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Show NOT APPOINTING OADETS. The report comes from Washington that members of Congress aro not appointing ap-pointing their full quoto of cadetB to tho West Point Military Academy, and tlio question is asked why this neglect and whether the reason is tho desire for "universal peace" or "the high cost of living." Wo doubt very much whether either of theso questions goes to the root of tho neglect, for no matter mat-ter how much desire there may bo in the heart of any momber of Congress for universal peace, he is not likely to lose on . that account any opportunity to oxcrcise his perquisite of making an appointment in this or any other position. While, as to tho high cost of living, that need not bother the cadet, because the government pays the bill, while his family would in most cases bo ablo to livo without his help. Wc believe the true reason for failure fail-ure to appoint the full number of ca-deU ca-deU to West Point to which Congressmen Congress-men aro ontitljd, is because there is not a military career open to students of the West Point Military Academy commensurate with that open on all sides in civil life. The pay of cadets is small compared to that which graduates grad-uates of colleges on technical lines can easily command. When it is considered, consid-ered, also, that promotion in tho army is extremely slow, that man may serve, and do serve, until their hair is gray in times of pence and aro not advanced beyond tho rank of captain; while engineers en-gineers and scientific men of ability get quick recognition, and large pay, oven before they have attained middle life, the case is clear that tho allurements allure-ments of the military lifo fade and bo-conic bo-conic dim as compared with the attractions attrac-tions for young men in civic and professional pro-fessional careers. Wc believe that tho lattor is tho real reason why the appointments to the military academy at West Point aro not sought as they have been heretofore, hereto-fore, and why tho attractions of a military mili-tary lifo aro regarded as inferior compared com-pared with tho attractions of civic life in various pursuits, expert, professional, and of technical utility. A young man who is able to meet the examinations of West Point and to measuro up to the status of accomplishment therein taught and imparted, can by going to a technical school attain knowledge that will onablo him to pursue a careor that will bo infinitely moro profitable and more quickly fruitful of fame, money, and position than is possible in the military lino. The military profession in time of peace is by no means attractive as compared with tho callings of civil lifo. The work is hard, tho requirements for patience arc exacting, the discipline is often scvoro and in certain cases unjust. un-just. The young man who goes into military lifo faces all theso difficulties and disabilities, and besides, is pro-vented pro-vented from taking his full part as a citizen and from exercising his liberty of criticising things that do not suit him, which are so fully enjoyed by the civilian. On nil accounts, therefore, it is not surprising that the military profession pro-fession is neglected at thin time. Tho government itself neglects tho army; it refuses to put it upon a military mili-tary basis, and it scorns tho advice of military experts, holding that any sort of a political blatherskite is ablo to deal with tho army and to say what its needs arc belter than tho best army .exports aro ablo lo do. At any rate. tho blathorakito is listoncd tg, and the military expert is not. It is quite different in civil life, where a mnn attains ominouce in his profession or pursuit; thou ovory ono is willing lo accord him tho highest consideration. In tho military profession it is quito tho reverse. In fact, when a military man undertakes lo explain to Congress or lo the public our military mili-tary confusion and tho need of getting tho army on a military basis, ho is scorned as ono who is undertaking to ndvanco his own interest and propagate propa-gate his own professional views as against the civil (in fact political) viows of those who know nothiug about tho matter, but by reason of their political po-litical support and popular standing cannot be gainsaid, and whoso views prevail oven though they aro absolutely absolute-ly irrelevant to tho case and ruinous to tho arm'. It is, in fact, a very serious question in tho minds of conscientious military exports whether it is worth while to have an army at all at such cost as the army is to the country and have it so mismanaged as it has been, so utterly futile for all military purposes as it actually is by reason of tho scandalous method in which it is disjointed, dispersed dis-persed and deprived of all actual concentration con-centration and training, tho very things which would tend to mnko a real army of our military forco in place of tho mere fragmentary impotence which wo actually have. As it is, wo havo mere scraps of troops in place of the offoct-ivo offoct-ivo army that wc ought to have. So, why should an ambitious 3roung man consider an army career desirable for himself? |