The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-04-22
my. Tribune.1
The Whitaker Case.

IF the tone of the press is an indica-
ton Of popular feeling throughout the
country, the public are determined tc
show fair play in this West Point mat
ter. There is a marked public disin-
clination to believe the cadets guilty.
and just as much unwillingness to be-
lieve that Whitaker injured himself.
There would be general relief if the
thing could be fastened on some out
slider. The truth is that the well es-
tablished popular faith in the honora-
BILE training given at West Point is
hard to overcome; the ancient preju-
dice still clings to us that to be SOL
dier a man necessarily must be gen.
tleman. The people believe and want
to believe that the lads who are to
carry our arms into the field hereafter
are being taught now to be truthful,
brave protectors of the weak. The
officers at West Point cherish this old
tradition Of their class enough appar-
emily to make them hold it impossible
for a crdet to lie; as they offered the
simple denial of the cadets as satisfac-
tory proof of their innocence.
The public are just as 10th to believe
Whitaker guilty. There remains,
since the enthusiastic days of early
emancipation, good deal of popular
sympathy with the colored man who is
trying to elevate himself. He does
not probably get the money or out
spoken encouragement of those early
days; he is left to fight his own way.
But the sympathy for him goes far
enough to demand fair field for him.
There has been too much eagerness
shown at West Point by his fellow
cadets land by General Schofeld, too)
to presume Whitaker guilty Of this
base, idiotic act Of cowardice, simply
because he was colored. Indeed we
question whether, if he had been white,
the whole conduct of the trial by the
officials would have been, as it now is,
to hold him as the accused instead Of
the accuser. So far, this treatment
has resulted to the advantage of the
colored boy. His simple, direct, un-
complaining bearing has not been that
of the dastardly, tricky scoundrel who
could conceive anu carry out such
plan. He has been bitterly wronged,
and has had chance to whine about
his wrongs before the whole country,
and he has not done it. lie he should
be proved guilty, the effect upon pub
lie sentiment against his race will un-
doubtedly be considerable. But it will
only be Just to remember that the lad
was sorcIy tried, and that others of his
color have borne the same trial like
men,
Whether the guilt be fastened upon
Whitaker or the cadets, there can be
but one opinion among well-bred or
people, as to this trial
thus forced upon the colored boys at
West Point and Annapolis by their
fellow students. There is not young
man at either of these schools who
does not know what intolerable tor
ture such treatment would be to him
self, when continued throughout all
the years of his boyhood and the fact
that among all these lads there has not
been one who had the courage to be
merciful or kindly proves that the
ruling tone of morals and breeding in
both those places is that of the vulgar
snob rather than the brave and gentle
gentleman whom we fondly imagine
our soldiers to be. Let us even admit
that there is a strong instructive an
tagonism of color. 1t was not neces-
sary that these boys should make in
innate friends of the colored lads, any
more than that the old-time Abolition
list should marry his daughter to a
nigger" because he wished to free the
slave. But there is a wide gulf be-
tween bosom companionship and the
brutal cruelty which made the life of
this lad struggling for chance of
struggling to support his
old mother in her poverty, a literal en-
lurance of hell upon earth. The
white boy who felt that his own claim
to respect and his social position would
be sacrificed by sitting on the same
bench with a colored man, or extend
ing to him a manly, friendly, helping
hand, must have known that he had
a small claim to respect or social posi-
tion, on any other basis than his color
and his buttons.