New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-10
A GREATER WEST POINT.
PLANS FOR THE ENLARGEMENT OF TIE
GREAT MILITARY SCHOOL
rrorosAG, TO PROVIDE OFFICERS FOR AN ARMY
on, srXTY-FIVE THOUSAND BUILDINGS
THAT WOULD HAVE TO
BE ADDED TO.

rho inadeduacy OF West Point as school TOT
tho education of officers for the United States
.r,,,, has for years been spoken Of by Army
MON and while they all agreed that the lhsutu-
,ior was the best Of its kind anywhere, far sur
,,ossnr in many respects the similar institutions
n other countries. its size has for many years
couscd much criticism among It's stanchest
friends
While the country was at peace with all the
world the arguments in advocacy OF greater
West Point found little favor in the eyes OF the
MON Tn whom they were addressed and for sew
oral Years there was a tendency toward reducing
t,o number Of cadets. and il became popular 10
gay. that too many United STATES officers were
h,in,, turncd out of West Point and that the
surr,ly WAS greater than the demand. 1t was IN
kc.ptng with this sentiment that the number OF
cadets was reduced by giving the President the
arrointment Of ten cadets during his term OF
office instead Of ten every year
When the war with Spain broke out II was
f,und that there were not enough officers 10
command the troops, and even after the hrst
class at West Point had been graduated ahead
- its time to provide Junior officers there were
vacancies TO fill and over one hundred men had
IN be taken from civil life and placed IN the
R.gIIar Army as officers. The war was an I'M
.revorablc argument in favor Of expansion al
Wcst Point. and with an army Of sixty-lve
thousand men in view there is now less talk
about reducing the efficiency of the school
THE PRESENT MAXIMUM.
At the present time the maximum number OF
cadets is 3Sl and when the academic year De
gins in September. there are rarely any vacah-
cee Every Congress district iS entitled 10 q
cadet the President appoints ten and one Is ad-
,nittod for each Territory. The new class Is
known as the Fourth" and has this year IN
members the largest number ever enrolled In d
fourth class.
II is popuarly believed that every member OF
Congress has it in his power to appoint cadet
and one OF the first " pleasant experiences OF
new member is in consequence of this mistaken
idea. The Congress district is entitled to
cadet. but as the academic term is four years
and n term in Congress only two years, the dis
trict has only one representative at the academy
every four years
The academy census will not be the same
when it is taken after the July examinations,
for II the new class is like former classes the Ia
will shrink 10 fewer than one hundred, because
the wedding out process usually reduces the
new classes 10y about so per cent. The cadets
who pass the first ordeal are not at all sure that
they will go to the end Of the course. but having
passed the first examination is a long step In
the right direction.
And yet" said an old Army officer who is still
IN touch with the academy. there is nothing
really severe about the West Point course and
young men who enter any Of the first class col
legcs in this country would find no difficulty in
maintaining their places in the academy. The
trouble is that the preliminary requirements are
too low. The law requires that young man
Shall be well vcrscd in the elementary branches,