New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-20

apologize talk about raging" and the rough
Justice and effective discipline of public school
methods and berrack room customs Whatever
may be said about the utility OF hardening proc
esses and safeguards against snobbishness, 1t
is obviously unfair that efficient and popular
officer should be dismissed from active duty and
heavily fined during the remainder of his career
because few subalterns have disiked the man
ners OF three associates and thought 1t neces-
sary TO subject them TO humiliatng discipline.
Colonel Kinloch has been condemned. moreover,
on hearsay evidence without being allowed to
cross-examine his witnesses or TO explain his
own attitude toward Raging" and what meas
ures he had taken to discourage and prevent
outrages of this kind. There has been no in
vestigation: the truth of the charges made by
the fathers and uncle of the three officers has
been assumed, and the responsibility of the
commanding officer for a mock trial. Of which
he had no knowledge has been arbitrarily de-
cided. 1t is a new departure in military ad
ministration, which many officers do not hest
tate TO condemn monstrous. Lord Roberts
by this drastic course makes every commanding
officer responsible for the discipline of his regi-
ment. and leaves him at the mercy OF practical
jokers and resentful subalterns who may choose
to display their dislike of unmannerly associates
in coarse and brutal way. If these snobbish
companions are sons Of peers, or have strong
social support from the smart sets. their per
secutors may escape punishment: but the com
handing officer will be doomed to dismissal with
out opportunity for questioning a witness or
making any defence.
Lord Roberts, critics accuse him OF being I'M
duly susceptible to social influences. This
may or may not be true; but he is certainly
merciful and humane man, and would not have
acted so vigorously in this instance II he had
not been bent upon stamping out a pernicious
practice The mock trial occurred in November,
and the commanding officer of the regiment ap-
parenty adopted measures for ordering an
inquiry and Furnishing the offenders. If he had
shown any disposition to take up the case, there
probably would have been appeal to head
quarters. Lenient as public judgment has been
in such cases, the vagaries and horseplay or
the regimental mess have become so conspicuous
that drastic remedies have been Indispensable
So long as snobbshness and insolent and Of
fensive manners were singled out for discipline
by rough methods there was little ground for
complaint outside regimental quarters The list
Of "unclubbab e' offences seems to have been
unduIy enlarged so as to include studious habits,
dislike of outdoor sport prejudice against card
playing and gambling. indifference to social
gayety and a preference for living economically
and paying private debts. Men who take a
serious view of their profession and are anxious
to do good work are now likely to court disfavor
and opprobrum and to invite reprisals by mock
court martial 1t is against evils now rampant
in society regiments that Lord Roberts has
taken up arms, and the King has not withheld
support. l. N F.