The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-09-14
The Annapolis Scandal

THE announcement from the navy department
L that there is to be a complete reorganization
at the naval academy result of the recent in
vestigation of the "gouging" incident stirs vi
again the scandal provoked when it was discovered
that some of the midshipmen had inside and ad
vance information as to the questions of one o
the test papers in the final examinations JUS
what that scandal was is explained in the article
following written for The Advertiser by one who
had an inside acquaintance with the whole affair
from start to finish He writes:
livery college has a review month before the final
examinations. During this period general freshCn-
ing up INDUCED in. professor lays special en-
phasis on certain pointsthe department distributes
memorandum approved methods for solving i'm
portant probIemsa lecture is given on this or that
subject. These points may logically he accepted as
the most important matter in the subject and are
therefore likely examination questions. At the
Academy these tips collected and passed along
among the IN dshipmen and labelled "dope,' Some
students good dope artists, in that they
spot the probable examination, instructor may ais"
have the faculty of picking out the most important
points, and his "dope" accordingly becomes
valuable. point here, before examinations only
or two instructors the papers and they are
then restricted in their discussion of the coming test
'"Dope'' then is a collection of subjects on which
gamble pure and simple may be made. midshiPmcn
told that he had 'bOncd good DOPE all night,
and then had 'husted'' the examination when his
tips turned out to he "bum dope"
The present scandal at the academy is due to this
n
written sheets of the examination in modern languages
through the mail from unknown sources. By slip,
several others became aware of their existence and
these refused to keep the information to themselves
the ground that to do so would give them an un-
| fair advantage over their classmates Finally, as a
compromise. the dope given out to all '"woodcn
/ men, - its source being gwen instructor in
modern languages who was known as good dope
artist.
Before taps all hands had the "good dope"
| could have had it if they wished. Some studied it,
others decided that it was "bum DOPE because II
too difficult for examination. The next morn
ing when the battalons marched to the academic
building, carried the sheets of scratch paper
they had bon"d" night, with the view of taking
one "lost crack" them before entering the build
ing. On entering the examination room these sheets
| were discarded. ''V
| The "dopc" was good. Those who had boned it
happy, those who had slipped it up bewailed their
misfortune. As result the marks as an average were
high Then the unfortunate occurred the scratch paper
"gouges' found and an Investigation of goug
vestigaton all who had the original papers
recommcn led for dismissal
Now it was the secretary of the navy s turn The
political pressure brought TO bear resulted in
court, and msed publicity. Expert, and Shrewd
counsel attempted defend their clients by degrading
ards Of honor and accusing the body of cadets Of dis
| honor rank that Of the accused
1t worked: For weeks the midshpmen witnesses
manly. straight forward and frank, used tools
in the hands of experienced lawyers. Far and wide
| the fair name of the Academy sOiled her trad
tons scorned, and her shaded Then member
| of the class of l9l5s honor committee picked up
clue. 1t followed and led to the only disclosures
of dishonesty made before the court very few
implicated and at last the honor of the service, and
Of the milshipmen, cleared in the best and most
| proper way by their action.
| have seen these of Uncle Sam the stand
| giving their testimony frankly and csty-rcady
| to mpicate themselves in the serious knowledge of
what the consequences might be- regrettng when they
| were forced to stain their classmates. | have
them at drill, heads mp eyes to the front work ng with
that precision of military discipline which broods ill
70 any future ran"grSor against the Stars and Stripes