The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-01-05
THE Hoes OF 4 Co1oRED CADET.
The Career OF a Tawny Representative
Of South Carolina ut West poin9.
A Washington dispatch to the New Yor
Uorold aapa.

A Washington dispatch TO the New York
Herald says:
James W. Smith, the colored cadet at West
Point, Is again in trouble. He has been the
cause oil no little annoyance to the other stu,
the white cadets have quietly ignored him.
and q constant appreciation OF this fact may
have contributed 10 render him anything but
umiable. His requirements before entering
the Military Academy showed that he had
ability above that of the ordinary negro, but
the pursuit Of his studies at West Point has
thus iar failed to indicate any brilancy In him.
The curriculum of the Academy is well caIcu-
lated to test the intellectual powers oil s,ny one.
Tried according TO this standard, he is pro-
nounced by unImpeachable authority to be
rather below the medium ability, while 1t Is
represented that the higher branches Of
mathematics would unquestlonably bother
him. 1t is somewhat doubtful, however,
whether he Will have the opportunity nt fnish-
Ing his course at the academy. Twice he has
been brought before military tribunals, and
another similar ordeal IL awaiting HIN. The
first was court Of Inquiry, which feconmend-
ed that he be tried on charge Of making
false statements; but in Difference 10 his
anomalous position, and in order to give him
every opportunity, the war department con.
doned this, his first offence, in the hope that
the lesson would be useful to hin. The Sc
cond was court-martial, before which he
was arraigned for being. engaged in an
ARRAY, aud for making false statements.
Both courts were organized with spe-
cial view to entire impartiality, and were
composed OF officers, none Of whom were
stationed at West Point, and most of
whom were not graduates Of tue acade-
INV. On his trial before the general court
martial; OF which Major-General Howard,
chief of the Freedmen's Bureau, was presi-
dent. the assistant professor Of law and ethics
at the Military Academy, by request, acted.as
his counsel, and with such good faith and
ability that he was acquitted on the first
charge, and the War Department RENTED the
sentence on the second. These facts demon
corded him By the authorities Of the institu-
ton, as we'll as by the War Department. But it
would seem that this want OF veracity may yet
prove the ruin OF him. he was recently
reported In the usual manner for 'delin-
quency on drill. He made written ex-
planation of the alleged offence. and this
explanation is represented to contain un-
chronic weakness Uf this cOlored youth
Justification of facts. Upon this charge he Is
to be again arraigned before new court mar
tial. which will soon be appointed for the pur
pose of trying him. Before the third and iln-
pending tribunal The case will rest altogether
Oh its merits. Without doing any wrong to
the colored cadet, IL is but Just to the young
gentlemen at the academy to state that. not
Wlthstanding the natural prejudice against ap-
pointing negroes as cadets in that academy,
The other students did not unnecessarily annoy
him, as some suppose they did, but simply,
quietly ignored him, and refused to affiliate
with him. Smith was appointed from South
Carolina, on the recommendation of Mr, Hoge,
member OF Congress from Columbia, and 1t is
| curious incident that in the recent election
Hoge was defeated for Congress By a negro.