The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-22
THE BOOB INVESTIGATION
Legislation Against Hazing at
West Point to Be Recommended.
The Congressional Committee to
Will BE Presented in n Week or
Ten Days-Cadets Who Pnrticipa-
ted in Outrages to Be Condemned.

This morning the select committee of
the House, which has been investigating
the hazing at West Point. will begin work
on its report, which will be presented in
a week or ten days. Nothing has yet been
done on it, and the members of The COM
mittee have but nebulous ideas of what
its contents will be. They seem to be
agreed, however, on three points; first,
that nothing was adduced which would
justify them in reporting that Booz came
to his death as the result of hazing; sec
ond, that hazing must be prevented by
legislation; and third, that whatever pun
ishment is due the cadets who INDUCED
in the reprehensible practices prevailing
at West Point shall be melted out by the
authorities at the Academy, and that the
efforts OF Congress should be confined to
preventing a recurrence of the practice.
Undoubtedly the report will condemn
the system of hazing and the cadets who
participated in it in the strongest terms.
Those now at the Academy, however,
have disarmed the committee by their &C
ton in adopting the resolutions pledging
themselves to abolish hazing These reso-
buttons would not, however, prevent fu-
ture classes from reviving hazing, and
legislation will be recommended which, it
is thought, will have that effect. What
that legislation will be the members of
the committee themselves cannot tell un-
til after they have meet and discussed
their report and findings.
They do not mince words in speaking
of the different forms of hazing and its
effect upon both the upper and lower
classes, and yesterday were surrounded
by other members of the House DESTROYS
of learning their opinions. One of the
members of the committee illustrates for
his audience the 'eagling" and "bracing."
They spoke in the highest terms of the
frankness with which the students con-
fessed their shortcomings and tried to
defend their fellow-cadets. 1t is due to
this frankness and to the resolutions
adopted that the committee will not press
the case against the cadets now at the
Academy.
Slight punishment, anything short of
expulsion, in fact, is regarded as too
mild for the offences committed, but as
il would be hard to punish the cadets
for admissions made before the commit
tee, especially when the investigation
promises to result in so much good,
the committee will say nothing about this
part of it. One of the members OF the
committee yesterday said the fault was
largely attributable to the fact that the
boys were gathered from all parts of the
country. at an age when they could have
seen very little of the world, and were
practically immured in the Academy for
four years. They did not know much OF
life before they came. and were compelled
to form their views by the standards pre-
vailing at the Academy by traditions
handed down from their fathers. II was
small wonder. such being the case, that
they had an exalted idea of the upper
class men, and code OF honor. Had they
had the benefit of a few years experience
with the world before going to the Acad-
envy, he thought they would not have
fallen into such ideas.