New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-26
More West Points Needed.

Il
In the first century Of its existence
from 1902 to 1902-the West Point Mill
tary Academy graduated 4,121 cadets
an average of forty-one a year. The
average for recent decades has been, of
course, much higher, the membership Of
the cadet corps increasing with the ad-
mission Of new states and the creation OF
new Congress districts.
The authorized strength of the corps is
now 575. But the attendance at West
Point seldom reaches the authorized total,
and in order to overcome persistent
shortage in graduating classes Congress
provided in 1910 that in the six years
ending on July l, 1916, new appoint
ment might be made when a student &C
credited to any given state or district had
finished three years of his four years
course In spite of that artificial stimu-
lus attendance still remained short. On
July l, 1911, there were 573 cadets in the
institution. But on July l, 1912, there
were only SAL.
The graduating class Of this year num-
bered 1914. Yet this is a mere driblet add
ed every year to our present resources IN
trained officers. In our skeletonzed army
there are now 1881 commissioned officers.
IF it were to be converted into a real army
we should need within a short time at
least 10000 officers, and West Point would
be absolutely swamped as a training
school for candidates for the enlarged Of
fcers' corps.
In case of war we should have to go
back on a grand scale to partially trained
officers, Just as we did in the Civil War.
We have a regular army, all told, of about
100000 officers and men, most Of them
tied down to garrison duty. But if by
any possibility we should be able to put
an army Of 100000 in the field against
first class opponent, how long would our
supply of officers last?
The British government has had about
10000 troops at the Dardanelles. In the
two weeks from April % to May COW
cred by General Sir Ian Hamilton's re-
cent report the loss in officers was COZ.
For the total British forces in Europe
the loss in officers for the two weeks end
ed July was 776. The total loss Of
British army officers from the beginning
of the war up to July 6 was 1912.
Great Britain has had in the field a
total force of from 100000 to 100000, &C
cording to figures given in Lord Lans-
downe's recent speech. A large percent
age Of these have not been in action. We
are planning to have a first line army Of
about 100000. Yet we have of trained
officers in the regular service only lit
tie more than third Of the number lost
in leading British forces, of whom less
than 100000 have seen real fighting.
1t is obvious that if we are going to
have a real army, organized on modern
basis, we must have more West Point
ers and also more West Points. We
ought to turn out 1000 to 1900 mill
tary academy graduates year instead of
164 For we need reserve officers corps
as well as an active officers corps. We
should not be in a position to handle a
first line army and to prepare second line
forces with which to supplement it if we
did not have 10000 to 10000 officers with
first class training to depend upon.
Speaker Champ Clark said the other
day in San Francisco that he favored dou-
bling the number of cadets at West Point.
That would be good as far as it goes. But
it would be still better to lay the founda-
ton of other West Points-to give mill
tsry academy to the South and one to the
West, besides charging the scope of rrli-
tary instruction offered in private acade-
mics and colleges.
The effects on us of the war in Europe
have shattered our illusions of isolation
and immunity. We shall have to be more
of a military nation than we have been,
whether we want to or not. We shall
have to create a real system of national
defence, and in that system we shall need
more institutions to do the work which
West Point has so far been doing very
admirably, but on a much too limited
scale.