The New York herald., 1871-01-13
WEST POINT.
What a High Military Authority Has to Say
About the Academy.
Tho Charges Of Bad Discip!ine-The Exploits Of
the First Glass and the Failings OF the Col
ored Cadet West Point the Most Demo
cratic Institution in the World
The Military Value Of veracity
WEST POINT, Jan. II, 1871.

tnlhgS In generai. buo Hhu-Jou inuS'hS Aonooh
my name."
.That's the only con dition uron which my lips are
going to open. You can use what tell you in any
way you like so long as you don't drag me into
the columns of the HERALD don't want to be
praised, and I'd rather not be abused. Not that
care about the public knowing me by reputation;
but II mans name once gets into
THE NEWSPAPERS
it's all up with him In Washington
This is the formula with which all interviews with
any OF the West Point authorities naturally begin.
From the highest In rank down through every gra-
daton until You reach Colored Cadet Smith 1t Is the
same unvaryng story. Everybody is delighted to
spread out before the treasures OF their expert
ence and to untold all they know in regard to what
ever you care to inquire. But they always couple
the disclosure with exacted pledge to allow their
names to remain in their present illustrious OBJ
security.
What words OF sadder and more doleful meaning
c0uld fall upon the ears OF professional inter-
viewerp As have listened to them have burned
to tell the world how soldIery was the figure, how
intelligent and genial the features, how noble the
record. OF some OF the men who thus repealed the
overtures OF journalistic fame.
The information and opinions that have gathered
under these 1npromising conditions shall not, how
ever, be lost to the American public. And have
hit upon plan Of still preserving the popular form
OF an interview. shall throw half dozen con-
versaons into one, and stain these sheets OF paper
with conversation with the
COLLECTIVE OFFICIAL WORLD
OF West Point, which shall forthwith incarnate
under the title OF q
HIGH MILITARY AUTHORITY.
"You're having o gool deal or trouble up here
inst present. General. What's the matter with the
"Well, not much thar can see out Of tn usual
routine. We're pretty much all the time in trouble
about something or other. There's strong
m costs e too tnK and fna5 sSo west
great many good citizens by making them excu-
siye arstocrats, and does not properly do Its work
OF aT0rding sound military education 10 the cadets.
And no man cha ever heard OF blndlv haied
an institution long who did not at last find some
HONEST ABUSE AND INvEcrIvE.
That's the way with West Point. 1t easy to
nna defects in our system and after properly exag
gerating them to drag them before the pub
lie ,sonHs eve and say .aoS, How long shall such
institution is not perfect; nothing human ever can
be- Bu when hea reople asking that it shall be
ber how many OF the historic names IN our Amerl-
c,n roll OF honor have been entered on the West
OF honest American indignation. No otner educa-
tional institution in the country can show o more
eraduates repaid their country FOR the cost Of their
Instruction. MANY Of our greatest engineers. and
LAWYERS and professors, and even clergymen, have
been West Point cadets.n
"But these cases OF
that have found their way into the newspapers-the
Coiorcl Cadet and that last exploit OF the First
Glass ~
no doubt has some exceptit nal features. But, in
ITSELF It is In nv opinion sign OF the healthy state
OF feeling among the Cadets"
"HOw is that ~
Well because 1t shows that their love of truth Is
sincere. Ih'ame the First Class for what they have
severely punished. Such thing will probably
never happen again. But there might have been
breaches Of discipline that would have been dis
graceful to the authorities well the cadets
ami don't think this has been civilian has,
rnc a ey ana we e way e IN
erned. Now our whole system OF discipline is based
upon the
OF both officers and men. soldier NAV he guilty
OF almost anv other vice except fasehood without
the sooner he IS drummed out Of the blue coat Of
the United States the better. That ought to be the
case with the men; 1t must be so with the officers
the morale of the entire army would be de-
stroyed.n
..Yes, truth is, of course, the great martial
virtue"
see you don't understand its full value-in mill
tary matters. mean. Now. for instance. n cadet Is
reported for doing or not doing something. If he
says the complaint is not true we believe him, and
he is relieved from the usual penalty. But If it
should be proved subsequently that he mad screened
wou'd be tired by court martial and dismissed from
the Academy. In consequence OF that severity 1t is
tells lie. II he gets into some scrape,
and Is questioned, he owns up If he is under arrest,
parole and leave MIN there without a sentinel. I
shoulo as soon expect to hear OF a cadet breaking
his parole under those circumstances that he had
COMMITTED SUICIDE.
By doing so ne would commit the worst form of
puicide-moral sncile. While TINS high tone of
1ruthiuness Is maintained therefore, there is but
: srmy. But If once the vice Of lying
aas grown so common as to cease to be
disgraccu, there is end OF everything like dis.
c1plne. One man tells lie and another lies to
soud them have % Keen @ snes II IN 'e eyerV pee
menT on the lookout for INSTRUMENTATION. AS the
case stands now, each cadet II he knows that q
comrade has been guilty OF lie, reports him, and
he is dismissed"
"But this case OF the First Glass seems to have
other features in it-didn't It show something like
JNHUMANITY.
to send the three poor wresches away in their
mer clothing at the dead OF a winter nightfr
"Ah. now you are quoting from certain news
panernot your own. That part of the case is alto.
gether imaginatlve-a mere sensation, gotten up bv
some Over-eager gentleman OF the press That
account says the three cadets were taken up the
river to Fort Putnam. Nothing OF the kind. They
had been proved guilty OF lying and the First Glass
were afraid they would be let on bv the Fourth Glass
giving a pledge to-, abstain from spiritu-
and and decded dss to run % them ' out. as eetSs ihey
were no longer worthy to mingle with honorable
fore sney Visited the rooms Of the cuIpriis forced
them to dress in citizens clothes; took them not to
Fort Putnam, but to Hiram Falls Ferry, and dis
missed them with money enough to pay their fare.
There's nothing very
CRUEL OR HEARTRENDING
IN that, that can see IL was outrage on good
order. no doubt; but we ought TO remember how
sacred virtue dictated r-a love OF truth and de-
tcsation OF dslonor.o
"That account seems to show that the son of the
President took conspicuous part IN the AFFAIR." that
ne gave the cadets money out or his own pocket"
&c. &c.
'On. that's all nonsense. He was just the same
rs the rest. The cadets gave all that they were
G LLECrIvELY WORTH
at the time to speed the parting guests, and they
made Cadet Grant the treasurer I sunpose he only
gave what he had-the same as the rest Of tnem
They had altogether ten dollars, Itnink.n
"Thls c0ored Cadet too, has got into trouble
about the same thnG-lying"
"Yes and If he il q liar-proved so, Imean--be
ought not to I've allowed TO stay here, whether he Is
thirds vote In Congress or not Politics and color
Hlnn l1 lon