12
THE BATTALION.
KI ) I TO R I A T, DEP^RTIVIENT.
F. M. Law, Jr., Editor.
With this issue of the Battalion the
present management severs its connec
tion with the paper; before doing so,
however, we desire to express our ap
preciation of the assistance and encour
agement given us by the corps and the
members of the faculty and some of the
ladies of the campus, who have furnished
us with some highly entertaining con
tributions. We feel exceedingly grati
fied with the success of the paper, so far
this year, and with the experieuce which
we have acquired in editing the journal,
we are deeply sensible of the fact that
those in charge of getting out the paper
need all the assistance which can be
given them, ana we desire to bespeak
for those who take our place your con
tinued interest and support in a work
so highly deserving. Again thanking
you, we make our bow and sincerely
offer our successors our best wishes.
A great deal of comment and criti
cism has been awakened from the press,
occasioned by the valedictory address
made by Major-General Schofield, on
the occasion of his retiring from active
command of the U. S. army. In his
farewell document he sets forth in strong,
forcible terms, the opinion that we, as a
nation, should increase the size of our
standing army. If it is as he says, our
coast defenses are almost worthless,
owing to inadequate forces to defend
them, and while it is true that we are a
peaceful nation and have little interest
in international disputes in which we
are the agrieved party, still this advice
he tenders may have its application. It
should strengthen the military spirit of
the states which has since the time of
the civil war, been our reliance. It
should show to those states that have no
national volunteer guard the necessity
of the immediate equipment of one.
Texas con boast of a superb guard and
we know not at what time she may make
the best use of it. As a cadet we should
congratulate ourselves that we have the
benefit of such a thorough military train
ing, and no doubt, were war to break
out, many who have studied the military
tactics at the old A. & M. of Texas,
would be called upon to occupy high
and noble positions in fighting for the
defense of the state which educated them..
The Battalion is, by no means, a po
litical paper, yet the recent election has
brought about such a political revolu
tion, that we feel justified in making a
few simple comments on the cause of'
the avalanche as it is frequently termed:
’Twas only two short years ago that the
Democrats achieved such a splendid
and complete ascendancy over other po
litical parties of the day and little was
it dreamed that their triumph was to be
so short lived. One of the first things
which attract attention in looking around
for an explanation of the wonderful and
marked change of sentiment shown by