The daily gazette., 1880-04-29
rHIRD EDITION
General Sherman on Wess
Point.

A VIGOROUS DEFENsE OF THE AcADE-
MY, ITS OFFICERS, AND TIE CADETS.
In recent interview with the WASH
ington correspondent of the Cincinnati
Gdzette, General Sherman denounced
the press In bitter terms for their at acks
on West Point and its administration,
aud declared such action unwarranted
and indefcnsible. "There are now
about 800 cadets at Wes9 Point, who re-
present as many families in every sect
tion Of the country" said the General.
"These young men have been arraigned
In body by the newspapers, aud they
are all virtually on trial. 4 hope-we
all hope-that the inquiry will be as
thorough as 1t can be made. l have no
doubt that it will be-" Passing to the
allegation that West Point is under
Southern influence, General Sherman
exclaimed -"What nonssnsei Nothing
can be more absurd. Why, General
Schofeld, Colonel Lascelles, and the
other heads of the scademy are all
Northern men, thoroughly imbued with
Northern sentiments, views, aud eas.
This charge is like the rest, purely ictic-
i0us, anu existing only ia the fertile
imaginations of the new 81 aper writer's"
Relative to hazing, the General en-
phatically declared that there was les,
of 1t at West Point than al any private
institution. The Young men have
little fun once in while. They plague
sentry or run in upon plebs Or some
thing OF the sort, but no one Is ever hurt
or manned. The authorities, however.
inevitably punish hazing severely. They
d. all they can to put stop. to tue prac-
tice Now, at other institutions where
hazing Is carried out to the utmost, in
volving, as it did at Cornell, the death
OF the victim, little or nothing Is said
about it. just look at that hazing affair
at Cornell UnlVei sity, where the son of
Captain Leggett walked over precipice
and was killed. Halstead, of the Cincin-
natl Commercial, had Tue audacity to
charge that that young mans death was
due TO West Point example. What
ground did Halstead have for this accus-
alton? When was there anybody killed
through haziLg at West Point? When
was any one seriously hurtp And yet Mr..
Andrew White, the President of Cornell,
instead Of being he'd accountable for
Leggett's death, Is now our Minister to
Germanyp'
General Sherman then proceeded TO
discuss the relations of West Point TO
the Government. at has been said"
continued the General, ''that the scade-
my is an army institution. This is not
correct. The academy is tine crerture
of Congress; Of The Board OF Visitors
Congress appoints three Representatives
and Lwo SeL aters. 1t is Tor these gentle
men 70 ascertain how the instituiion is
conducted, what reforms shoula be made
what abuses corlec ed, ana what new
laws concerning IL should be enacted.
As 10 the social ,stfacism of the roloreu
cadets, of which We hear so much, her.
have the Board of Visitors ever referred
TO it. LII my opinion, there is no piscr
where distinction and plejudic OF colul
are less aiegarued than in the
army. When Cadet Flipper gradual. d.
both the Secret tary OF ar and myself,
who were present at tue event, SHOOK
hands with him upon the honor he ha.
achieved in being The first culoren maj
10 graduate from Vest Point We did
not shake hands with any of the whit,
cadets. Flipper IS doing well, l all
Glad to say, and is respected by every
officer in the army. No, sir, less of TIN,
color prejudice is 10 be met with in til,
Amy than elsewhere. The newspaper
are responsible for all this clamu
against West Point"