WEST POINT AND PREPAREDNESS
West Point and Preparedness An Interview With General Sherwood Member of Congress from Ohio - , \ , —Art Young in the Metropolitan. MOST Congressmen with good "hearing avoid listening to the...
...And when I say small and efficient," said the General recently in discussing his views in the headquarters of the Anti-Preparedness Committee, "I don't mean small and expensive...
...Well," he said, "instead of increasing our standing army which costs us more than a hundred million dollars a year, I favor reducing it one-half, to 50,000 men...
...The flowers and the wax are for the benefit of the seminary girls on the...
...Not one of the advocates of 'preparedness' has given Congress one valid reason why we should squander any more hard-earned tax money on militarism...
...Now the appropriation is more than two and a half million...
...But there are few fashionable schools more elaborate than West Point...
...Hudson River, who come to dance the .twilight tango with the cadets, and enjoy the flavor of rarest flowers and exotica while they waltz with the boys and stand on slippery places'.1 "Bilt the small and fashionable ring of Army and Navy officials move Heaven and earth and Congress to maintain the status quot What the people of the United States should de~ mand is an investigation of our entire military establishment from top to oottom...
...that seems all right...
...That's what we've got now, a costly and inefficient establishment...
...Anybody could see that," she said, dryly.—Qrit...
...he was asked...
...He fought in forty-three battles...
...You find an item of $1,200 for the pay of a photographer, and $1,800 for a professor on swimming...
...Sherwood was made a "Brigadier-General by Abraham Lincoln for long and faithful service and conspicuous gallantry in the Civil War...
...you find an item of $3,000 to enlarge the front porch of the superintendent.' Most anybody could enlarge a front porch for $3,-000...
...We have now the second strongest navy in the world with no enemy in sight and nothing to do but to waste powder in target practice and concoct war scares and give tone and polish to our flamboyant Washington society...
...guarantee immunity from official persecution to every officer—and private—who will tell the truth about the way our men are trained, treated and promoted...
...Superfluous Sign At the art museum the sign "Hands Off" was conspicuously displayed before the statue of Venus de Milo...
...The General's military library is said to be one of the largest in Washington, outside of the regular Army circles...
...second, because he is a Democrat of unimpeachable standing, and third, because he is known to be a close student of the existing military establishment...
...You find an item of $4,000 for flowers and $400 for waxing the floors of the dancing hall...
...This would probably save close to $50,000 a year, which should be used to improve and strengthen our National Guard, and the National Guard—say what you please—must prove our chief reliance if war should ever come...
...His position in general is that the country should have a small but highly efficient army...
...A small child looked from the sign to the statue...
...Plain bare walls and narrow iron beds,—that's all a soldier ought to have when he's indoors...
...Sherwood is a Democrat, yet he is supported by all kinds of people when he makes a race for Congress...
...Back in 1879 when Grant was President, the appropriation for West Point was $116,000, which included $2,000 to pay for the yearly jamboree of the Congressional Committee...
...I have never been a peace-at-any-price devotee, neither am I a member of any society for limiting armament, but before I vote to waste any more money to increase idle armies or top-heavy navies, I want to know what emergency exists for such expenditure...
...Then you run across another item of $5,-184, pay for 12 additional musicians...
...Sherwood represents the Toledo district from Ohio, and is one of the most interesting personalities in Washington...
...Isaac R. Sherwood, 81 years old and now rather hard of hearing, wants to know what is going on all the time...
...We have never had one since the Civil War...
...Meow I The Kitten—Say, ma, isn't it very unhygienic to pick me up in your mouth?—Ex...
...about our inefficient units and our luxurious unsoldiery establishments...
...He has been a judge, mayor of Toledo, and secretary of state of Ohio...
...General Sherwood is a voluminous writer and an impressive speaker...
...Your eye goes down the page and you find $5,760, pay for 16 additional en-listed musicians, and an additional pay for length of services of $5,000...
...He and Joe Cannon are the only two members who were in Congress as far back as 1873...
...But what would you do, General...
...Why, you take West Point...
...The General thinks that West Point ought to look less like a cluster of palaces and more like a barracks...
...or dance music...
...MOST Congressmen with good "hearing avoid listening to the routine debates...
...Republicans, and even Socialists, break from their affiliations and line up for the General...
...It costs to educate a student at West Point more than $4,-800 a year, while at the University of Ann Arbor the average rate is $448 a year...
...He indulges in three luxuries—spats, white vests, and a span of prancing horses.—¦ Art Young in the Metropolitan...
...You look into the books and you will find an order for $7,380, pay for the military band and 12 enlisted musicians...
...Nothing would do so much to allay the conflict between capital and labor and make our flag a hope and a symbol of helpfully and an inspiration for patriotism...
...Ye gods, what has become of the plank of the Baltimore national platform, pledging the Democratic party to economy and the abolition of useless offices...
...Martial music, hey...
...Today he is opposed to war and militarism...
...GENERAL ISAAC R. SHERWOOD'S remarks on the "preparedness" program have "punch" and political significance for three reasons: First, as everybody knows, because he is an old soldier, the only Union General surviving from the Civil War...
...Look down on the House at any session, and the chances are the General can be seen with audi-phone to his ear trying to catch every word...
...In many ways, West Point is the key to the situation, for the things which the boys learn at West Point are the things they will believe in and practice when they get into the service...
...When music, heavenly maid, was young, she did not come that high...
...In other words the total amount for music for West Point for one year is $24,000...
...You go up to West Point and you will find 180 regular army privates on duty there at a cost of $50,000 and nobody knows what they are there for...
...I would set apart $10,000,000 as a starter for old age pensions for the workers...
...Take the lid off...
Vol. 8 • November 1916 • No. 11
