, 1901-06-06
REBELLION AT WEST POM
The Washington Post Says Some N
Things of Insipient Onicers "

The Washington Post SAYS Some
Things of Insipient onicers. mt
Since the recent West Point eni.
has been closed for the present br
dismissal of five of the cadets ana "
suspension and punishment of m %
others, II is interesting to note tbe
titude of the papers published az ~
seat of government. Before the ac,4
mentioned the Washington Post ssI5
The country will await with pr.s
~solicitude the outcome of the press'
ominous situation at West poia4
From all accounts, it appears that ~ .
cadets, or a majority of them. arc ! I
open mutiny against the superinte,ss u
ent. Within the past few days, me-.
ly because he ordained a certain disG
pline in the case of n of the cade,,
who had committed a serious ofrenss
the whole body of the students rosa 1 \
revolt, and even went to the extren
ity of training a gun on the SUPERB.
t%endent's residence. Moreover. thu, (
behaved in other ways like a set of /, /,
responsible hoodlums, and general,
insulted and disgraced the academy ~ :.
which they should, by every obligation
of loyalty and gratitude, be the mos, !
resolute defenders. 1t is now giysn
out that these young so-called gentls
men are determined to secure the dis
missal of Superintendent Mills. ana
that, accordingly. they are bringing in.
fluence to bear Through their renrs
sentatives and senators in Congress
We have had our misgivings eve,
since the close of the congressional In.
vestigation of the haZing scandals
The TACT that the upper class men
-yora NhAr -DrrnttAI 90 n1oA ~ -,
ing gracious concessions to the United
States government, and the further
fact hat this lordly condescension
was hailed on all sides as a miracle Of
noble self-abnegation, warned us that
the trouble was not over by any means,
1t seemed to us that, on the contrary
such overtures should have been rigor.
ously snubbed and the cadets attitude
treated as a demonstration of inso-
lence. The spectacle of the United
States government petting. thanking.
and applauding a lot of its own de-
pendents and b~eneficiaries because
the latter had finally assented to the
laws governing the academy, struck
us as an exhibition of weakness and
servility which must o or later
invoke appropriate punishment. That
punishment now appears to be on the
way. So far from having been reduced
to discipline or improved in any re-
spect by the Investigations already re-
ferred to, the cadets are really more
demoralized and uncomfortable to-day
than they were a year ago. They not
only claim the right to create, or at
least amend to suit themselves. the
laws and regulations relating to the
academy. they take the further step of
appealing to political influences to Sc
cure the removal of their superior Of
ficers!
In the face of such a condition.
condition SO grotesque and so astound'
ing that we can hardly discuss it with
patience-there can be no possible op
portunity for weighing the merits or
dement's of Superintendent Mills
Whether he be efficient or derelict;
whether he be the man for the place
or a palpable and sorry blunder-the
secretary of war has no alternative
save that of unfolding him at any
cost. We do not believe that any i'm
portant men in Congress a be in
duced to encourage the cadets in the
amazing policy they have adopted, fol
to do that would be to destroy forever
the usefulness of the academy; but
however that may be. the secretary
course lies plainly defined before him
He must suppress this impudent re
bellion If he has to dismiss four-ifths
or even all. of the students at Yves
Point. Better make a clean sweep ant
begin anew than have the government
run by its wards. In our opinion, thu
department could throw out a drag
net almost anywhere and capture bet
ter material for the service than Yves
Point seems to have at its dispose
now.