The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-27
coMP1AIKr OF THE LEVY.


the reviews, not long ago, character
lied the United States army as in one
sense degenerate. He gave unstinted
praise to the personnel so far as it in
cludes the enlisted men and the young
er officers, but he found one serious
defect in the officers in higher COM
mand. There was praise for their
bravery and efficiency in the subordin-
ate positions which they have filed;
but for independent command, this
writer said, they lacked that most es-
sential qualifications military educa-
ton. The army is deficient in gen
erals. Pointing to the experience of
1876, he noted that at the close of
the war every head OF a department Of
the army was graduate of West
Point, and in the reorganized army of
1866, every general officer, save one,
from Grant to the youngest brigadier,
was a West Pointer. incidentally, it
should be added, every one was com
paratively a young man. Every officer
who achieved military reputation, save
one, was under forty when the war
broke out. The exception was Robert
E. Lee, who was about So. In the
Spanish war, nearly every department
commander was go years old or more.
History affords a sufficient comment
airy upon old men as soldiers.
In enforcing his contention that a
technical education is essential for the
making of a great commander, this
writer draws parallel between war
and architecture, likening the soldiers
of education to architects who are
competent to design and plan cathe-
dral, and the uneducated to stone ma
sons who do the work. Both are indis-
pensable, but nobody would entrust
the preparation of plans and supervi-
sion of construction to stone masons.
Yet something analogous to this, the
writer contends, was done in the Span
ish war, and he points to Gen. Mer-
ritts Philippine expedition as the only
one which escaped scandal, and the
only one conducted BY a West Pointer.
With characteristic judgment, Gen.
Merritt insisted on having educated
soldiers as far as possible for his as
sistants. In further confirmation of his
estimate Of the educated soldier, the
reviewer quotes Gen. Winfield Scott as
saying that only the West Point grad
yates saved the army from disastrous
defeat in Mexico and confined to a
single year campaign that but for
them might have lasted five.
An inspection of the new army reg
lister shows that the army is soon to
pass into the hands of the West Point
ers. Age and the fortunes of war will
soon retire numerous colonies and
lieutenant colonies, nearly all of whom
were volunteers of the civil war. In
the infantry and cavalry there are on
~ four colonies and three lieutenant
colonies who graduated at West Point.
In the artillery, to be sure, six Of the
seven colonies are West Pointers, but
even here there is only one lieutenant
colonel who graduated from the acad-
envy. These old fighters make excellent
field officers and drill masters, but the
training they have had gives them an
Indifferent equipment for an independ-
ent command. To quote the reviewer
once more, they are excellent stone ma
sons but not architects.
Going one step down the grade, it is
found that about one-half the majors
are West Point men, while in the grade
of captain the graduates are still more.
numerous. In the natural course of
events, the proportion Of West Pointers
holding the higher army offices must
soon be larger than it has been since
1860, and it is to be hoped that the
graduates of the splendid military ac-
ademy and of the cavalry, artillery and
engineering sohools-recognized by all
as affording the finest military educa-
ton to be had in the world-will be
allowed to fill the offices and exert the
influence for which they were intended
The United States government gives
its naval cadets the best education to
be had and then makes use of them in
the service. It is similarly liberal with
its military cadets. but relegates them
to back seats in the service. This is
standing complaint A bill has been
passed to remove the deadwood and
facilitate promotion in the navy. How
long will politics be allowed to prevent
the granting Of similar relief to the
army?
AGREEMENT NOT REACHED.
The Jury in the case of Edward A.