The Washington herald., 1908-08-23


President Roosevelt has approved the
recommendstl0n Of the Secretary OF War
GismissinE Cadets Rosseu and Weaver
from the West Point Military Academy
for EaziuE E-derclass men. and directing
that tie other six cadets. who were found
guilty Of similar o6euses. shall be sus-
pended. with loss OF all pay and allow
ances. until June Is. 1873. when they VIII
Join the then -hIrd class
Secretary Wright yesterday issued the
following statement
~Eossau and Weaver are The suspended
frst-c-ass men Ros<eu seems TO have
been r-uEIeader In interfering with the
plebes. and in AT least one instance. and
probably more. laid hands upon theu.
although -ot violently. and inti@ated.
when objection was made. that the victim
should either submit OF fight
Comes within the Law.
This probably brings him directly
within tle law. and see no other course
than rEat he should go. Weaver seems
% have been not quite so pronounced IN
his behavior. although he was guilty Of
. practically the same thing as RosseL
. The reuailing cadets are. ] believe. third
class men
~I- seems Co me that IN dealing with
these young men. their difference IN age
and their length OF service in the Acad-
emy should be given consideration. Ros-
sell and Weaver. as first ClaSsueu. are
much more ma-urei, both IN age and
. knowledge Of The rules and consequences
. ...r HH G".HH 81
men had just ceased % ue Plebes. and as
-hey all saE-aC5 7 have no doubt is the
facr-T--e simply treating the newcomers
just as they themselves had been treated.
and. probably. without any real reflection
F OF. perhaps. knowledge Of the gravity q
tIei- offenses as laid down IN The rules
Under the circumstance I think q clear
distinction should be drawn between the
offenders belonging TO The first and third
classes
The act 0i Congress that f0rbids haz-
ing. and directs regulations be made by
the authorities gf the Academy. does not
prescribe what EaZiuE is. This is not q
technical term and we can only ascertain
rGe U1aCiug Of the word by reference 10
-he standard dictionaries. Weaster's In
te-ra-i1ual Dictionary defines haziug 70
1 harass CT annoy by PLAYING abusive or
shameful tracks upon. 90 hUmi.ia-e by
f
students, as. the soph0-ores hazed n
/ freshman.
Nov none of the acts shown 70 have
F been committed by these young men come
within this definition Of hazinS- The evi-
6-lce shows that urlla The offenders di-
re~ted the uIeheS 20 brace that is.
stand al attention with their shoulders
thrown back. rub buckles clean guns.
bring water from the spring fall in at the
z later al the second call still. none Of
these acts can hardly be fairly brought
within this definition They all u1doubt-
=lly were improper Interference with the
piebes. constituting an assumption Of au-
tl0rlty over them in direct conflict with
the CaZulatious, for Which severe punish
rsl- should De- u-ted cut
But the act Of Congress which forbiGs
( hazi1E IS extremely drastic in character.
in that II provides that any cadet found
guilty Of haziuE shall be summarily dis
missed from the Academy. and in addi-
ton shall not be reappoi-ted 10 the corps
OF cadets OF be eligible for appointment
as a commissioned officer in the army or
navy or Marine Corps until two years
after the graduation OF the class of which
he was q member. This being so. I do
not feel that Z IS Just to extend the opera
tons OF this severe statute by Implication
especially IN view Of the facts that in
my judgment. the ofTerses Of which these
young men were undoubtedly guilty can
be adequately punished without resOrting
! TO the extreme penalty Of expulsion
Certainty OF Punfshmnet.
1T is the certainty Of punishment
rather than the severity that derers the
commission Of ofenses- At the same time.
Il should be made very clear 70 all the
young men at the Academy that obedi-
ence 10 the regulations imposed and the
Observance Of a proper department toward
the younger members IS exscted.
Z therefore. recommend that Cadets
Rosseu and Weaver be dismissed from
the Academy. and that the other six be
suspended with loss Of all pay and allow
ances until June Is. 1870. when they will
Join the then third class This is the
course recommended by Col Scott. and
7 am inclined 20 think with him. that it
viii be better 10 have them remain in
their homes during The year of suspension
rather than % go over the same course
which they have just finished. which
would be the case were they turned back
a year and allowed to remain at the
Academy He tells me that this is the
usual procedure IN such cases"