The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-01-06
CASE OF EX-CADET SAUNDERS.
Presidcnr Refuses tn Sanction Re
appOintment-Lever Will Fight.

Washington, Jan. with refer
ence to his reappointment of w. H.
| Saunders, Of Sumter County, S. c.,
as a cadet in the United States Naval
Academy, at Annapolis, after Saun-
ders had been dismissed on the
ground Of moral unfitness and in
aptitude for the naval service" Rep
preventative A. F. Lever has received
the following letter from Rear Ad-
miral r. e. Nicholson, acting Secre-
tary of the Navy:
Dear Sir: In compliance with the
| direction of the President, I have the
| honor TO inform you that the Presi-
dent feels that the conduct of Mr.
VIM. H. Saunders, formerly a mid
shipman at the Naval Academy, was
| not such as entities him to re-enter
| that institution. regret to state,
therefore, that it is not possible to
( oblige you in the way Of authorizing
his reappointment, in view of the fact
that he was rejected morally when
he presented himself at the Academy
for examination. Faithfully yours,
"R. F. Nicholson.
Acting Secretary"
After receiving this official infor-
nation that the President, to whom
appeal had been made from Secre-
tary Meyers refusal to set a pre-
| cedent Gas he put it) by directing the
qualification Of young Saunders in
spite Of the disapproval of the su-
perintendent Of the Naval Academy,
Representative Lever gave the follow
ing statement to The News and Cou-
rier5s correspondent:
| "The only charge against young
Saunders is that at Gibraltar he be-
came intoxicated. For this offence,
which is ordinarily punishable by
from fifty to one hundred demerits,
he is dismissed.
| Il thought the action Of the naval
authorities unwarranted and unjust,
and promptly reappointed Saunders
| to the vacancy created by his dismis-
sal. His nomination papers received
the approval Of the navy depart
ment and Of the medic al board Of the
Naval Academy, but when they reach
ed the superintendent Of the Naval
Academy that official disapproved
them on the ground of the moral
unfitness Of the candidate.
The records Of the department
show that young Saunders has never
been reported or found guilty of in
toxication but this one time at Glib
raltar, and / do not believe that the
future Of any young man should he
destroyed because Of one indiscretion
Of such character.
This case was taken to the Presi-
dent by Senator Smith for me, and
We argued that the offence for which
Saunders was dismissed was not of a
kind that goes to show moral character
or standing Of a person. I have never
known before that one offence of in
toxication constituted immortality. The
action Of the superintendent in re-
fusing to admit this candidate upon
such grounds. to my mnd, is high
handed and outrageous, and if the
superintendent Of the Naval Acad-
emy has the power to set up his
ideal Of morality as against the gem
eral ideal, he has thereby destroy ed
my right, and the right Of every
Representative and Senator, to name
our appointees to the Naval Acad-
emy. as provided by the law.
Il shall introduce a bill directing
either the reinstatement of young
Saunders in his present class or that
the superintendent Of the Naval
Academy shall permit his entrance
into the Academy. I do not propose
to have one Of my constituents, a boy
Of high moral character as far as I
, have been able to ascertain, to be-
come the victim Of any petty tyranny
which may exist at the Naval Acad-
emy, and at the hands of some of
fetal in temporary authority. 1t is
my intention to fight this case to the
bitter end, that justice may be done
this boy"
The present case is said to be the
first Of its kind in the history of the
navy department, and it is important.
aside from it's bearing on young
/ Saunders himself, because Of the
precedent 1t est"h,ishes one way or
the other.