The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-17
TIE woes OF PEST POINT.
Almost a Revolution-Dissati OF
the Cadets-The coIq-ed Favortte.
,corresnondepce of the New York World.]


sbt Il down il Won will as boyish prank or
as the ebulliton OF boyish ger, but whatever
II was, this famous place was short time SINCE
nearly becoming the scene OF an event 9npa[ai-
leled In the history OF military acaosLn,es. ~, !,
atead of the absurd representation OF he oatoe OF
Sedan, which General Upton, amid the sn lles OF
cadets and officers, has endeaVored 70 enact,
Seeret preparations were &C ually mace lot an
armed muIlny Of the corps. Eight hundred hall
cartfidgis were distracted, and, had the oc.
casion brought forth o man willing or capaple OF
leadir the cadets, the Emitted States troops might
now be investing This historic spot, anu ueDallng
whether TO boInb2rd it or starye out the juvenile
Trochus. But there were &c men wiling 10 lorm %
the provisional government, aud General Upton is
still commandunt, and Cadet Smith is SILL ln
clover. $50,
Sounp officers and cadets soberly discuss the
prospects of lhis rising; but II becomes qulc &C.
rious when 1t Is regarded as an indlcaHon OF the
ntter dissatisfaction felt by the young men ;ua at
When men en- rndSse become restive under
strained discipline. 1t ls hardly meetng the ell
pencies OF the case to sneer at the aDS urd renc-
dies which they spropoSe to take into their OWE
hands. The opinion that the disciplinarians are
at fault is quite as likely 10 be correct as that tne
murmurcrs are undlsciplined. But when, IN ad,
dItiOn 20 excessive sn inr ency on the part OF
oflcials there Is added suspicion that tneir po-
ltical biss prejGdces their judgment, ana inls ~
an Institution which trains the future soldiers OF
the country, the situation grows very alarming.
.. SUPPOSE need not say the apple u a.scord at
present at the Point IS the cheerful colored Cadet
!W smith. He Is the cliel source OF the trou-
hlpa Int not the only one He is, indeed, an eye
sore 10 the corps, but they have other more cub
sfantiaI grounds OF complaint. II is unfortunate
for moor Smt that h. WAS ever sent here, as II Is
always unfortunate lor per obs ~ 'ae eao,
TO be forced by circumstances INTO ". Smlth may
he a very excellent young person among MS COL
ored brethren who lo9k upon ona ~
ners with httle disfavor, but rhls Is NOT the ois
position OF men trained to hlgn sense OF proies-
sionsl honor. 1t is commonly supposed thas tne
entire dislike Of the cadets lor Sml'n Is que W
his color This is not The case; While there IS an
almost universal objection to his presence on thls
0roupd, IL certainly would have teen less nad the
representative Ofthe future colored soidlers oeen
DersonaIy less ohicc ionable. You Will ol course
Hnderstand thar all the statements make IN this
letter are not made from my own knoWledge, out
from the statements or those Whom oene9e 70
be eognizsns Of the facts. therefore may state
that not even the Presidents OWN relative here
has been able to perfectly appreciate the e1cel
hence Of young Mr.. Smith. Your readers Doubt
less understand that there arc two laws govern.
ing West Polnt-the written law OF the Rules ana
Regulations, and the unwrtteD law OF the esprit
de oorps., The latter Is probably the strong OF
the two. Its violation is Immediately punished 6y
the exclusion Of the cadet from the society o! tRs
corps. Want Of manliness or truth1ulness, or OF
ventIemanly betring under all circumstances,
violations Of parole-as for instance, IN oreacn OF
arrest-are punished by cadets In their own
school or natural justice, q'ite as effectively as oy
courts martial Mr. Smith is accused OF various
Violations Of his parole, and OF making himself
otherwise disagreeable by his 1nd1spoSiton 10
meet the consequences Of his act, without appeal
Ing TO the authorities. .'TattiDg" was never
much admired Ut the Point, or elsewhere, among
high-spirited young men. II is specifically alleged
that Smith. by breaking his arrest three times,
WAS declared by the judge advocate to nave been
guilty Of qulbble little, II at OIL short OF an un.
truth, In hin Official explanation; inns sta.emens a
has been made TO me with much poslilveness, as
Il was also stated that the same Official declared
that NJ, Smith should te dismissed the service.
Nevertheless, the influence OF y. y. HOWARD was
SufIlcient to have him retained.
THIS hos not increast the good feeling at TN G
Point. The young men point out tnat wnhe
twenty one members Of their corps have been
plaoed under arrest, and six have been dismissed
without ,Iia, and ive Others have been suspended
equally without trial. f'r comparatively Trivial Oh
fences or for no onenCes at All, Mr. smith nas
been treated with uneXampled tenderness oy ootl
eflcerR and courts martial They say mat II MS
ofences are snch as would cbligc the withdrawal
OF white cadets from the Academy, Why retain
him9 Why nut render equal and exact justice tC
him; even II. r.juhtice means deserved punishment
This Is the real sole point of the Troubles tnat e3
ceptiOns have been made III hia favor because II
has been known t'at he has Co gressional friends
swho are more Or less pledged TO regard every
action unfayorabc to him as all act Oh. perseeu'
sion.
The cadets further complain that the dismissal
prerogaitve has been very iare. ~ used late and
without sl. That this should resrlL ID mlstah es
is easily seen, and some OF them, II Is hoped. Will
be rsctited by the intsrpositon OF the Piesident,
who has become acquainted with the rcun
stances through his Sui, "Gho has taken the mat
Ter up,n am Informed; but imagine tse risk JUS.
nce runs when 1t depends on the O. cidcnS OF the
Pres dents son ben atle . interest successfully
his father in the correction Of gross mistake.