The age-herald., 1900-12-29
MOORE LAYS THE
 BLAME ON POWERS Former Commandant at Univer- Sity Writes Open Letter ANSWERS CERTAIN CHARGES Declares That Open and Fragrant Vio- lations of the Rules Were Coun-
 tenanced by the President.
 Politics Responsible
ANSWERS CERTAIN CHARGES

open letter to the trustees of the institu- ton in answer to certain strictures placed upon him in resolution recently adopted by the board, in which he charges that President Powers is responsible for the condition of affairs now existing. He de- clares that open and fragrant violations of the rules and regulations of the school were countenanced by the president and that politics is at the bottom of the whole trouble
 The letter is written from Los Angeles Cal, and is as follows:
 To the Honorable Board of Trustees of the
 University of Alabama:
 Gentlemen: Having just read copy of your resolutions of the 9th inst, and hav- ing noticed that one paragraph thereof re- fected discredit on my administration as commandant of cadets at the University of Alabama, I feel 1t but due to myself and to the University of Alabama to bring to light certain facts which so far have not come before you. Nothing is farther from my purpose than to impugn the in- tegrity of your honorable body in passing the resolution referred to: but 1 feel that only part of the facts have been brought before you, hence your decision could not have been otherwise than 1t was. 1 real iZe thatNI made mistake in not making this known to your honorable board at your meeting last June; but in so doing l NdS dctudleu Dy no other ueSlfe lldH d wish to shield the University of Alabama from what would necessarily have been damaging criticism She has suffered enough already from that score. The sub structure of every educational institution must be founded on truth and justice, and no good can result from my remaining silent longer The paragraph referred to is as follows:
 And, whereas. There were charges made against Commandant West which evident fbai 1daf ff1t, in fba eff i1fn Of the commandant and not in any abuse of his authority, this strictness following on the control of a commandant of great lax ness, which accentuated and made unpleas- ant MT. Vests authority, therefore be it resolved. etc"
 AS was the commandant who was sue eeeded by MT West, and as the charge of laXness in the administration of military affairs is laid at my door, l feel that 1 have a right to be heard in this matter. I
 would not for anything say one word de- rogatory to Captain West, either man or as an officer. For two years he was one of my captains at the university, and a
 more painstaking efficient officer I never met. In your action sustaining Captain West in his administration of affairs I honor you, and I venture to remark that if he or the commandants preceding him had been sustained in their duty by the president of the University of Alabama, that riotous disorder such as has been ram pant for the past few months would be unknown at that institution.
 The rules and regulations of the univer- sity laid down by your honorable board prescribe that every important act of ad- ministration by the commandant must be signed and approved by the president, and the commandant can pronounce no severe punishment upon a cadet of the A. c. c. unless the president concur with him therein. Now, I appeal to you all as fair minded men to say If 1t is possible for a disciplinarian to command good order and strict discipline when the punitive power is so far restricted and abrogated as to be yalueless. Is it possible for commandant to exact military discipline when higher power than he constantly removes the penalties which he has affixed for in- fringement of the rules? The entire re- sponsibility of the military system is on the commandant, and yet he Is not granted sufficient power to command and to exact obedience. Every time the recommenda- tion of the commandant that your pre- scribed rules should be enforced are over ridden by the president, and just so much do the authorities lose their hold upon the cadet corps
 The mind of the average boy is usually just, and he submits to punishment pro- vided such punishments are administered
 mpartialy; but when he positively knows that one boy Is expelled for getting too many demerits while anther who has re- ceived like number IS noe punished at all he begins to believe that something Is wrong It is just this feeling that causes him to throw coal anr ribald jest at the powers that be-" The rules and regula. tions of the university are binding alike upon officers and students. One of these rules says Whenever a student shall re- ceive in any five consecutive months two hundred more demerts he shall be dis missed from the university unless the pres- ident shall remit a portion thereof The present incumbent in the office of president always announces that he will remit no demerits that the commandant certi1es as correct A student can be dismissed only by the president, and this is done usually upon the recommendation of the command ant.
 Some time during the early part of last April, following the usual custom, I noti- fled four cadets that they had received con- siderably more than two hundred demerits within the past five consecutive months; and I also recommend to the president that the University law be enforced and the cadets dismissed. Three of these ca dets were members of wealthy, influential families; the fourth was not sad to say,) The uninhuential fourth was dismissed from the University. Nothing was done to the influential three. No demrts were remitted in their case, and the offenses were ignored. l. so happened that this uninfiuential ca det developed a grandfather in Mississippi, who thraetened to bring the matter before the Board of Trustees. After that one was punished except in the sole case of a cadet charged with direct insult to a Uni versity officer.
 Matters went on from bad to worse. Many Of the cadets received in a short time con siderably more than two hundred demerits and seemed to ignore all rules. One day I questioned one of them concerning his conduct, and he replied: Colonel, you must not think we mean any disrespect to you hV this. because know president will not ship us, so we are going to have a good time." Nevertheless, I continued to report daily to the president such fragrant offenses as I thought should come under his notice. recommended punishment, but no punishment was assigned.
 Whether the desire to make the largest possible showing at commencement in- fluenced this course, I shall not say. Whether the proximity of the meeting of your honorable board for the reelection of