Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-17

citation of the practice of haZing at the
West Point Military Academy. Allen
Money and McCumbcr declared il To- l..
an evidence Of brutality and coward
ice.
At the opening of the Senate, two
immense floral pieces. Il large basket
of roses and ferns and an urn of roses
occupied places on the desk of Senator
Hoar. who. yesterday, was reelected
TO the Senate by the Massachusetts
Legislature. Mr.. Gallinger reported the
pension appropriation bill and il went
to the calendar.
a joint resolution relating to leat Is
of absence granted officers of the army
providing that the time consumed il,
travel by officers between the Philip
pines. Cuba. Porto Rico and the Unit
ed States shall not be included in tie
leave granted. was passed.
The House bill to divide the state OF
West Virginia into two judicial dis
tricts was passed.
Consideration of the army re-orSan-
ization bill was then resumed.
Teller moved to strike out that par
agraph Of the bill which empowered
the President to place on the retired
ed from duty by sentence Of court MAJ =
tial or by executive order in mtiga
ton of such sentence. The amendment
was accepted by the committee and ii
was agreed to.
Carter then asked that final vote
upon the bill and all the amendments
then pending be taken at A o'clock to-
morrow.
Allen said that for the time being he
would object. although subsequently
he might withdraw his objection. Allen
then entered upon an extended discus
sion of the pending measure, declaring
his opposition to il in any form it
might be presented. In the course of
his remarks. Allen described vigorously
the situation at West Point as brought
out by the investigation. He declared
that brutality had been developed at
West Point which ought not to be eX
pected to exist among barbarians.
This thing called hazing- prize fight
ing" exclaimed Mr.. Allen. why. thu
prize fighter is 4 gentleman compared
with some of these young ruffians at
West Point. Indeed. life has been lost
already"
AS brief review of the Boosc
ease. Allen declared that the first
thing a fourth class man met 1T West
Point was brutal assault ana humil-
ating indignity.
And these things" shouted Allen.
takes place within the knowledge Of
TN. nfT.arc of tla ipctit,1tion rrhaS,a
new cadets are compelled to eat soap
they are compelled to get down on
their knees and jump like n frog. ana
they are compelled to endure other in
dsnities which | would not dare in
this presence to mention"
Some of the regular army officers say
haZing cannot he helped-that it cannot
be prevented You place one of the old
volunteer officers at the head of that in
stitution and in six weeks he will nut a
stop to il or there will lie some dead ca
diets there.
This brutal outrage ought to be sup
pressed and il can be suppressed. Boy or
man. he who will use his superior
strength in humiliatins or brutaly treat
ing a weaker person is a coward. And
yet this bill encourages and supports
West Point as at present conducted.
Il have information which leads me to
believe that haZing at West Point is re-
sorted to for the purpose of forcing out of
the institution cadets appointed from
civil life in order to make room for the
sons of army officers. And if they cannot
force out the cadet by humiliation and
intimidation, they prescribe a course of
examination which is in their own hand
and which they could not pass themselves
and thus force the prescribed cadet from
the school.
Gallinger interrupted to say that the
testimony taken by the Investigating
committee showed that young Grant and
young Sheridan had been haZed quite as
seriously as any others.
Money, Miss. declared that the hazing
had never been warranted and that he
knew of some cadets who had been haZed
to the point of danger
They were haZed to degree" said
Money, with deep feeling. that would
have warranted the hazee in killing the
haZers.
They ought to have been killed. in
teriected Allen.
And | want to say" continued Money
that if | were q cadet at West Point
and was haZed in so cowardly and brutal
a manner, | would kill the haZerS if the
opportunity did not come for lW years
afterward.
of tbe cadets at West Point Allen said ::
These cadets carry hazing almost to the
extent of taking life, and in one instance
recently they have taken life. and the
senator from Mississippi Money says
they have taken life in several instances. =
McCumber n. d., argued IN support Of
Continued on page 81