National Republican., 1880-04-26
Defense of ,yest Point.
10 The Editor Of he National RcDib,!can;

TO He Editor Of he National Republican;
SIN: In many of tho notices taken by the press OF
tho present Investigation at West POint-und your
paper is not innocent in this reSpect-there is
found an expression moro or less pronounced OF
disbelief In the justice Of tho court. contempt iOT
the conduct OF It's recorder and undOubting conf.
dcnce in the innocencu Of Cndot Whitaker. In
making known tho fact that su aiOlOns of the gcn.
uinoness of tho outrage had been conceived by
some General Schoheld is ansriiy denounced ~,
supprossing facts. Because Lieutenant Sears In.
udvertOnty spoke of Whitaker the accused he
is charged with hostility to the negro race aud Il,
beng Oyermaslcred by vulgar prejudice. Because
he resented tho interruption Of an entire stranger
who broke in upon him whilo examining u witness
and who should have made himself known to The
president Of the court, Lieutenant Sears Is repre-
scnted us repelng even II touch Of his sacred gar
nlent, aud as regarding Mr. 'ioWiisend's net as y
piece OF audacity which cdiea for lesson IN West
Point etiquette. The officer wno ordered Whita-
kcr's room 10 BE- made clean is sno1ringly called
wonderful detective, and the whole body of cadets
arc, by duplication Ut least, stignltzcd as Gglsto
Crats, whose arrogance demands The abolition OF
the Military Academy.
Give me leave y protest against such has:y
judgment. To abolish the Academy Of West Point
Tor solitary instance of brutality like that now
under Investigation would be like unputa 5iug
ones right arm because OF y ielon on the finger.
No person in the country, be assured, Is more
earnest in his determination to ferret ont the lCls
and discover the perpetrators Of the crime and nc
ono Is moro Interested for his own urcli, aud for
to the bottom, than General Schyilold. am not Il
graduate oil west Point, ana have therefore, no
III llS bNN kllDN ttleEhl CCilO-
field well, and u more honorable gentleman or one
70 whom an net Of violence or rlce-hostilily could
be more repusire and abhorrcnt does not live.
And my acquaintance with some of tho officers
aud professors on duty under General SchOiCd's IS
command, nnd my knowledge Of the character o.
others, enable me to affirm with certainty their
equal Innocence OF any such lOw autpUthy to the
race to which Mr. Whitaker belongs as Is asclib.d
to them too generally by the press Indeed, Whit
tlker himselt Ucquils thom, without exception, OF
any such feeling. Among the cadets the sentiment
undoubtedly exists, and blush for New England,
and Massachusetts, before all, TO which S.Uto /
have the honor 70 belong, that among all the young
mcu in the Academy coming from that section Of
the country, not one seems 30 have had the mGnii-
ness and moral courage to hold out helping hand
TO their unfortunate clas'matc, but have all lent
their all IN Keeping him III II state OF isolation,
Which Is deplorablG to think Of aud which 1t is a
marvel ho has been able to endure as he has.
In view of the testimony 50 far luld before the
court no impartial man, / think but must be
struck 10y sense Of the grave injustice OF daily as
nlniy newspapers now do, condcmnlng the author.
ties OF west Point as Incapable through class feel
ing ana prejudice OF impnrtally investigating the
present mystery and OF charging them with wish
to suppress the facts and conceal tho perpetrators
ltwuuld seem rs If the press were acting underline
stimulus OF precOECeiYcd determination to be
hore Whitaker victim and a martyr, Whatever
be shown IN proof believe as yet that slIspclous
against Whitaker rs his own assOiiant are ground
less and unjust. His frank demCUnOr rs spoken OF
by the witnesses usLcs THIS opinion, at least IN the
absence of further proof But clearly such SUE
piclOus are not wholly unnatural, In view Of tie
testimony al TO the condition OF Whitaker whom
examined by tho suIReon-his stendy pulse, his
resisting GyClds, tho slight materials with which
he was bound and above al! his failure to mako au
outCry during tho assault.
The entire Giair Is u bowdorlng mystery as yet
and perhaps viii meyer be ully cleared zip, But
uul the investigation Is brought 10 u close ven
ture ~ rcmOnstrdte seriously against the hostile
and bitter style OF comment IN which many daily
Iapcrs indulge, and by which some Of them seem
70 be striving 20 m0HutGCurG-why, ! cannot TN.
asne-un unreaSon!ng hostility In the public mind
against an institution which has proved Itself In
the past, ana daily proves Itself TO ba oi the utmost
importance to the W1il.belug OF the NGtou
WAsmlNGroy, D. c., April q, 1850.