The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-06-10
WEST POINTS 100 YEARS
Generals Schofield and McClernand
spenk-GeneraI Miles Arrives
and II Saluted.


tary academy began yesterday and will
continue until Thursday, when the pres
emit first class Of cadets, ffty-four mem
bers, will be graduated.
Lieutenant General Nelson A. Miles ar
rived at o'clock and was honored with
salute.
At the exercises at >. N, General John
M Schofeld OF the class OF '43, spoke in
part as follows:
In 1913, four years after, the organization
Of the government under the present consti-
tuition, Washington Instituted measures look
ing to the establishment of a military acade-
my. This resulted in the act Of congress Of
May 9, 1874 I'll.
institution were slow indeed. Nearly every
thing necessary to its healthy existence was
wanting, and many years were spent in nu.
nerous efforts, through inadequate legislA-
ton and other expedients, to supply manifest
deficiencies At length, in 1872, congress
passed an act providing q full corps of pro
lessons and instructors and establishing the
institution on broad and solid basis
Major Thayer has been not unjustly called
the father Of the military academy. He was
even more than that. He took the academy
after its youth had been we'll nigh wasted,
and, by appropriate discipline, training and
culture, developed one Of the foremost nsti-
tutions of learning IN the world.
the circumstances as they existed at West
Point before Major Thayer assumed COM
Inand In 1877. The condition has been Justly
| characterize at chaotic. The measures insti-
tuted by him were numerous so drastic,
so minute in detail and 50 comprehensive
as to justify the idea of a. new creation
1t has been said sometimes that cadets and
graduates show. signs of overwork: It would
be strange, indeed, IT,, under such incentives,
ambitious young men did not 60 to the limit
of their strength and endurance, But how
| can this be avoided? Would you take away
the incentive and leave to chance or inlu-
ence the selection of officers for the highest
! places in the army? Or even, if a young
man with less brains than ambition Injuries
| his health in the long continued effort to
graduate at the. head .of his. class, who can
prevent him or deny him the right to make
| the effort? The law Of survival of the fttest
| seems to be the only rule applicable to such
| a case. I have known some such in my own
experience, but haveneve known or heard
OF one IN which the injury appeared to be
| lasting. -..a:". -. ~:.,.
! will mention onlye two more of the pc
culiar West Points: methods. One is the
| blackboard method OF recitation It's adyau-
| tages are very great and I believe are now
we'll understood. T am informed that this
| method has of late years become very gen.
eral In the schools of the country. The sec
Glasses
| sections of from eight to ten cadets, under
| an Instructor for each section
"a note, OF warning here is believed to be
| called for. The high character always eus-
| tanned by the corps Of cadets and by the
graduates of the academy, has been due in
great measure to the character of the young
men appointed cadets. That this has been
| FAR above the. average follows as matter
of course from the fact that the selection
has been made by the congressman himself
from his own personal acquaintance with
the candidate and hts family The corps of
cadets has always been a real American
arlstocracy--an aristocracy2 Of character II
the time ever comes when competitive exam
nations, or school certificates are permitted
to- take the place 1?of established character,
serious injury will1be done to. the corps of
| cadets and to the army. - II -
Then $followeds addresses by General T.
H. Ruger, class of "a 'CUnion), and Cen
! eral 81. Porter Alexander Glass of ST
(Confederate). After the address of Cen
eral Ruger the band played "RaIly Round
the Flag and ."tDixie" after that of Gen
eral Alexander. The next speaker was
Major 3. J. McClernand, class of TO a
veteran of the Spanish-Ameri war. He
| said In part: 20,
The |end of the civil war found the people
tired of war, and in the mad race for wealth
that followed, the military profession and
preparation no longer interested them. Ap-
preparations for the army were grudgingly
given But the years Immediately preceding
! the Spanish American war were replete with
| study, and as far as circumstances would per-
| init, with practice. assinilated to the condi-
tons of war. It was because Of these prepa-
|.rations, insistently pursued in the face OF
obstacles well-nigh insurmountable and otter
disheartening, that the little army we sent tt
i Santiago de Cuba was able to render SO good
| an account of itself. -
To permit q country to drift into war is &
crime. What are the facts as regards needed
supplies? Even the most inportant-ri1es
| ammunition and ocean transportation-were
lacking. On March 9 congress appropriated
$50, 000,o60 'for national defense Observe
this was for defense. It was decided the wal
department could not purchase or even con
tract for any material outside Of that fol
national defense, Thus no accumulation
of material was permissible for that army O.
volunteers upon which congress and the PEG
pie have repeatedly said this country mus
rely In the event Of war. T.. Here is food fo
serious reflection. Are we likely to have
longer notice Of the outbreak of hostilities
on another occasion, and will the sentiment o
tbs country ever be more united in demand
ing war? - 49,.
The speaker gave a glimpse of the bat.
tie on San Juan hill as follows:
| sumner formed, as ordered, TO the right O
the Santiago road, and struck the enemy nea
the stream on what was afterward callet
Kettle hill. Here d fierce conflict took place
and the enemy was only driven back afte
the utmost gallantry on the part of our off
GERS and men. While Wheelers division foun,
the Spaniards close by at Kettle hill, Ken
had a wide bottom in his front. which lie,
directly to the foot OF the San Juan hill
along the crest of which the enemy wa
strongly entrenched. Nothing daunted, tn
gallant men Of both divisions pushed o.
under heavy loss to -drive the dons from thei
chosen position. Officers whose names W
honor and will ever hold dear laid down thei
lives in cheering their men on to close wit
the foe, and to the living nothing but word
OF praise are DUE We will not partcularize
but will content. ourselves with saying tina
words fail to do justice to the gallant regi
mental officers and their heroic men. fol
while the generals had placed them in posi-
ton, it was, after all, the intrepid Drawer
of the subordinate officers and men that car
!, ried our colors to the crest OF San Juan, an
thus sealed the fate of Santiago AS tn
, long line struggled UP the steep hill, par
halting here and there to fire, and then agai
i, rushing on. the general effect was that Of
! uniform advance. It resenbled a blue ribbon
one end flung out from the hand and futter
ing in gentle freeze: one moment som
points of this blue line were a. little in ad
vance, only to be overtaken and passed b
portions moment before IN the rear.
} attsche OF one Of the great powers, speakfn
more to himself than to me. said: tn
world never saw better troops. :" And! he wa