Show DEATHS NOT HOT HUE DUE TO HAZING 4 West W st Point Investigating Committee Coi Reports Rel ts ACADEMY PRACTICES ARE 1 DENOUNCED CED t A Bill to Enl End the Brutality is Submitted t f Washington Feb The Th r H rt of ot the special congressional committee com tee investigated etI he hazing Cadet Booz and the general gen ral subject of at West Point was as submitted to the tile house of representatives by the chair chairman chairman man Than Representative Dick together t with ith a a bill making stringent t regula regulations regulations Horus against basing Dg and ull brutal practices The report does not find that the deaths death were wre directly due to hazing haz It Itis Itis Itt is t an exhaustive review of or the practice of hazing n all its forms form and an While moderate in tone is nevertheless l a stinging arraignment of tie the Nt many ai 1 brutal practices enumerated It specifies more than methods t of and harassing hara fourth class ela F V men and describes de them In detail Phil Sheridan Jr s Ride Side One of the funny formations de described scribed 1 jg that practiced ed on Philip Sher Slier Sheridan Sheridan it idan Jr who was wu compelled to ride nde a 8 broomstick broom tick In mockery moc ery of ot his illus illustrious illustrious fathers achievement at Win Winchester V chester The report states that a JI sya system tern ten of o fighting ft has haa grown up which Is i shocking in its character chara ter The lights l A are ar described and a d the committee sUtee I Ith that hat th t the West Vest Point code is more mo re vi vl vicious bUS cious than the code 1 The committee ee held that fi Is the worst worM form of ot hazing The report says that such righting as that at West WestPoint WestPoint I f Point Is a felony according to the stat statutes statutes utes in many of the he states and the I time has hea come ne when congress must de dedde tide ude whether fights which are high elsewhere here shall continue at West Vest Point V I IThe The committee finds that Cadets Mac MacArthur MacArthur i Arthur Breth and Burton were into convulsions others were hazed un until until til t il they fainted while others rere fere hazed until they were sick Deaths Not Due to Hazing Th The hazing of Cadets Booz BooK and Breth are ae elaborately treated but the font com committee ommittee does not n t attribute their thel deaths directly dIrE to hazing The 1 he e report adds But while we cannot fix upon hazing the responsibility for toJ these two deaths the th possibility pos th ibM t it hastened them and the blot it throws throw s on the otherwise ise fair lair and glorious fame of the academy its conflict with Uh proper training and md quid unfitness in this new 1 century urges the adoption of reason reasonable reasonable JL able yet we believe effective measures measure for its eradication and the promotion of discipline at the academy The bill submitted contains eleven sections against hazing and provides means for Its detection and punish punishment punishment ment Dismissal Is la provided for taking part in a e fight or a challenge directly Uy i 01 ur indirectly or for any form of annoy annoyance an oy I Ia ance anee a harassing x or r bracing of cadets Cadets ad tS dismissed are made ineligible to 0 appointment app to the army navy nay or marine corps Provision is made for nut of ot inquiry closer I y 1 association aB OCi between officers and cadets cad eta and other means for far effectually stop stopping i ping pine the practice of hazing i c Class Distinctions Explained The rhe report first discussed the class clau between the upper class daas classmen men and the beasts and plebes as the new ne and under class classmen em emmen men are called and says The upper class men have gradually evolved an n entire code of unwritten la laws Jaws s governing their relations with class men nien as well as the tM whole I of conduct which should be pursued by the latter laUr Under this code codeno I no friendships are formed farmed between en the upper classmen and the tower lower class classmen cia classmen I Imen men they the have no social intercourse or r relations Except where the parties p hae have been acquainted before bei re entering the academy the upper class man mas treats the fourth class man as un unknown unknown unknown known a stranger strang r and an Inferior The fhe fourth fo rth class 8 man has no rl right t to sp speak ak mk to the upper class clatts classman man and when he speaks to 10 him on business he headdresses addresses addres him as Mister Itter T 1 nr or Sir No fourth class man should gaze stare or even e en look squarely rely at atan atan atan an upper class cla s man but drop his eyes ees when hen in ons S presence pre ence and failure to todo todo I Ido I do so is T r punishable offense After Atter the fourth class cl ss men go into ramp amp each is 18 assigned a by lot or other otherwise otherwise v wise ise to some upper class man as spec special special special ial duty dut du man and as u su h must dis harge the duties of a body and tent servant He must sweep his IlI superiors teat t put up and take down his bed adjust tile the ft tra of ot o his tent ten 4 carry carrywater carrywater water ater and discharge other similar duties Th upper class men profiting no n 11 doubt by what they have learned le from their predecessors and the aid of th their Mr own fertile ingenuity have re resorted resorted sorted to more than distinct meth methods ds of annoying and fourth lass dass men Varieties of Hazing They are divided into three general generalI I lasses asse First things done doe professedly for lor the good soo 1 of or fourth class cla s mp or orthe orthe I the service ser lee second things done to