Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-02-22
THAT HEPBURN PHILIPPIc.
Iowa Statesman's Denunciation of the
Spirit of Officers of Army and Navy.

Washington. Feb. 22.-Tnls was
another field day in the house. Two
distinct sensations occurred Early
in the day. during the consideration
of an amendment TO the deficiency
appropriation bill to prevent hazing at
the naval academy, Hepburn of Iowa
used exceedingly strong language
While inveighing against the practice
of haZing, charging by indirection
that the habits of tyranny and oppreS-
sion formed by the officers of the army
and navy at their academies was re-
sponSible for the refusal of sailors to
enlist in the navy, and for the large
number of desertionS from the army.
Moreover, he alleged that the officers
stood by each other when in. trouble.
saying that the commanders of twen-
ty-fve vessels of the navy lost since
the civil war had, with one exception,
escaped with slight punishment. Can
non of Illinois and Dayton of West
Virginia warm~' defended the navy.
During his talk Hepburn recalled the
fact that when the Booz case first at
tracted the attention of the country the
superintendent of the Military academy
rushed into print to declare that haZ-
ing had ceased at West Point Yet
the committee of the house had found
forty-one cases where under class men
had been called out to engage in brutal
prize fights. When he declared that
he favored certain, fixed. severe
punishment for the cowing and brow
beating of the younger class at the
academies his statement received a
round of applause. Why, Hep
burn asked. was the navy department
5000 men short of its complement?
Why had there been 1000 destertions
no ar %
American citizens compelled TO serve
under men ''Schooled in tyranny and
OPPRESSION"
Un Wheeler inquring if Hepburn
favored Expulsion for childish pranks,"
the latter replied: 1T is not child
ish prank if you or L have a son at
the academy, for an upper-class man
to compel him to perform menial serv-
ice for an upper-claSs man. 1t is not
childish prank for upper-class men
to pick out an athlete TO beat a new
boy. LApplause.l 1t is not a child
ish prank to indulge in brutality that
is a felony"
Cannon briefly replied to Hepburn
He recalled the tidal wave which swept
over Samoa. wrecking the Trenton and
Bleaching the Yantic, and paid a glow
ing tribute to the American sailors
whose heroism had rarely been
had been lost in new seas and through
the use of imperfect Spanish charts
Not one of the twenty five cases re-
ferred to had been caused by negli-
gence.
The stircaused by Hepburn's speech,
however. was mild compared with the
row which was kicked up later over
some items in the bill for extra COM
pensation TO employees ofthe house.
Dinsmore of Arkansas exposed the fact
that one of the employees of the house
while occupying one position was
drawing salary for another. and that
the difference between the salaries was
TO be made up in one of the items in
the bill This led to a general ventila- |
tion of the domestic affairs of the
house during which Bailey of Texas
declared that the situation was a scan
dal upon the the integrity of the house. |
He charged that there were employees |
of the house who were dividing their |
salaries with others who performed no |
work. and challenged any one on the |
other side to deny his allegations. He |
offered to produce sworn testimony in