National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-11-22
sHEnMAN rs. NcHOTIELD.


annual report of General Sherman, and Gen.
oral Scnoield's report to him on the years
Affairs at West Point will be su rprscd by tho
striking contrast existing botwee the views
taken by the two soldiers in considering the
relations and status of the negro in our army
aud at West Point. General Sherman treats
the combined questions in his large. minded
way and declares that there is no necessity
for any distinction of color nor separa ton
into distinct regiments of the white and col
ored rank and file of our army even its legal
ity is matter of doubt. Ia support of
this view he instances tho intcrmi ngling and
concord between the white and colorod sea-
men of our navy. When he touches the
matter of the cadet troubles at West Point he
dsmisses the subject In a short paragraph,
tho reasoning Of which no sensible man will
deny. General Scho1cld, on the contrary,
exhibits a moral obliquity of vision. and the
inherent difiic ulty which besetsa narrow mind
when endeavoring TO deal with really great
subject. His report contains both truth and
sophistry. He tells the whole truth no.
where this must be gotten incidentally,
where he permits 1t TO appear unawares
marry coored women; our white churches do
not select coored men as pastors nor does q
white man generally select colored man us
his friend and associate. This is partly
true, but white men sit in city coun.
ellis, OH boards of expenditure or educa-
ton, in both houses of congress, vote for
and with colorcd mon ride in street.cars with
them and even partake of the bread and wine
Of the communion with them. And herein is
tho difference between men and the I'M
licked cubs at West Point. The white cadet
will not touch elbows in ranks with his col.
cred class.mate, he will not speak to him after
hours, he behaves brutally at the mess.tsblo
and in every way ignores tho colored boys
existence Further if one of the white cadets
acts as a christian gentleman and behaves to
the colored cadet civilly or casually assists
him in the solution of problem, the transla.
ton Of a sentence, or recognizes him socially
after school hours, that white boy is ostra.
cised his class will cut him and his life is
rendered unhappy thereby. Thus is the ter.
rorism Of this internal boy-snobhery and pro-
scripton extended to the white cadet. Such
conduct would not be tolerated at any other
school in the civilized world.
| And this brings us to inquire who arc these
young men who are selected to be the hired
professional soldiers of the republic? What arc
their belongings? Whence come they that they
should put on aristocratic airs and undertake
to socially ostracise any one? The answer is
readily found when we exami ne tho commu-
mites from whence they come, the persons
who appoint them and the influences which
secure their appointment. They come from the
body Of our common people; in a very large
majority Of cases they are the sons of com.
paratively poor people. They are public.sehool
boys Their appointment is secured by tho
personal, partisan service Of their father or
other relative on behalf of his congressman.
! competitive examinations arc the exception,
aud the choice of mode is left to the APP
pointer. Their family position, their homo
breeding and associations are in the great ma
jority of cases not such rs would command
social distinction OF position They are paid
to receive an education. Other young men
acquire education at their own or their pa.
rents expense while at the various institu-
tions of learning.
Moreover, if comparison be made between the
freshmen class of West Point and those of Har.
ward Yale, Ann Arbor or Columbia, the decision
would be that in point of social position of
relatives and parents, M ensured by the stand.
ard of wealth. culture, past family history or
intellectual refinement, the West Point class
would be found greatly inferior to the
freshmen Of either OF the colleges named
Tho same may DO said Of the alumni
For these rea sons, founded on fact, we
protest against the pretentious insolence
the false aristocracy, the social standard oil
these hired student soldiers Of our republic
They occupy a position and have conducted
themselves in a manner which will not be
tolerated by the decent, honorable people oil
America Our people send gentlemen to every
other school in the country, and we still be.
ieye that there is something infectious in the
atmosphere Of West Point which changes the
average manly but unreasoning and impress
slonable American boy into u snob and dis
gushing tyrant. The cancorous malady of a
morally diseased heart and a preiudiced UNI
Outstanding exists in the persons of the com
mundiuggeneral of the department of West
Point and the professor Of tho French Ian
guage at that institution. Hen CO the pro-
prlety of removing the sufferers.
Il HE Philadelphia Epening Neirs completed
the first year of its existence on Wednesday