New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-09
RENT POINT MORALS.

The recommendations of the West Point
Committee so far as they relate TO the pun
ishment of the First Class will be generally
approved. The Oifcnse of these young gentle
men seems to have been strangely moderated
by their immediate supcrOrs, and yet 1T was
gross outrage against one of the first OF mill
tary virtues. A soldier is taught above all
things the importance of discipline and ODE
dience; vet a whole class, which has nearly
complctcd its course Mt the Academy, usurpS
the authority of the cOmmandant, and yirtu-
ally takes into its own hands the government
of the institution. The formal arrest imposed
by Gen. Epson as punishment for this insub-
ordination was so ludicrously disproportionate
TO the offcnse that we can find no explanation
of it except in the fact that mob-law at West
Point has received quasi sanction from long
established custom. In truth, 1t Is not uncom-
mon for transgressOrs of the unwrittcn code
of cadet ethics TO be fOrcibly banished by their
comrades. lust as the three young men were
in the present case; and we dare say major
ity of the officers who are occasionally called
upOn as members of cOurtS-martial or attaches
of the War Department to pass upon snch
transactions have been engaged IN similar
affairs during their own young days, and
really see no great harm i'll them. Any
graduate Of the Academy can testify that
Punishment by mOb-law is a not uncommon
occurrence, but, as all parties are interested III
keeping such cases quiet, they never find their
way into the public prints except by accident.
The missing cadets are entered on the books
as dropped" and there is an end OF 1t. The
excuse of the cadets who commit these acts OF
violence and the officers who shut their eyes
to them, is that high sense OF honor, honesty,
love of truth and other manly virtues can be
kent up in the corps in 10 other way. There
are otlcnses which rules cannot define and
courts cannot punish, and these must be left
to the rude justice of the mob. 1t requires no
argument to show the fallacy of this position.
First it proposes to punish one oflense by another
and Qrom military point of view a worse
one and secondly it deprivcs the accused
of a trial, and makes punishment follow mere
suspicion Cruel instances of injustice are
known 20 have occurred under this system.
| Cadets are liable to be mistaken IA well as
| ordinary mortals and a case has recently been
| mentioned of "a young man who, having been
denounced as thief and driven from the
| Academy, was afterwards discovered to be
| perfcctly innocent. The frequency of these
lawlcss practices, and the lenlcncy with when
| they have been viewed by the authorities,
may relieve the young men of the First Class
| from much of the moral guilt which at first
view seems TO attach to their conduct, but
afford on the other hand Il strong reason why
| discipline should be restored 10y making
stern example of the principal offenders. The
abuse must be stopped AT once.
| With regard to the three cadets, Baird, Flick
| cnrer and Barnes, the recommendations of
| the Committee are perhaps not so wise. The
off'cnse of these Young men, according to the
| West Point standard, was a very grave one.
1t was not secretly going of the grounds to
get liunOr, but it was violating that sacred
honor of soldier" which the cadet is taught
TO respect rs prisoner respects his parole.
While one was absent on an unlawful expcdi-
ton. his roommate answered " All right for
him to the guard meaning that he was either
in his room or absent by authority and this
answer is always understood to be son honor
We must certainly sympathize with the anxiety
of the First Class to keep up the sense of honor
among the corps, however much we may dis
approve of their means OF doing 1t, and we
fear that the restoration of the three cadets
who have violated the word of a
Soldier and a gentleman may have
very mischiev0us effect. Cadets complain
that the nice sense of honor and yeraclty
which ought to prevail in the Military Acad
envy has been perceptibly weakened OF late
wears. There never was more Of 1T than we
had plenty of use for, as the history of
SccessiOn-nOt to speak of the personal
character of certain of our loyal officers
emphatically proves, and we ought to take
the very best Of care of what there is.
Messrs. Barnes, Baird, and Flickenger might
be offered the opportunity to go back to the
Academy and clear themselves before court
martial; if they cannot or will not do that,
they had better remain in civil life.