Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-01-08
BILL 70 RESTORE HATERS.
Representative Lacey Intro
duces q Measure to Place
Expelled Midship-
men Back.

~
| in the House of Representatives by
Representative John 4. Lacey. of
Iowa. authorizing the Secretary of the
Navy, in his discretion, to restore to
the Naval Academy and to the naval
service the three expelled former mid
| shipmen, Earl K. Chaffee, of Wiscon-
sin, John H. Lofiand, of Iowa, and
Joseph ID. Little. of Ohio.
These three former midshipmen were
expelled on November 9th last for haz-
ing, after having been examined by
Naval Academy court-martial. The
! bill further provides that in case the
| Secretary of the Navy should decide
in favor of the applicants, they are TO
be restored TO good standing in the
service, and arc to be assigned to the
class next below that from which they
were in when dismissed. The effect of
| this provision would be to place Chat
| fee, Lofiands land Little in the second
class, they being members of the first
class when expelled.
The measure, as soon as introduced,
was, after the routine custom, at once
referred to the COMMITTEE on naval
affairs. The fate of the bill will
| in all probability be determined in the
committee room, as the House would
| in all likelihood, confirm whatever
| action the Naval Affairs Committee
might see fit TO take. Under any cir
cumstances, whether the bill be passed
or not both the committee and the
House will be relieved from any re-
| sposibility for restoring the men TO
| the service, as the measure merely au-
| thorizes the Score tary of the Navy to
put the applicants back in good stand
ing if. he thinks proper to do so.
The introduction of this bill was
not unexpected On several occasions
| the Evening Capital has called at
tention to the fact that determined
efforts were being made to restore
the hazers, and it was only a short
| time ago, on the occasion of one of
| Superintendent Brownson's visits to
| Washington, that this paper pointed
an article to the effect that promin-
ent politician from Ohio had been
to see Senator Hanna aud Secretary
Moody, and had come to Annapolis in
order to consult with Superintendent
Brownson with a view to having him
withdraw any opposition he might
otherwise offer to the reinstatement
of the hazers.
The court-martial which recon-
mended the dismissal of the offenders
was made up of Lieutenant Com
mander w. @. III. Muir, and Lieu
tenants w. r. Shoemaker and w. II.
G. Billiard The judge-advocate was
Lieutenant B. w. Wells, Jr., and
Daniel r. Randall. States Attorney
for Anne Arundel county, looked
after the interests of the midhsipmen.
| The court-martial was concluded in
1 tho 10
that the hazers be dismissed, and this
| Secretary Moody, after a cOnsulta-
| ton with Captain Brownson.
The incident was regarded closed at
| this time, but the local authorities
| soon became convinced otherwise,
when they..learned that all three of
the expelled middies had engaged the
interests of politicians to obtain their
reinstatement. Many persons at the
time criticised the penalty OF expul-
| sion as too severe, especially in view
of the fact that the midshipmen were
members of the first class, and had
occupied high standing in their
studies. 1t was further said by those
| who are ON the inside" that the ex-
| PEELED middies had plenty of excuse
for running" one Of the.plebes, whom
| they hazed as his attitude toward tho
/ upper classmen had become intoler
| able. On the other hand the Suprein-
| tendent took the ground that, for the
| good of the service in general, and
| for the good of the Academy discip-
line in particular, the practice of haz-
| ing should be nipped in the bud, and
rooted out thoroughly by the infection
of exemplary punishment.
The officers at the Academy were
reticent about the matter this morn
ing, but it was easy to gather that
they reagrd the action of Representa-
| tive Lacey as unfortunate, and. if it
should result in the passage of the
bill, calculated to injure materially
the discipline at the Academy.
The House Committee ON Naval
| Affairs, which will decide the fate
of the measure, is composed of
Messrs. Foss, of Illinois, chairman ;
Dayton, of Ohio, Loudenslager, of
New Jersey, Butler, Of Pennsylvania,
Mudd of Maryland, Cousins, Of Iowa,
Roberts, of Massachusetts,, Vreeland,
of New York, Brick. of Indiana !;
Brandegee, of Connecticut, Loud, sof
| Michigan, Meyer, of Louisiana, Tate,
of Georgia, Rixey, of Virginia, W.
w. Kitchin, of North Carolina,
vandiyer. of Missouri, and Wade, Of
Iowa.
1t will be seen that on the commit
tee are two members from Iowa, Loft
and's state, and one from Ohio, from
which state Little Unsupported. Fur
termore, one of the most influential
members of the committee is Repre-
sentative W. w. Kithcin, who may be
said to have acquired restoring habit,
having appointed Bilger Hugh @. Fry
on three separate occasions. 1t is
expected that representative Kitch-
in's sympathies will naturally be en-
listed in favor of the expelled midship-
men.