Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1901-01-24
WILL END HAzING,
Lenders Of West Point Cadets Make
an Offer to Put stop to 3
the Custom. 81

{.
West Point. N. Y. Jan. 22.-Hazing
At West Point military academy is at
a end. The Investigating committee
ct congress, aided by the wide publ
cation of the reports Of the .stesti-
neony given at that trial, has brought
fsrth from the upper classmen of the
academy a voluntary letter affirming
mat. owing to the feeling which is
evident throughout the country
against the practice of hazing, the
custom would be abandoned. This
communication is signed first by the
president of the first class and after
by the presidents of the classes Of the
years following.
The letter while announcing the
attention of the upper classmen> to do
away with the customs which had
heen prevalent In the institution for
many years, at the same time COM
nents upon the fact that the aboli-
hon OF the practice is approved not
because the cadets deem that aught
e Importance has been charged
against the system, but rather be-
cause it appears to be the opinion
& the American people as a whole
that it be done away with. The text
ct the letter is as fol.ows:,
West Point. N. r, Jan. 10. 1SO1.-To the
Superintendent Of the United States Mill
tary Academy-Sir: Having become cog
naxant of the manner in which the system
Of hazing. as practiced at the military
academy. is regarded by the people of the
United States. we, the cadets of the
United States military academy, while
maintaining that we have pursued our
system from the best motives, yet realiz-
Ing that the deliberate judgment of the
people should in country like ours be
above all other considerations, do reaf-
hrm our former action abolishing the ex-
sroislng of fourth class men, and do
further agree to discontinue haZing, the
requiring of fourth class men to eat any
thing against their desire and the prac-
uce of calling out fourth class men by
class action. and that we will not devise
other similar practices to replace those
abandoned. =. ..g
''Respectfully submitted. 81
wv. r. BETTISON,
president Glass 1901.
'B. o. MAHAFFEY,
president Glass 1902.
QUINN GRAY, -
president Glass 1903.
| JOSEPH A. ATKINS,
Representing Glass 1904" e
The letter was handed to the COM
nittee by Col. Mills, the superintend-
eat of the academy, and after read.
ing the communication Gen. Dick
said: ..r..-. r
'.This voluntary act Of the corps has so
Impressed the committee that It has
every reason to believe that In spirit and
- xr,3l1 I@n orrio1 o,,f hut Hnco
cadets who are now at the military acad-
envy. This action of the men is greatly
commended by the committee and will be
read by the country with feelings of mer-
tied appreciation" .
Cadets Bettison, Mahaffey, Gray and
Atkins, the presidents and repre-
sentatives of the four classes, were
called before the committee and ad-
dressed by Gen. Dick, who thanked
tkem for their action in abolishing
hazing at the academy and said that
congress would recognize and adopt
what they had done. The committee
then adjourned to meet again in
Washington at ten o'clock this morn
ing. 81.
The committee hold the next meet
ing in the room of the committee on
Interstate and foreign commerce at
Washington, D. c., 1T ten o'clock on
Tuesday morning. They expect to
make their report In about ten days,
and, it is said on good authority, they
will recommend that the number of
tactical officers at the West Point acad-
envy be increased. It is also said they
will report that the deaths of former
Cadets Booz and Breth were not caused
by the hazing they received at West
Point. In the case of Booz, the testi-
mony showed that he was not very
strong at any time and, it is said, the
members of the committee believe that
his health had been injured by his treat
ment at the hands of his fellow cadets
in the academy. At the same time, it
is claimed that the com mittee has
failed to discover any connection be-
tween the swallowing of tobasco sauce
and the subsequent death of Booz from
tuberculosis. ,=.>s...