The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-09-11

The recent case of hazing at the
West Point Military academy has
again drawn the attention Of the pub
nc to the fact that the practice still
prevails among the cadets despite the
earnest and determined efforts Of the
officials Of the academy to stamp II
out. It Is a disease Of long standing.
dating back for a century, and no doubt
the germs OF the disorder 80 saturate
the grouRds and buildings that il will
pefhaps take another generation %
fully destroy the vitality Of the hazing
microbe and completely eradicate the
disease.
The recent outcr0pping OF hazing
has been in spite Of the voluntary
agreement on the part Of the corps Of
cadets in 1901 to quit the practice and
IN direct violation OF the drastic laws
passed BY congress IN the same year.
but as we have said a century Of seed
sowing is still producing its fruiiage.
There are original documents in ex-
istence to prove that hazing began In
the early life OF the institution. For
instance, away back in 1914 Gen. Ram
sey wrote that the new cadets sweep
out the rooms and shovel the snow,
but there is no hazing"
From this rather innocent beginning
developed the practices that resulted
n the cadet episode Of few days
ago. when Col. Scott. the superintend-
ent at West Point, in obedience to the
mandate Of congress as expressed In
the law on hazing, sent to their homes
eight cadets who had been convicted
Of hazing. there to await the action Of
the secretary Of war. who. under the
regulations, as prescribed by congress.
had no alternative but to "summarily
expel" The offenders
That the haziug which began with
the ludicrous acts that characterized
II before the civil war grew into the
tortures that caused the congressional
investigation OF 1901 is a matter Of
history. In the cadet days Of Lee,
Grant. and Sheridan and the other
great martial figures In American his
tory, the plebes, of course. had their
stunts to do. but those acts we're as
mild az can be imagined when com
pared with the modern ways Of doing
things that we're laid bare in the in
yestigaGons
Gen John n. schoheld Is on record
as having told the cadet corps. When
be vas superintendent at West Point
that If the acts that the young men o.
that day we're guilty Of had occurred
before the war there would have beer
bloodshed before such things woulC
have been submitted 10. other oldel
o1acers have talked the same way. anS
they tell how. according TO the tradi
ton, Ulysses s. Grant. Robert F. Lee
Phil Sheridan and Stonewall Jackson
used to brace themselves as plebel
walking about the plains. with chii
drawn IN and shoulders thrown back.
But they didn't drink tabasco sauce
neither did they do eagles till they fel
from exhaustion. az did young Douglas
Macarthur and Pegram Of Virginia
the latter a son Of the confederate OF
ficer of the same name.
OF course. In the history NJ Wes
Point hazing the case that stands on
aboYe all others was the hazing o
young Oscar Booz Of Pennsylvania, &
the rigorH St which treatment his fan
ny vent before the congressional Ii
vesligating committee and swOre va
due the tuberculosis Of the throat tha
eventually caused that poor young fe
lows death
When Booz died the cause Of deaf
was given as throat tuberculosis. an
on December II, eight days after hi
aealh. The matter was brought up
congress. and after the warmest sol
OF debate the congressional committe
was appointed to investigate cond
tions at West Point
The father Of Cadet Boof told th
Brooke board that his son had r
fused to his dying day TO disclose d
names Of the cadets who had tormen