The age-herald., 1898-05-06
MILITARY RECORD
 OF ARMY OFFICERS
Comparison of Volunteers and General Officers the South
 Will Furnish.

'It seems very strange to me-" said one of the best posted men on military affairs in Birmingham yesterday, that only West Point graduates make good soldiers. An examination of the records of the officers appointed by President Mckinley last Wednesday and sent to the senate for con- firmation, will show this.
 "Of the ten names. recommended for major generals of the United States army, six were promoted from the grade of brig adler general now in the United States army, while four were selected from civil life. Of the ten, two alone are gradu- ates of West Point-Fitzhugh Lee and Jo- seph Wheeler; the others were appointed to the army during the civil war, excepting Senator Sewel, of New Jersey, and MT. Wilson, of Delaware. Two of the ten are southerners and fought on the confeder- ate side of the late war.
 "Of the twenty-five names sent in by the president to the senate for confirmation as brigadier generals, all of whom were promoted from field officers of the United States army, it is observed that the entire number are from the north-six being from Pennsylvania, five from New York, and the others very evenly distributed over the north and northwestern states. Of the twenty-five, only ten are graduates of the military academy at West Point.
 "Of the call for 125,O0O volunteers, the south's quota is 3S704, nearly third of the entire number, yet out of the thirty-five general officers-ten ,major-generals and twenty-five brigadier-generals--the south only received two appointments, and nearly every one of them is aboventhe age of 60, and of the thirty-five general officers all ready appointed, only two of the grade of major-general and ten of the grade of brigadier-genral are West Pointers. It is probable that two or four more major-gen- erals will be selected and fifteen brigadier- generals, in which event the south should certainly come in for share and the young men should be represented. It was the young men in the civil war who proved the best fighters, such as Forrest, Lee and Grant, while the old ones, such as Winfield Scott and others, were relegated to the rear.
 Summing up the situation the south furnishes about one third or six-eighteenths of the fighting army-the men who do the worthwhile 1t received only one-eighteenth of the commanding officers. It would not be given its pro-rata now, even if it re- ceived the appointment of the remaining major-generals and brigadier-generals to
 
 forces, for there are only about fifteen more to appont which would make fifty fn all, consequently the south would then have less than one-third of the fifty if it received all of the fifteen appointments to be made.
 This is not sectional matter but a little common sense would go a long ways toward unifying the once divided forces The question of graduates of West Point being the only ones eligible, has not pre- vailed at the north, consequently should not be brought as an excuse for failing to appoint southern generals. for only ten out of the thirty-three generals appointed from the north, have received military educa- tion, or are graduates of West Point.
 Tn other words, am speaking about the prospects of General Louis V. Clark of the Alabama National Guard for appointment as brigadier-general in the United States army. The Alabama volunteers at Mobile endorse him as unit for this position and are awaiting anxiously for his appoint ment.
 Besides this military endorsement, Gen. eral Clark has the personal endorsement of the governor of the state, of Senators Morgan and Pettus, and of hosts of other public men in Alabama. I think General Clark's appointment would be of the great est advantage to the army of the United States"