punish fourth tour class men for violations of I the tipper class code things dune done one apparently without p se ex cx ept to annoy or for tor or the one T amuse amusement ment of upper class men menThe menThe menThe The committee then described In de dc detail tail tall bracing eagling wooden willie ing mg choc dipping sitting on bayonets eating quinine standing on In bath tub filled nned with water ater and many other forms of hazing Continuing the report says As this m grew and an became more and more oppressive oppre it became necessary to have some effective means to coerce obedience to these the e un no behests of upper class cla men to meet this demand a system of 0 fight figh fi fighting h hing ing has haas gradually grown rOwn up In is shocking in Ia its tS character Each of the t e eu upper u Jer daises classes cl s has na a regular fighting committee ommittee and It is report td 4 for example to the president pre of ot the third class that some fourth class cla man has refused to obey any of ot the unlawful lul ful ul and illegal orders of ot an upper class claa classman classman man or 01 has in some me other important respect violated ted the tha class I code codea all a 11 of or which it must be b borne In m mind is in direct conflict with the regula regulations re ula tiona and rules of the academy the president pr side t calls his fighting commit committee tee ie H e together and 8 nd if it thinks the charge i rude ude it orders the t fourth daM class man manal ailed al out sal nam names the inca m Who is isto Isto to whip him Worse Than Ordinary 1 The committee dest pie he fights at r length and says saysA saysA A fight to a finish has a more vie vic HIS ous meaning here lIere than elsewhere el Theoretically Th when TheA a man is clearly clean whIpped hipped ills Ida seconds may throw up the fi ht The record shows but buton buton on 1110 instance of ot this being biting attempted and in that the principal warn wa the upper lassman In the fight and refused to abide by his second advice To Ta show how ow his grit and courage the defeated party although helpless no so far as fighting tI is must nominally g oh on so long an as there is any possibility that he hean can an corne coule back hack to the ring even though 0 he is io incapable of doing anything but tout take punishment p nt Many of ot the wit ay a that he h must fight until K J mon Jn ible others say that of or j T TD D corse COIne he lie would be excused excuse l when ph pJ call Incapable of coming g gla up again la laIn In the tbt opinion of this committee c when this system of f fighting haf h ha been destroyed the worst of hazing must d cie di with It Such Suh h fights lighte a these are aref ar f r foe T I te in nany of the state tte have bar gone on for years at West Point an and no one has been punished during Ute the period by the investigations bj by b your committee and the time has h 8 now arrived when congress congre must de cl whether the fights substantially everywhere else ese treated as high crimes an continue to go on at the military reservation at West Yest Point It is io J of ff course lOurse impossible to deter determine det r mine with mathematical accuracy just What has AU been the effect ct of this long court course co of cruel and annoying g treatment upon U S fourth class claas men We do know t several I notably Cadets Mac MacArthur c Arthur and Burton were hazed into hiM convulsions that many more In Including eluding Cadets Hascall Kensel nto I MId med nd Pegram were hazed the they Cadet and perhaps others o have beve been hued hazed until sick s ck Boos BOOK B oz and Breth were both treat treet treated ed 4 with great t severity and were n well after atter they left lett the academy a emy and sack died in his young manhood od before the graduation of his class hut but ut we can cannot canoot cannot not oot affirmatively find that their death wa was caused by their treatment tre nt Doubt as to Effect on Booz Taking up the Booz case the commit committee t tee tse e states that his conduct at the academy was strictly correct although under the offensive class despotism it was WU viewed as meriting chastisement ment menthe Th The he circumstances of his being caned called out Ills hIs t and the system ot of r annoy annoyance ance practiced on him are minutely stated The committee added Whether injuries in the fight dis die disturbance disturbance ti bance of ot the stomach irritation of and ordeals added to the severe evere but buL proper pr per duties of ot the Ue cadet det caused the depression In Boos oo an ani without those th ee unlawful exactions exactions tiona he could have hav studied d and gained in strength and vigor are also problems problems problems lems beyond human knowledge to de determine determine termine And the like commentary comm must be made maile respecting the case ease of John Edward Breth The committee ay on the Whole whale a amans amUl mists mans religious opinions are highly respected at the academy In one on case cage a cadet was was called a damned Jew J w but this was an isolated case Two Hebrews now no at ed that they have never been ill treated tr em d on account Lecount of race and religion The different efforts or OL the academy a lemy officials s to suppress hazing are set forth But it is pointed point d out that while there are army ann officers at atthe atthe atthe the academy eleven eleen persons are solely charged with maintaining discipline in ina ina a reservation of more than 2000 acres and more than two miles long over about ab ut cadets The committee con conJ J l 4 s it absolutely ab essential that more officers should be in the th camp at all hours hopes l of the daj da and an night right |