The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-23
The Session.


hers of the board prevented the opening
If The session until shortly before .
o'clock. Mr. Alexander Hamilton occu-
died the chair, and before the meeting
mad progressed far every members was
IN his seat There were perhaps a. dozen
visitors in the room, including Governor
Montague, Lieutennnt-Go Governor Willard.
Attorney General w. A. Anderson Con-
Eressman II. +. Flood, General Charles j.
Anderson. DIR. John NJ. Bransford. Judge
Thomas Wilcox and some others.
q. After the minutes OF the last session
we're head and the chairman announced
that the board would conduct q public
hearing. General Scott Shipp superinten-
dent Of the Virginia Military Institute,
explained the events leading up TO the
call for the meeting. He read a letter
he had addressed TO the parents OF tho
cadets of the third class. asking them to
aid the board in bringing the boys to
reason. No move had been made by he
cadets as u result OF this letter. There
was no response of any sort. Governor
Montague then visited the INSTITUTE and
through his influence the cadets signed the
paper submitted.
This paper was handed by the Cover
nor or by the class to General Ship.
The superintendent regarded It ns&un-
satisfac tory, declined to accept, 1t and
&thereupon asked that the board be called
q III extraordinary session for u consideri-
Zion of the situation. 9
Governor Sits With Board.
IH|Upon motion, Governor Montague was
0llvited to give the board the benefit of
his counsel.
The Governor Went over the ground
carefully He gave an account III full
,f his historic visit to the Institute, when
iAe was accompanied by Colonel Willard
pnd Colonel razewcll Elicit. The situa-
zion at the school had become n nrat-
Ter Of public vnote and he considered it.
: 10 be his official duty to exert such in
;luence as lie could to induce he cadets
10 sign the paper demanded by the board.
rhereupon he went to Lcsinston; had an
interview lasting several hours with the
&.ecalcitrant members of the class and
finally secured their signatures to the
paper presented last night. The original
paper he asked them to sign was pre-
pared by General Shipp and contained an
expression Of regret. The ''insurgents''
declared that their oath forbade item TO
attach their signatures TO such a paper
as this, and the expression of regret was
stricken out
Original Paper.
Here is the original paper with the poy-
ton stricken out, in large type.
we, the undersigned members OF
the third class, recognize that our act
in signing the paper dated November
Sd, addressed TO the post adjutant.
was in violation, of section 1913 Of the
81 regulations teUR FACTION WAS
TAKEN uNDER EXCITEMENT,
WAS HAsTY AND lLL.ADvIsED;
WE REGRET OUR ACT), and there
fore respectfully request to be per-
nitted TO withdraw the paper as far
as possible. We do not construe our
signature to this paper as involving
any changes of opinion We may have
expressed as to the character Of mess
~ hall fare"
@# Governor Montague gave the boys no
assurance that tho paper as finally adopt
Cd would be accepted by tho board This
statement he emphasized in view of tY.e
Declaration that tho cadets had leaped to
lt!e conclusion that the Governor was on
their slde, and that the paper acceptable
70 him would be acceptable TO the board
In the course OF HIS conference with the
boys the Governor urged them not to
1eopardize the entire class. Tho Same
authority. he said, that could make an
oath could absolve them from It. He
asked them to do nothing which they
could NOT DO Win honor lie did not dis
cover that the boys were wifuTly iusu-
hordnate. They We're manly in their
statements, and there was absolutely no
conccalment or evasion The Governor
believed they genuinely regretted the act,
but the oath kept them from signing
the paper containing the words Whether
foolish and absurd or not this was the
standard of ethics set by the thirteen,
and they We're doing what they considered
themselves in honor bound 10 do, Mill
tlry usage did not compel an apology or
an expression of regret in set terms. The
Governor argued long and earnestly That
f tie respectful rcnqest to withdraw The
PAPER WAS ample Specification Of the re-
= gaet OF The class, and that the paper as
presented complied with every demand
q tile board He declared for the main
tenanre Of discipline at any cost but sub