Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-05-31
For tie En1uiItI
THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE.

McsSrS. Editors In readings rftItr vi Inc
Special Report of the Superintendent OF the
Virginia Military Institute, which appeared III
the Enquirer" Of the 18th instant, We were
very much surprised to find, in one Of its para
graphs, n grave reflection upon the conduct OF
the Board Of Visitors in their appointment oil
State Cadets. The writer says: 1.-The cadet
ships are now usually bestowed upon the po'
litical friends Of the State Legislature. I'm
imputation like this, of personal and political
bias in the discharge Of n public trust, is well
calculated to produce a most unfavorablc I'M
preston with regard to the character and con-
duct of those who preside over the dcstlnieS Of
an important State institution; and rs 1t Is ell
tirelv unfounded in fact, and unauthorized by
any known departure from the right and proper
exercise OF the appointing power by the Board,
VIC feel it due to the parties Interested 10 call
the attention of the writer to the blundcT he
has made. In doing this, We would dlSclaim
all intention of imputinS to him any feeling of
unkindnesS or ill-will in the statement, As we
are satisfied, from the tenor Of his article, that
he did not mean to assert what his language
would imply. The kind terms in which he has
spoken of the Superintendent, As well as OF
the institution itself, plainly show, we think,
that he did not design making 4 charge so pre-.
judicial to the school and so unjust to its Board
of Visitors, and that, in all probability, the
sentence was penned without his clearly per
| ceiving its bearing, and that he will be graft
fled ut a correction intended to counteract an
unintentional wrong.
The law requires that the appointments OF
STATE cadets shall be confined strictly to those
whose means are too limited to enable them,
without MD, to obtain 4 collegiate education ;
and the Board are left to Judge Of the moral
and mental qualifications of the applicants from
the evidence before them. 1t must, sometimes,
be very difficult to discriminate between the
applicants, several of whom may be applying
from the same district-each earnestly solicit
ing the appointment, ard each coming up fully,
perhaps, to the requirements Of the law AMI
all that can be done by the Board, under such
circumstances, is to bestow the appointment
upon the applicant seemingly the most mcrito-
rious. So uniformly has this been done, that
it may be confidently asserted, that in no in
stance have the Board been guided by other
than the pureSt motives in their selections; and
the fact, that no complaint on this ground has
ever been raised, even by those most unlriendly
to the school, affords to the Board of Visitors
the arnplcst protection from the charge Of either
personal or political favoritism.
The recommendation OF 4 member Of the
Legislature has no greater weight with the
Board than that of any other respectable ciri-
zen-nor should it have.
The testimonials which are really Of most
service are those of ~neighbors and teachers,
whose knowledge of the applicant enables them
to furnish reliable information with regard to
his pecuniary condition and moral and intel
lectual qualifications: and the person who comes
most strongly recommended, in these partiru-
lars, is always the successful candidate. We
feel assured that an examination of the records
Of the institution will fully bear us out in what
we have said, and will show that the Board
have distributed the funds committed to their
care, for the benefit of the State cadets, with u
fidelity to their trust worthy Of the confidence
of the people and OF the imitation Of those who
are invested with like authority
Respectfully. yours, &c.,
Nay 10th, 1859. II.