Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-12
CONGRESSMAN LACEY WANTS
NAVAL CADETS REINsTATED
AT ACADEMY.
HAS INTRODUCED "A BILL
is Especially Interested Because One
of the Three Young Men Expelled
for Hazins is Midshipman Loflin Of
Oskaloosa.
[BY II. j. JMAIIIN.l
Washington Bureau of the Courier.
Washington, D. c. Jan. l.

washington, D.. g. Jan. ] I.
Major Lacey stirred up army circles
considerably last week by introducing
a bill for the purpose ofsreinstating in
the naval academy three midshipmen
who were expelled on November g.,
last for hazing. Representative La
cey is interested in the matter because
one of the boys was Midshipman Lof-
lin of Oskaloosa. The other two are
from Ohio and Wisconsin.
The hill was referred to the commit
tee on naval affairs and in this com
mittee there is going totb a lively lit
tie contest over it.
Among officials at the war depart
ment and among army officers there
are various opinions on this question.
The plight of the young men them
selves is most distressing, They were
all first class men and in a few short
months would have entered their serv-
ice in the navy. AS the matter stands
today their expulsion is. irrevocable
and their whole career is blighted. The
law providing for the expulsion of
West Point cadets or Annapolis mid
shipmen guilty of hazihg was passed
recently and was the result of the pub
lie Indignation over the extreme lin,
its to which hazing had been carried
The officer in charge at annapolis is
determined to stamp out hazing and he
is bitterly opposed to the bill introduc-
ed by Major Lacey on the ground Gnat
ii ft is possible to get such special bills
through congress it will nullify the eff
feet OF, the other laws and weaken his
l.discipline. ss
~ The Army and Navy ss egister COM
ments on the case this week in a de-
4 tcrmined manner as follows:
Although these young men were not
members of the classes recently adj
mitted which have been compelled to
makes promise to refrain from haz-
| ing. their case is for that reason all
1 the more reprehensible. They are in
the position of having done violence to
the good record of first class men. The
/ more one knows about the case, the
less reason there seems to be for the
exercise of mercy or charity for these
offenders. The authorities at the ma
val academy should be sustained first,
last, and all the time in their efforts
| to maintain discipline among the mid
/ shipmen."
1t is sentiment of this sort that Ma
jor Lacey, Senator Hanna, Senator
Spooner and other statesmen who are
backing the Lacey Bill will have to
combat. The fact remains, however,
that there are several extenuating cir
| cumstances in the case OF young Lof-
| lin and his companions In the first
place they are the first midshipmen
who have been made to feel the effects
of this extreme rule, and their offense
in reality was very mild AS first
class men they had made no promise
to refrain from hazing and the act
with which they are charged was far
| from extreme and did no one harm.
All three of the young men have splen-
did records at the academy in every
4 other way and in their dismissal the
4 United States is losing three good off
GERS for one slight indiscretion.
4 1t is contended too that the young
men have been sufficiently punished
and furthermore the Lacey bill pro
i yides that if they are restored they
shall be assigned to the class next
4 below that from which they were dis.
missed, thus putting upon them addi-
tional punishment.
Judge Wade, who is a member of
the committee on naval affairs and al
SO Representative Cousins 1t is infer.
red will do what they can to assist the
Iowa midshipman though neither has
as yet stated his ideas son the matter
\ Because of some sensational reports
from Texas regarding the discovery OF
4 oil on land owned by Secretary Shaw
it was stated that the western trip
which the latter made this week was
for the purpose of arranging to devel
op his property. When Secretary
Shaw returned, however, he dispelled
this idea. He said that his trip hat
not been in connection with "his Texas
oil well" but had to do with other mat
ters entirely. Mr.. Shaw says that he
has known for some time that there
were evidences of oil on his Texas
property. The indications in fact are
that there is considerable oil and some
! valuable wells are probably there to be
developed. Mr.. Shaw, however, has
not as yet taken any steps in this di
! rection and has no plans for doing sc
THE WEATHER.