Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-12-16
HAS HATING INCREASED !?
TO NO GREATER EXTENT THAN
IN FORMER YEARS.
Conditions AS To Present And Past
Administrations At Naval
Academy - Will
Congress Act.

The publicity of the present hazing
| incident has caused a very unfair aud
unjust attempt to make IL appear that
hazing has been decidedly on the in.
crease since the administration of Ad-
miTal James III. Sands rs superinton-
dent of the Naval Academy began.
| The only justification for this at all
! is that facing the situation squarely
and calling haziug "hazing' aud not
running, may have led 10 the wider
knowledge of the existence of prac-
tices which never did stop in any reaL
manner. The attitude towards hazing
of Admiral Brownson and Admiral
Sands is exactly the same so Tar aa
their intention to suppress the practice,
goes. but they differ materially as 20
the means.
The former superintendent believed
it practical to induce pledges from tho
midshipmen that they should stop haz-
ing, but il was found that hazing, as
it is commonly known and defined by
Navy regulations, continued under tho
name of running, the midshipmen
holding that this was not barred by
their pledge. When the knowledge of
this came TO Admiral Brownson's ears
he felt it very keenly and three mid
shipment Little, Lofland and Chaifec.
having been caught in the act of kaz-
ing or running, their dismissal was
recommended by him aud approved.
Some time later they were restored
TO the Navy by Congress on the recon-
mendation of President Roosevelt. It
was found that the personal dealing
between superintendent and midship-
men was failure. Upon that matter
at least the midshipmen could out
quibble and old common law barristor
and their promises amounted TO moth
ing. A pledge was given TO abstain
from "a practice but the name was
| changed and the practice continued.
The most that could be said about ID
was that some forms of hazing wore
omitted. The abuse and Insulting OF
lower classmen continued and fights
grew more frequent, that being tho
method by which the running was en-
| forced. The lower classmen had to
| fight and, if he won, fight on until
| he was licked
Wheu Admiral Sands took charge nc
| the Academy he was acquainted with
the stand taken by his predecessor and
elected TO adopt the methods of tho
latter period of Admiral Brownson' y
term. He told the midshipmen that
be would not ask them to make any
| pledge TO him to abstain 20 do some
thing that they had already sworn TO
abstain from when they entered the
navy. Your pledge now, -" ne said
in effect, will not make your oath
any more obligatory on you. Ia fact
it Will diminish its force by making
you feel that it did not bind YOU In
the first place.
1t is a fact that hazing has some
what increased and grown more brutal
| of late, but it is equally true that Ad J.
miral Sands prompt action has fright
ened the midshipmen as they mover
were frightened before over crusade
against hazing He mas stan ted his
| opposite to the practice along lines
| which his successor can take up at
exactly the point where he leaves off.
acting along the simple lines of en-
| forcing existing regulations and Civ
| ing the heaviest possible punishment
| to deliberate offenders.
The only fear now is that Congress
may act as il did in the cases of the
three midshipmen whom it Iestored
after dismissal There is little doubt
that the President and the Secretary
| of the Navy will give Admiral Sands
the strongest kind of support, and un-
| less indi vidual Congressmen step in
and try to nullify the general priu-
| ciples of tie attack on hazing by at
| tempting to procure leniency In iudi.
| vidual cases, there can be no doubt
! that Admiral Sands will briug about
| a condition where the laws of the
country and the regulations OF its
navy govern the great naval training
school of the nation and not the rules
of "A foolish and brutal school boy
"code ="