The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-01-29
Virginia Congressman Wants
1t for His Home State.
.HELvERING FIGHTS THE MOVE
Transfer Would Cost Govern.
ment More Than $6,OOO,OOO.
Post Most Historic Army Res
ervatiOn in the West.
written for the State Journal by L.
William ThaviS)

| Washington, D. c., Jan. 29.-Will
the army service school be taken away
from Fort Filey? 1t may be.
An insistent effort is being made
/ by Congressman James Hay of Vir-
GINA, chairman of the house commit
tee on military affairs, and other col
| leagues from that southern state, to
have the mounted service school of
the army removed from Fort Riley
to Front Royal, Va, at which point is
now located the horse training school
of the army.
Congressman G. T delivering, repre-
senting the Fifth Kansas district, in
which Fort Riley is located, has en-
tered a vigorous protest against the
| proposed plan. He has gone so far
1 az to interest Secretary of War Gar
rison. showing plainly to that offlclal
what great expense the government
would be put to should this army
service be removed to the Virginia
town Mr.. delivering argued that the
! change would mean an outlay OF
| S6.O0O.OOO, the total cost of buildings
| and equipment now used at Fort Riley
! for the service school.
Wilson May Aid.
While there has been imminent
! danger of the school being trans
! ferred to Front Royal because of that
point being located in Chairman Hays
/
secretary of war and President Wilson
| will not approve or recommend the
| change because of the great expense
| involved in reproducing the buildings
and transferring the equipment. Sec
! rotary Garrison has already shown
| disposition not to sanction the move
I 1t is not known what the presidents
attitude would be in the matter, be-
| cause it has not as yet been brought
| to his attention. However. the mat
= 11a 1rrnfi1 a fa1- he
| army appropriation bill has been sub
mitted to the house for consideration.
! 1t is argued by those favoring the
removal of the school that the various
/ buildings now occupied by it could
\ easily be used by a part of the pro-
! posed increase of the army which
would naturally be stationed at Fort
! Riley.
The Fort Riley military rescrvati IN
contains $4,000 acres and is practical
/ ~ six miles square. 1t is one of the
! largest and most important military
posts in the country, particularly on
account of the location there of spe-
cial schools for the education of young
officers of the cavalry and field artil-
| lery services.
| Established in 1854.
| The post of Fort Riley was officially
! esta blished on June IA, 1854, by Col.
/ w. r. Montgomery, with a reservation
eighteen miles in length and ten miles
nee, which was within the limits of the
military reservation, was excepted
| from military control, and here. in
1855, in a stone building now standing
near the Kansas river, the first Kan
| SaS legislature, met for a few days and
then removed the state capital from
/ Pawnee TO Shawnee Mission, in John
| son county, about eighteen miles
south of Kansas City. Pawnee was
wiped out of existence by orders of the
/ hpr rata Of xHyo Ia Wis
| and Capt. Nathanial Lyon Oater the
| hero of Wilson's Creek) who made the
| first survey of the reservation, con-
Quoted the work of tearing down the
houses of those settlers who refused
! to leave the military reservation.
In 1855, congress made appropria-
/ ton for enlarging Fort Riley into
cavalry post, and large shipments of
! material were received at Fort Leav-
enworth by boat, and hauled to Fort
/ Riley, by wagon train. About the time
construction began, cholera broke out,
and the constructing quartermaster,
Major Ogden. as well as a hundred
other persons, died of the disease.
Into Its Own in 1884.
Little or no effort was made to i'm
prove the post of Fort Riley until
1884, when congressional legislation,
looking to the sale of a portion of the
reservation. reused the attention of the
war department to its great value as
| headquarters for cavalry of the
army Lieutenant General Phil H
Sheridan stated in his annual report
for 1884: 'Since, then, we have so
good place at Fort Riley, for all pur-
poses of cavalry, an establishment
worthy of our great country should be
developed there"
A school for the instruction of cav
airy and light artillery was esta bIished
| by an act of congress. dated January
29, 1887, and four years later the
school was formally organized by
! Colonel James w. Forsyth, and desig-
mated as the United State cavalry and
| field artillery school, with subschools
for cavalry and field artillery.
But it was not until the school year,
! 1904, that a systematic and adequate
course of instruction was inaugurated.
such as exists in the present mounted
service school. In this year the schools
for farriers and horseshoers were es-
/ tablished. largely through the efforts
| of General William H. Carter. and on
January II, 1914, the school of equita-
/ ton was started under Captain w c.
| Short. The school for bakers and
cooks was established February IA,
| 1905.
On Golden Belt.
/ Through the efforts of Senator Cur
tbs and Congressman Helvering an
item appropriating the sum of $50, 900
was Incorporated in the book of esti-
mates submitted to congress by Sec
rotary McAdoo for rebuilding two
spans OF the concrete Dr1dge across the
Republic river. connecting the Golden
Belt highway running through Geary
county and Fort Riley reservation
The spans were washed out by floods
some time ago.
| The Golden Belt highway, stretching
through greater portion of Kansas
| IS one of the most improved roads in
the state. Its construction is COM
plete with the exception of about five
miles where it crosses Fort Riley res
ervation. Mr.. delivering estimates that
an appropriation of approximately $26-
/ 600 would be necessary for the gov
eminent to complete this unconstruct-
ed link in the highway. He hopes to
obtain the necessary appropriation for
/ this DurnnSe or at Least q raortir..