The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-06-18
AT WEST POINT.

The military academy of the United
States is celebrating today the centen-
airy of its permanent establishment.
The orator of the occasion is General
Horace Porter, ambassador of the
United States to France No person
in the country is better equipped by
nature and experience to speak the
speech most appropriate for this occa-
sion, and the soldier who campaigned
with Grant in soldierly phrase, in the
skillful marshalling of the men and
events of the military history of the
republic, in the spirit of the patriot,
in the diction of the born orator spoke
to the cadets, to the assemblage of
notables and the wider auditory of the
whole country. 1t was a splendid ad-
dress and worthy of the widest pc.
rusal. Referring to the graduates of
the Academy in the war of the rebel
lion, whose surviving veterans in the
department of Vermont are assembled
in this city today Gen. Porter said
III 1861 the Temple of Janus again
threw wide its portals, and the ma
ton entered upon the most appalling
struggle that the New World has ever
known. For four long years the arts
of peace gave way to the science of
destruction; blood flowed as freely as
festal wine, and the high carnival of
slaughter reigned until the records Of
the carnage staggered humanity
a.,Nf Il tl,,t
from leaders of armies to commanders
of companies, by their brilliant feats
of arms and conspicuous display of
: American manhood challenged the ad-
miration of the world.
From its earliest foundation the
Academy has struggled for its life
literally in the earlier years of its ex-
istence, later against the misguided
opposition of members of Congress and
against other hostile influences. Re-
ferring to attacks upon the school after
the civil war the speaker narrated
this incident
In subsequent years an attack was
, made again upon the academy. a
| Representative in Congress proposed
to abandon it and sell the property.
The answer made to him was in sub
stance: There never was but one
American who tried to sell West Point
and God, in His providence, did not
permit him to succeed. His name was
! Benedict Arnold. -
The soldiers of the army in the
Philippines received this gallant de-
tense:
! Even at the present day, in land
whose boast is justice and among a
people whose patent of manhood is
! their sense of fair play, while the
| American soldier by his fidelity, his
/ manly bearing, his matchless gal.
! lantry, has earned the right to stand
with head covered and with feet san
dalled in the presence of the proudest
warriors of foreign lands, at home the
envenomed shafts of SANDER are hurl
ed at him from behind his back, but
they have not even pierced the KHAKI,
of his uniform. When the authors OF
the calumnies are Wondering in for
! gotten graves the patriotic American
people will be searching for monu
mental marble white enough and pure
enough on which to engrave the
names of our heroes in the Philip
pines.
Throughout it was a mastery
speech, whether considered i'll rela
ton to its rank in oratory, its en-
forcement of wise precepts upon tn,
future defenders of the nation, or it,
inculcation of deep rooted patriot
ism.