Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-11-12
West Point.

Major General Schofield, commanding the de-
partnent OF West Point United states Military
Academy, in his annual report OF 1880 to the
Adiutant General of the Army. after abiding to
the material Improvement at the Military Acad.
envy, refers to the standard OF admission to the
academy, which appears to be as high as prac-
ticaole under the present method of selecting
candidates.
THE PRACTICE OF HAZ,NG
Under the head or discipline the report says
The practice OF haZing In the mild form in
which II formerly existed In the corps OF cadets
has, at length. been so far suppressed. that no
case worthy OF notice has occurred In more than
year. The reform has been accompanied by
kindred one In the abolition OF what may be
styled Official, haZing or the ancient drill ser
geant method OF military instruction and
discipline and the substitution OF methods more
appropriate to the education and command OF
an army OF freemen. 1t Is believed that con-
t1nual diligence and discretion on the part Of
the officers OF the Academy for few years Will
make these reforms permanent without In auy
cipllne Of the corps of cadets. The former
practice OF settling all personal differences be-
tween cadets by pre'arranged pugil1stic dues,
"n'ch were often brutal In their character, has
cen wholly reformed without impairing the
IrJper habit Of manly self.defence against
p rsonal assault or affront These reforms
mark an important era In the history OF the
josephine and military instruction OF the corps
of cadets.
FREEDMEN AT WEST POINT AND IN THE ARMY
The outrage which was committed In the
cadets barracks on the 9Th OF last April, and
winch has occupied so much OF the public at
tention, deserves notice here mainly for the
pGrTo e OF correcting erroneous Impressions
ton which followed it and for the impor; ant
lesson which that investigation teaches. That
matter was promptly investigated by the COM
mandant OF cadets under my direction In the
usual way and in the only way provided by law
or regulations. The fraudulent character of
the outrage was fully demonstrated within
the fraud was so transparent that 1t could
net possibly have escaped almost Immediate
detection. The surgeon reported that he had
, lou 2, the cadet in fun possession OF all
his faculties and yet feign1ng Inconsistencies
when discovered. His alleged injuries from
blows upon the nose and head and his side had
been found utterly fictitious. No such blows
and no such injuries had been received. The
alleged note OF warning was at once discovered
to be in the familiar and peculiar handwriting
OF the cadet himself The resemblance In some
parts was so striking as TO suggest the posi-
bility Of a skilfUl imitation, but closer inspec-
ton showed the parts bearing such rssem GLANCE
10 have been written in natural hand while
some other parts were evidently disguised.
There was ample ground for conviction pro-
duced in the minds OF all who saw the note
that the cadet himself was the author OF il.
That conviction, added to the glazing false
hoods and attempt at deception IN respect to
alleged blows and injuries and feigned conGi-
ton OF Inconsistencies, fully Justified the
commandants report to me that the cadet was
criminal participant in, If not the sole author
OF. the fraudulent outrage OF which he pre-
tended to be the victim.
CADETS BxCULPATBD.
The investigation made by Col. I.aZelle also
demonstrated to the full conviction OF all who
knew the facts and were qualified to Judge. and
upon whom the responsibility of judgment
even suspicion that any other cadet had any
participation in or knowledge of the outrage.
Besides, the details OF the alleged assault IN
cluded coarse and vulgar manipulation OF the
D6rSOn Of cN1Orp0 cadet : no
impossible to any decent white man who was
afflicted with color prejudice, and such pre-
supposed to induce any white cadet to wish to
tnlure an IL offensive COlOred boy. That such
disgusting n anit ulattOn had taken place and
no real Injuries inflicted gave ample grounds
for the belief, fully confirmed by the command
ant investigation, that the cadets had no part
In the outrage. There was no reason founded
In law or justice for any further investigation
OF the matter as far as any question of guilt or
innocence of the cadets was involved. and
surely there could have been no excuse for any
attempt to deceive the public BY concealing or
screen the guilty and cast suspicion upon the
innocent. The facts as then known were
promptly given to the agents of the public press
who sought them, and It was through no fault
Of the officers who had investigated the case
that any public msapprehenslon existed at any
time tin respecting its merits All Just grounds
Defcre the facts were made public.
THE COURT OF INQUIRY.
Ire usual investigation prescribed by law and
regulations having shown ample ground OF &C
cusation against one cadet and no ground
whatever for accusation against any other, the
full measure OF justice TO which any officer or
cadet was entitled under such circumstances
was prompt trial before court-martial upon
the SPECIFIC charges embodied in the comm ind
ants report Of his investigation. But the &C
cused promptly demanded court OF inquiry.
which would be the more advantageous to him
since 1t would make him the .eadiUg wit1esS Ia
hIu 10
-euce.
After review of the action of the Court Of
lnqA.iv ETC., the report says: But when that
extra Isgal inquiry had again demon straGei
that there was 10 just ground Tor suspicion OF
any one except the accused cadet it became nv
duty to again publicly exOnerata those VINO
had been unjustly and Illegally SUBJECTED to
public suspicion, and to protect the Courr. In
compliance with its request. from further Illegal
interference. so that IL might proceed with the
lawful inquiry for which IL mad been appointed.
The result OF the inquiry is well known, and il
requires no further comment except brief
reference to the general facts which 1t dis
closed TO the public The social liberty which.
no less than civil or religious liberty Is right
enjoyed and priced by every citizen OF The
United States, has been denied to the cadets
To-. .or several years past, yet they have respected
scrupulous care than those OF any other. Every
lawful right OF the colored cadet has been Sc
curely guarded by the officers of the Academy
and he has invariably been treated with great
the Military Academy have not failed In any
duty toward those persons of the newly en-
1raIchiSed race who have been placed Under
their care.
UNDUE KINDNESS TO AN UNWORTHY CADET"
The superintendent OF the War department.
In the exercise OF executive discretion NAV
hereafter, as heretofore, show undue kindness
TOWARD an unworthy cadet even fer no better
reason than that he is cOored, but the aca1emic
board or court martial can be pretty conf
deItly relied upon to do him impartial Justice N
the end While every lawful right OF the col
Ored cadets has been fully secured TO them and
their official treatment has been not only lusI
but very kind and indulgent, their social reIa-
lions to their fellow cadets have not been what
they appear to have been led to expect.
Military discipline is not an effective mean,
OF promoting social intercourse or of overcom.
ing social prejudice. On the contrary the en-
forced association Of the white cadets with their
cOlored companions, to which they had never
Oeen accustomed before they came from home.
appears TO have destroyed any disposition which
before existed to indulge In such association
doubtless this was due In part to the bad per
s0nal character OF some Of the young colored
men sent to West Point and in part to the nat
ural reaction against an attempt TO govern
social intercourse by military regulations. Par
sonal merit may rapidly overcome unjust pre-. |
JUDGE when all are free to regulate their own
social habits but when social intercourse il en- |
forced In spite Of prejudice on one side and OF |
personal demer1t on the other the result must
be rather an Increase than q dimInuttOn OF the
pfe-existing prejudice.
NOT GOOD PLACE FOR THE EXPERIMENT.
For this reason Jhp military apaHapor ,,onc+