Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-06-23
THE INVESTIGATION
AT THE NAVAL ACADEMY
As Seen BY Those On the Outside
The Suns Editorial.

We cheerfuly give space this morn
ing in our Letter Column TO a COM
munication from Rear Admiral Fui-
Ian, superintendent Of the Naval Acad-
emy. in reply 10 some editorial COM
ments made by The Sun few days
ago on the investigation of the exam
nation scandals at Annapolis
If the editorial in question did Ad-
miral Fullam injustice, directly or by
implication. we regret II exceedingly.
and we art ready 10 tender apologies.
The statement that Naval Academy
officers resent the probe" was based
on the testimony reported 10 have
been given before thecourt of inquiry,
and we are glad to learn that il mis-
represents the attitude OF the author
tiles and that they desire it TO go to
the very bottom"
We did not mean 10 intimate that the
Admiral desired 10 protect those who
had been deliberately guilty of wrong
doing, but il did seem TO us and il does
seem to us. Judging from the Admiral's
own language in his communication
to The Sun that he may have been
guilty of an error of judgment
1T is a very serious injustice" he
says, ito even insinuate that | have
selected 'scapegoats and wish TO pro-
tect anybody If anybody is protect
ed. il will not be by me OF course.
there are different degrees Of guilt in
all crimes and different punishment
for each desree--is there not 9'
CnpaaRspr. fr,t tho of
that there were different degrees Of
crime in this case. arc not few mid
shipmen being practically made the
scapegoats" for al the rest? Accord
ing to the testimony so per cent OF
the classes to which the ten or twelve
men under investigation belong. shar-
ed in the benefits of the advance in
formation. even if they lid not procure
il Yet they. as we understand, are
not TO be punished at all The COM
paratiyely small number on trial are
TO be punished and the rest are to 20
free. There would seem, therefore,
TO be no punishment at all contempa-
ted for those who, in Admiral Full
lam's opinion, bear the smaller de
gree" of guilt
But. in point of fact, can there be
much moral difference in this case. If
il be true that the large proportion of
the implicated cases knowingly pro
fitted by advance information improp-
erly obtained? Is not the receiver as
bad as the thief? We think it is lust
here that the Admirals logic and his
Judgment fail. Every guilty man
should be punished, or should be ac-
quilted. No remedy is too stern to
apply to offenders against the code of
honor, even if it should empty the
academy of half the student BODY. But
there should Re no distinction be-
tween the men who procured" the
examination papers and the men who
did not hesitate to use them. except.
perhaps, in the degree of punishment.
We are very much inclined TO
think, however, that the boys at the
Naval Academy are not worse in this
respect than the boys at other
schools and that, as we have said be
fore, there must be some defect in the
system at the academy which creates
such general blindness to honorable
standards as seems to exist there. We
again suggest that il an honor system
were established, such as has prevail
ed at the University of Virginia for
two generations there would he no
more trouble of this sCrt