Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-01-10
Capt. KuIp Is Reprimanded.

the 4th administered the reprimand
coming to Capt. Oliver w. Kulp Of
the Davenport company of the nation
al guard for not preventing the prize
fight of Nov. 81.
Governor Cummins severely criti.
cised the court martial for its remark.
able finding in the reprimand admins.
tered to Captain Kulp in accordance
with that recommendation.
In this connection the governors
order says:
With the foregoing record and sen.
tence the courtmartial submitted Ger
tain suggestions and recommends
tons. Among them are the follow.
ing:
"First-That the accused had, UNI
til this occurrence, an excellent rec
ord as an officer of the Iowa National
guard.
Second-That he was to some ex.
tent affected by local sentiment, and
influence
Third-That he was a frank wit
ness and his apparent effort to carry
out the letter of the order, even
though he erred in interpreting it,
are worthy of note; but the court
adds that he did not do all he should
have done pursuant to the order, and
It calls attention to the fact that obed.
fence to orders is the first duty of a
soldier, regardless of personal conse.
quences, and that the act sed In fail.
ing TO observe this duty had marred
an otherwise excellent record as q
soldier.
The court further suggests to me
that while the accused did not wilfully
disobey the order given him, yet
either through ignorance or negligence
he failed to carry 1t out; that the
order was not SO specific but that he
might have been led to believe that
discretionary power was granted him
to determine whether the exhibition
which took place. by his permission
while it might have lacked some Of
the elements of a prize fight, was GER
tainly one that should have been pre-,
vented under the order received and
in his failure to prevent the same the
accused erred: that though he thought
he had discretionary power, he should
have communicated with the com.
anu duFlSGu ulll Vi
the proposed change in the exhibition
and that in failing to do so he clearly
violated the military rule that en-.
joins upon all subordinates the duty
of advising commanders whenever
possible of changed situations.
'The above is the substance of the
paper accompanying the record and
sentence, in SO far as it is material
to the matter In hand, and 1t is due
to the people of the state, to the
guard, and to Captain Kulp, that 1t
be given publication.
Il have implicit confidence in the
members of the court martial, and
have no doubt that they gave to the
case the most faithful and honest con.
sideration; but inasmuch as l must
determine the character of the repri.
mand to be administered to Captain
Kulp. am compelled to say that as
| view the matter, the order was as
specific as it could have been made,
and that Captain Kulp disobeyed it
without any excuse whatever His
conduct has impaired the faith that
the people of the state have had in
the national guard, and every of,
ficer and all its men will suffer for
his failure to perform a plain duty.
1t may be that he was not conscious
that he was violating the order given
to him but when he allowed himself
to be persuaded into Inconsistencies
of duty he was guilty of as grave an
offense as an officer can commit.
What have said constitutes the
reprimand imposed by the court mar.
tial upon Capt. oliver w. Kulp, Com
pany B, Fifty-fourth infantry, Iowa
National Guard, and l earnestly hope
that never again will an officer OF
man of the Iowa National Guard be
unfaithful to the trust repose6 In him.
) albert B. Cumhlfns.n
To Revise School Statutes.
Prof. F. E. Bolton of the State uni
versity was made chairman of the
new legislative educational commits,
sion at its first meeting at the office
of the governor at the capitol.
Arthur Springer Of Columbus Juno
ton was made the secretary of the
commission Of which he, Professor
Bolton, and William H. Baily of Des
Moines are the members under ap
pointment by Governor Cummins by
act Of the legislature.
At this initial meeting the commits
sioners discussed their work at som.
length and in a general way arranged
the details of the preliminary invess
tigation which they propose to make.
1t was decided that Mr.. Baily should
rearrange the present school laws IN
general way, as preliminary classi
fication. Mr.. Springer was commits
stoned to collect and annotate the
decisions of the supreme court and
of the superintendent of public In.
struction with reference to their bear.
ing on the statutes. Mr.. Bolton in
the meantime will secure information
with respect to comparative school
Legislation.
Organize License League.
To combat the war against the
saloon and the proposed petition 70,
the constitutional amendment, saloon
men of Des Moines and Iowa have
organized a Model License League
The league will try and get a bill
through the coming legislature pro
viding for special licenses for the
saloons. The saloon men have is.
sued circulars to liquor men all owe,
the state. They claim that they wish
to abide by the law and have no de,
side to impose upon society If society
does not impose upon them.
Teachers Choose Officers.
The following were chosen officers
of the State Teachers association at
the annual meeting: