The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-04
DEFENCE.
Suggestion or y Plan for E1tendinE tho Eauoa-
tLonal AdxnntnEea OF Wet Point.

VI - $50 W. NNS -ac
tionni Advantage or West Point.
To THE EDITOR OF TIE suN-Sfr: will you
permit n suggestion apropos of the article in
your Sundays issue on National Defence"
The plan therein discussed for providing com.
petent officers to drill and IN largo
bodies Of mon in case OF emergency 10 most in.
tcrestinR, and would doubtless prove efficient,
though the expense is an objection. 1t 10 sub
mitted. however. that an adaptation Of the Ger
man freiwilliger" system to our national
Military Academy would BIO still moro efficient.
could 1t be carried out, and would cost the tax
payer nothing.
It is probably not necessary to explain that
the "freiwilliger' system is an arrangement
which offers certain advantages to young men
who serve in tho German Army at their own
expense over those who serve at the expense Of
the Government.
II. in addition to those cadets who arc ap-
pointed, who are paid by the Government, and
are, therefore, bound to serve in the army n Ger
tain number of years. there should BIO admitted
TO West Point others who. in consideration Of
paying for their maintenance and tuition. as in
other schools, should be exempt from that obi
cation, and should receive on graduation n d.
ploma, or perhaps n degree OF, say. military
engineer. there would in a few years be avail
able for any such emergency as that contem-
plated n considerable number OF young men who
had received tho most thorough possible MILL
tary education. and with it the very valuable
cachet of West Point.
This last Is q most important consideration.
1t would not only inspire the mon over whom
those officers were placed with n confidence
scarcely possible otherwise. but il. would put
! regulars" not OF otherWise possible ut Ill. '"'
III There err are t Thousands Of w parents psi who oSWMScnsi,dio DO
htf tyhn hn va mt thu nnlifirnl inHnNncn nncps.
!hese would Willinsiy pay e tho Government
academic expenses il SO they might attain
their end.
increased so as to accommodate as large a stu.
dent roll as is possessed by any of the great edu-
t cat. !, institu ut. rs Of a,, the county Gov Mby IAN. and E no fear =
boy who didn't want TO go to West Point
This privilege should be restricted to citizens
OF tho United States. unless in very exceptional
Instances. and there should be absolutely no
difference between tho cadets. either in name
or in treatment. All alike would be cadets in
the United States military service, and equally
subject In all respects to tho rules and regula-
tnea a difference, for While one would be ordered
on the duty to which he had been assigned, II
any. the other would receive an honorable dis
charge and his diploma or degree. All, OF course.
would not graduate, but even those who failed
would have received a training very valuable in
the contemplated emergency. At the very least
they would be good drill masters:
There would, of course. be objections to such
an arrangement. 1ho very suggestion VIII De
n shock to some old West Pointers. 1t Is be-
lieved, however. that on examination these
objections will prove to be as nothing in COM
parison with the advantages which may conf
IDENTIFY be expected. and which it is not easy to
overCstimatc.
Any sentiment of rivalry which might arise
at first between the two kinds of cadets would
disappear in time, certainly with the graduation
OF tho last class OF exclusively appointed cadets,
and probably sooner.
The fact that no other national Government
has taken such n step Ia surely no reason in
itself why ours should not. w.
G~ARNERvILLE, n. Y. Feb. l.