Evening star., 1901-05-24
The Dismissed Cadets.

The five leaders i'm the recent West Point
uutiny have been dismissed and their com
panions IN insuDOr Iination have been pro-
PortiOnatcly punished. This action should
~ strengthen the prestige of the supern-
tcndent as to permit him to prosecute sue
e ssfulIy his campaign against haZing- But
IL is not amiss to consider whether Col.
Mills has not himself been largely respon-
sIbie for this latest development of the
hazing spirit, which found vent in his own
direction At the close of the congress
sIonal investigation il was announced that
the cadets had voluntarily agreed to aban-
don hazing and tina: to this end formal
document had been drawn up between the
class representatives and the superintend-
ent The terms of This document were not
made known until recently. in connection
nth the dismissal of the five mutinous ca
diets. IL proves to have been a ridiculous
piece of cadet presumption. to which Col.
Mills subscribed. and his assent to it indi-
Gates his uutitness for the post of SUperin-
t. ndrnt. IL may Eavn been accepted by
him in the hope that the cadets would re-
sI.ect the fundamel.tal requirement. of pub
lie sentiment that al forms Of hazins must
L.. abandoned. But Il seems - have been
merely a mask L. cover the determination
Of the cadets 10 preserve their practices for
the humiliation Of tn under ClasSmcn. II
is unacc ,untahle that ~. superintendent il
the hour of his opportunity In crush out
hazins at one stroke. should have been
willing To temporize ard to grant condi-
tions to the cadets as though they wera
in position TO dictate terms.
The hazng trouble Of minor corse-
quenrr in comparison with the recent de
velopment which was no less than mu-
tiny and which threatened the existence of
the institution. \ show If the same deter
ntination last winter to put an end to all
forms of cadet fool,shness which Col Mills
has displayed in the course of this latest
friction would probably have prevented the
INSTRUMENTATION. But ii is to he feared
that the youths. having been coddled and
favored with compromise in the matter
of the abolition of hazing. conceived that
they We're the objects of powerful political
consideration and took early advantage of
their presumption. This is indicated clear
~ 10y the action taken by the five dismissed
ctdsts. who announced that they would
start post haste for this city to precipitate
= political fight TO secure their restoration.
Their ideas of their own immunity from
punishment seem to have been sadly in
fiated by the occurrences of the past few
months Nor is this thought. which is most
dangerous to the discipline of the academy,
weakened by the manner in which these
dismissed lads have secured employment
through an appeal TO a former West Point
General Gre-ne'S action in providing
for the disgraced cadets shows that he is
Infected by the sympathetic feeling for the
despOtic arrogance of the upper classes
that seems to prevail amongst all graduates
from the Military Academy. There should
be II" suggestion in the treatment of these
boys of turning their punishment into
reward. certain to revive in the corps at
the Point. now undergoing regenerative
process. spirit of INSTRUMENTATION and
=, if-suffCienCy.