Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-08-21
The Findings in the Naval Academ.
Scandal.

nectiOn Win the nnht Fef0lct IN tut
Naval Academy 'gouging" scandal
One is that such extraordinary pains
have been taken to get at the truth
neither the midghipmen nor the Naval
Academy authorities appear TO have
any grounds on which TO call the find-
ings in question. The second IS that
| the verdict is, in some measure. an ar
raignment Of the system as well as Of
the offending midshipmen.
The thoroughness of the probe seems
demonstrated by the fact that it COW
cred two separate and searching in
vestigatiOns. one made by the board
appointed by superintendent Fullamto
sift the charges Of cheating, and the
other made by the special court of in
quiry appointed by Secretary Daniels.
and composed of naval 0sicers pre-
| sumably qualified to render intelligent
and unpreiudiced Judgment And the
| fairness OF the probe seems establish
/ ed by the fact that the findings of the
special court were submitted before
approval by the Secretary of the Navy
10 Rear Admiral Blue. Chief of the Bu-
reau of Navigation; Capt. Ridley Nc
Lean, Judge Advocate Of the Navy, and
to to the Secretary's advisory counsel,
who all concurred in its conclusions.
| The presumption is that the report
| Of this court comes as near TO stating
| the substantial facts and doing sub
| stantial Justice as it is humanely pos
/ sible to come. We shall doubtless
hear It asserted that the cadets who
were found guilty by the first board of
| inquiry, and who were exonerated by
the second. escaped by reason Of polit-
ical influence. But, though there can
De no doubt that political influence has
often played a large part in the pro-
| lection of offending midshipmen, and
though there can be lust as little doubt
| that all possible influence was brought
to bear in this case,we have to assume
il we are to impeach the final verdict,
| that all the members of the special
court of inquiry were dishonest or in
| competent and that Rear Admiral
Blue. Captain Mclean, Assistant Sec
retary Roosevelt and rest of Secre-
| tary Daniels advisory board are in the
same category.
| The country wanted no whitewash-
ing in this case, and there seems just
/ ground to believe that there has been
Inone-certainly none of an intentional
! character The charges and the in
vestigation revealed conditions and
morale among a considerable number
of midshipmen Of very disQuieting
character; but happily they appear
not to form anything like the whole
4 Na oh mt
against large proportion of the stu
dent body that seemed to be suggested
from time TO time in the course of the
inquiry.
II is true that large percentage Of
| two classes appear to have benefited
| by the surreptitious advance informa-
ton, but although a further investi-
CATION is recommended as to them, il
| was generally conceded by both boards
of inquiry that a good many of them
were not aware that the questions
they had we're the official questions.
The real indictment in the report is
not against the midshipmen as a body,
but against defects in the system at
the Academy. Sweeping changes
in the entire examination methods are
| recommended and severe criticism of
the faculty is made by the special
court. On this branch of the findings
the Secretary of the Navy has with
held his approval, pending further
| consideration. The specific speciflca-
| tions for reform seem we'll calculated
to go to the root of the abuses tha.
have sprung up at the Academy but in
| fairness the Naval Academy authori-
| ties can be considered little more re-
| sponsible for them than the midship
men. They, as well as the latter, have
been the victims of a system of high
pressure and forced work which al
most inevitably caused resort to doubt
full and unfair methods of meeting the
academic demands.
The investigation cannot but have a
wholesome effect both on the midship
men and the Academy administration.
The former. if they did not realize it
before, know now that they cannot
take refuge hereafter behind college
custom, or split hairs as to the honor
OF an officer and gentleman.
The honor system, in fact, if not in
name, vii be apt to be installed here
after at the Academy, as result of
this investigation, and midshipmen viii
prefer fail rather than TO lose pos
session more precious even than that
OF a commission in the navy Of the
United States-the old-fashioned title
of gentleman.
Whether the Academy does not at
tempt to do to much in four years, and
whether the course might not be
heightened to six years, or the stand
ard of admission raised with advant
age to the country and to the midship-
men, is q question that is suggested
by these Investigations and the facts
which have been brought out. That,
however. is a question for experts and
can be decided satisfactorily by them.
From the Baltimore sun.
To Saline The flag