3d. Suspension; dismissal with privilege of resigning; public dismissal. Only by sentence of a garrison or general court-martial, which must be approved by the Secretary of War.
“Breach of arrest” is treated as a military offense of the worst nature, and is classified with “mutinous conduct.”
All offenses are classified under five heads, and are recorded according to the following scale:
| An offense of the | 1st | class counts | 5 | demerit. |
| “ | 2d | “ | 4 | “ |
| “ | 3d | “ | 3 | “ |
| “ | 4th | “ | 2 | “ |
| “ | 5th | “ | 1 | “ |
All offenses reported or to be reported against cadets, are read out at evening parade on the day after commission, excepting offenses in the section rooms reported by the instructors, which are read out on Monday evening’s parade; so that every cadet may have the opportunity of presenting a written explanation, or plea, in extenuation, of the offense charged against him.
The commandant of cadets attends at his office, in the square of the cadet barracks, between the hours of breakfast and the first study every morning to receive reports of offenses.
Explanations in writing, on paper of prescribed uniform size, may be taken to the commandant by any cadet charged with an offense not later than the commandant’s second orderly hour after publication, as a general rule from which any departure requires to be explained.
If the commandant considers the excuse satisfactory, he erases the offense and tears up the excuse, but forwards an abstract of all offenses which have not been explained to his satisfaction, with the written explanations, for the decision of the superintendent.
The superintendent may, on further inquiry, find the explanations of some of the offenses forwarded satisfactory, in which case he erases such offenses. To the remainder he allots such immediate punishment, and such marks of demerit in addition, as the cases respectively justify; or he may consider the demerit marks sufficient without any immediate punishment.