The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-03-21
IS WRONG
TO THE BOY
How Young Tucker
Struggled to Win
the Cadetship.

The Delegate to Congress has done
few things, and has not done great
many more-but he has done nothing
that has caused quite so much adverse
comment as his selection for appoint
ment to West Point of the boy who
passed fourth in the competitive ex-
animation called by Kuhio himself,
making the boy who passed first in
both the West Point and Annapolis
examinations alternate, and overlook
ing altogether the boy who passed Sec
ond in both examinations.
1T is most outrageously unfair"
said Secretary Atkinson yesterday.
I'VE are trying to give everybody a
square deal in this country. The Del
egate, by this action, goes to work and
undoes in a moment the effect Of
months of effort. And that to say
nothing of the effect of such unfair
ness upon the mind of the boy himself.
What is left to the boy IL he cannot
trust to the promises of men in high
position? The calling of that exam
nation was the work of the delegate.
Why did he call 1t, getting the boys
to enter into the competition, IL he
intended, at the end of it, to appoint
certain boy anyway"
And that was the tenor of most of
the talk yesterday. There would have
right of the delegate to pay any po-
IalA l. ..,stl
ment to cadetship to West Point or
Annapolis. That is his right, under
the law. But why call competitive
examination, exciting in boys hopes
that he did not intend to crafty, If d
certain boy was to get the place in any
event? 1t was bit of absolutely
needless and most heartless cruelty.
Can 1t be possible that the fact that
young Tucker is a white boy, and Ly-
man is half white was taken into the
consideration and made a deciding
factor? 1t would be strange and
most ominous circumstance, If that
were true-a matter for the serious
consideration of people on the main
land.
Young Tucker, who passed first in
,
right should have had choice of which
ever suited him, West Point or An
napolis, seems to be a most deserving
as well as a clever lad. He is the only
son of a widow, who by hard and un,
firing industry has raised her boy te
be frank, honest, manly lad, with q
spirit of helpfulness toward his
mother that is greatly to his credit
The boy, according to Prof. Scott, OF
the High School, gave up his entire
vacation last year In order to prepare
himself for these examinations-which
the schools do not prepare lads for es-
pecially. Prof. Scott himself directed
the boys studies And, in addition to
studying at a time when his mates
We're at play, the boy climbed Tantalus
every night to care for gentleman's
place there and so earn money to buy
the extra books that he needed in his
| studies, and to be as little burden as
he could to his mother. In fact, 1t was
by his mothers desire that he staid in
school, very largely, although he was
himself ambitious to get a first class
education. The boy himself wanted to
go to work, giving up his ambition,
to help his mother. She was willing
| both mother and son had looked on
this chance at West Point or Annapo-
lis as the boys opportunity to get the
higher education that Tucker wanted
and his mother wanted him to have.
And everybody knows how that chance
has gone.