Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1912-02-08
AFFECTS LONGEVITY PAY
Bill in Congress to Reduce Pay Of
All Graduates of the Naval
Academy.
BILL BASED ON FALSE PLEA.
To Deprive All Naval Graduates Of
Pay for Five Years Service-They
Receive Free Education"
lis Said.

The House Committee on Military
Affairs proposed last Saturday to re-
duce the pay of all graduates of West
Point and the Naval Academy by re-
fusing credit for service while at the
Academy.
The Supreme Court in 1881 decided
that they were in the service then and
this retroactive proposed law is now
just. 1t is based on the false plea
that they receive free education
but that is only such as 10 fit them
for the army and navy and leaves
them untitled for any civil life pro-
fession.
Cadets are in the service now as
much as any enlisted man. They are
sworn in and enlisted for eight years
instead Of three or four years. They
are deprived Of all personal liberty,
and all civil rights. They have no
vote. They have no rights to trial
by jury, but by court-martial, where
they must prove their innocence in
stead Of being convicted by jury.
They are employed actually four
teen hours every day except on Sat
urdays, when they have but ten hours
a day, and Sundays only eight hours.
Sundays they are obliged to go to
chapel and at all times every day they
are subject to any emergency. At
Inauguration of the President and on
other occasions, funerals of officers,
| twice this year, they are compelled to
go to Washington and para te under
exposure to inclement weather and in
no respect are they different from en-
| listed men, who are also freely educat-
ed at training stations and fitted for
/ the purposes of the government and
not for their own profit.
Any midshipman may, by court mar
/ tial. be reduced to the grade of ordi-
nary seaman and Midshipman Bladen
was so reduced in 1866 for hazing.
| Now, if dismissed from the Academy
/ for hazing, he lcses all civil rights,
can never hold office under the govern
ment and In all respects is treated as
| an eX-convict.
Those who enter the academies are
| selected by Congressman from the
| brightest and most talented youths in
| the country, in most cases by COMPETE
| tive examination. These bright boys
come here and only about 40 per cent
| pass the entering examination. After
| four years hard work much more
arduous than that Of the Congress-
man who wants to rob them of their
pay, they are culled out and qualify
for the service. In the service
they are constantly criticised. They
are deprived of ali rights to their
inventions and, being brainy men.
they are the most inventive class in
| the country. They are forbidden APP
peals to Congress, they cannot pub
lish their grievances in the press and
are simply held as slaves. On the
practice cruise they have to shovel
coal and do the work of seaman and
in all respects they are practically
slaves except that they may resign at
any time and return home as having
failed.
The government does not educate
these officers out of charity: they
make sacrifices that more than bal
ance that which they receive, and
which only qualities them to do what
is required of them for the govern
ment The only satisfaction they
nave is that out of pure patriotism
they serve the country and the country
will not approve of such treatment of
their brightest and best youths by a
/ Congressman who wants to make a
show of economy by depriving good
! and faithful servants of credit for
! service actually rendered while in the
| Academy, as decided by the Supreme
| Court
The House last Saturday proposed
to deprive all graduates of the Acad-
envy of credit for service while at
the Academy, so that instead of re-
ceiving 10 per cent. increase of pay for
FIVE years service one year after they
graduate they will not receive this 10
| per cent. increase until after they
have been FIVE years out of the Acad-
envy. This affects longevity pay of
/ all grades of officers, but it does not
reduce the longevity pay of seaman
and soldiers at training stations.