New-York tribune., 1912-02-03
THE DA VIM WASHI.NGT TON

Academy given In this column some uiiie
ago, and ii represents reform wnlch AN
who have studied the subject are agr'eu
should be adopted. There are now hfty
vacancies at West Point, despite the iaCt
that all the PRINCIPALS selected by members
OF Congress have either been appointed OF
have failed to pass the entrance cXamlna-
tiers. 1t is a fact that there are some
states. particularly in the West. where APP
plioants for appointment to West Point ana
Annapolis do not take the matter seriously
a.I present themselves for examination
after wholly inadequate preparation. on
thr other hand there are always many
altornates from other states who nave
passed both the mental and physical eN-
aminations with credit and who i'm the esti-
nation Of the military authorities, should be
appointed OF course. such appointments
might give to certain districts more IMAM
the required quota Of officers. and wouid
initiate against the appointment ot cNH-
iaus as second lieutenants which Is proD7
abb, one Of the reasons why any REFORM
~ opposed by members of Congress When
such civilian appointments are made IL ls
necessary to send the officers so coinmls-
siuned to the service schools In order that
they may 1T themselves for their duties
with the line and the result is an unneces-
sary expense TO the government and an IN
Justice to those who have taken the course
~ the academies.
OLCOTT ENTHUSIASTIC. - If the
hcartIcss politicians who prevented J. Van
Vcchten Olcott from returning TO grace
the place he had 90 long ornamented IN
the House of Representatives imagined
for a moment that they had crushed the
ambitions or dulled the enthusiasm OF
that energetic statesman they were badly
mistaken. That is proved by the recent
conduct of Mr.. OlcOtt i'm Washington. MI
Olcott has returned TO the practice OF law
and rumor has IL that he has an extremely
lucrative practice. But IL Is not precisely
as n lawyer that Mr.. Olc6tt has given the
latest demonstration of his irrepressible
enthusiasm. Having been retained to look
after certain legal technicalities of the
Gyreme. or Phyreme. or some other fire
cxtlngusher, Mr.. Olcotts natural enthu-
siaSm has become aroused to an cXtraor-
dinary degree. and his oldtime colleagues
i'm the House are alarmed for fear before
It is possible to get him out of Washing
ton, ne VIII actually secure COnlId'NS I'i
those patent cXtlnguishers to an amount
which will bankrupt the government In
cidentally. it may be said conhdenttally
that Mr. OlCott is being closely watched.
for so great IS his faith n the efficacy
of the invention for which he has been
retained as attorney that there is not the
slightest doubt he would willingly set fire
10 the White House or the Capitol merely
10 watch the celerity with which the con-
nagration could he eXtnGuishcd with
Myreme's patent cXtinguisher, although
that is not its name. The immaculate
shirt fronts of the whilom New York Rep
rescntativc are being sacrificed in the
cause for never does he hesitate TO empty
an entire bottle Of the eXtinguishcr down
the front Of his evening clothes merely
to demonstrate that 1T does not blister
stain or mutilatc" Whether or not it
removes spots. Swcetcns the breath and
strengthens the voice" is not known. but
OK X-Reprcsentatiye Olcott will doubtless
assure you that 1t does NO submarine
should be without one" is the latest slO-
gan of the former Representative, and
Uncle Joe" Cannon declares that he will
certainly take one with hin on his long
journey to the future world II it is all
that Jake Olcott claims that IT is"
@. G.. H.