The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-04
CAN'T STOP HAzING.
Gen. Wesley Merritt Discusses the
Practice at West Point.

There are great many army officers
though there were more formerly than
at present-who heartily favor hazing.
on the principle that it is in the interest
OF discipline and teaches the future Of
hcer to obey without hesitation One
OF the chief i faculties t1latI encountere d
When superintendent of the academy.
from 1857 to 1897 was that quite num-
Der Of the younger officers were diamet-
rfcally opposed to my views on hazing =
SO much SO, in fact that 1 could not
OBTAIN their cheerful acqu:esence in what
was trying to do to stop the practice.
1 found, to put the matter plainly, that
l had to deal with old ''cranks'' and
with young "cranks." The oder ones
were some Of the members Of the AGA
demic board and the younger cnss were
cadets who thought they knew it al, -
For the first three years [ was much
interested In my work During the last
two years there was so little co-opera-
ton with me in my efforts to abolish
haz1ng that l became tired Of the post.
and was glad when my appointment as a
general officer relieved me of the SUPER
intendency.
VIII hazing ever be stopped at West
FONT? Not unless drastic measures are
employed. The superintendent must be
man who is bitterly opposed to hazing,
and believe Col. Mills thoroughly meets
that requirement. When he makes a
recommendation to the war department
to dismiss a cadet from the service that
recommendation should be promptly and
faVorably acted upon 1t is hard indeed
to get absolute evidence against anv
cadet but sometimes the superintendent
KNOWS q cadets guilt as conclusively as
ne could upon the most positive testi-
mony
When was in command at West Point
President Cleveland and Secretary OF
war Endlcott supported me most LOYALTY
at times. 1 dismissed enc man who was
implicated in a most fragrant case of
haZlng. He was one of several whom
couldn't reach with proof. but there was
no. moral doubt in his case, and home
he went
When General Schofield was in COM
mand at the academy he instituted a
regulation requiring cadets to answer all
questions propounded to them by the SUI
perlntendent or the commandant of ca
dets. L did all l could to enforce that
regulation, but found that the cadets
simply would not answer questions about
hazlng or fighting. If l had held to that
rule 1t would have been necessary to dis
miss at least one entire class and for
that reason l abandoned the attempt.
1t is curious thing that young men
coming from some of the best families of
our country are often the ones who are
most given to- the practice of hazing.
1t is little less curious that s"plebes'' who
are hazed refuse to divulge the names of
their tormentors. There are some ca
diets who never do any hazing at all,
though of course they must submit to the
lnfilct1on during the first year. Yet. as
these are the quiet, modest young men,
they are much less annoyed than the
others.
When young man goes to West Point
and develops what is termed freshness
he is certain to be hazed Distinction in
social standing are never made on ac-
count of family, position, or wealth. 1
remember that the most popular man in
my class of forty-five years ago was one
who, upon his arrival at West Point, re-
ported his family as being in INDECENT
circumstances. He was kindly treated
by all George Vanderbilt, son of Com
modore Vanderbilt, was put through the
PAGES with great rigor.-General Wesley
Merritt III Leslie's Weekly.