies, have no re-
lation to the construction of syntax nor
the conjugation of verbs To take a
man from the army because of his rank
and ability as soldier and make him
professor is a proposition so absurd that
many persons will doubtless express
surprise that it should be even stated in
this report" Attention is called to the
fact that on the 31st of August, 1892,
the present professor of modern Ian
guages, Col. Andrews, will be retired on
sccount of age; and already a large
number of army officers are putting
forth efforts to have themselves named
for that vacancy. The board requests
the secretary of war to direct the atten-
ton of the president to this matter and
urge a change in the custom that has