The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-03-19

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The temperance people throughout
the country are proposing to hang up
in the White House . portrait of Mrs.
Hayes in recognition of her zeal in be-
half Of their cause. Hayes himself
gets loud praise from the teetotalers
for his alleged devotion to their prin-
ciples. They honor him as the one
cold water occupant of the White
House.
No doubt Hayes has made a great
show of temperance in his White
House banquets. The guests at his
table have been compelled to satisfy
their thirst with cold water, cold milk,
milk and water. tea. or coffee, or
chocolate. OF wines they could get
none, unless perhaps on a single occa-
sion currant wine or Igooseberry wine.
Hayes was particularly severe on
drunkenness in the army. He an
nounced his purpose to deal with it
with the greatest severity. He was go
ing to Danish whisky drinking from the
military service and make of the army
a sort Of temperance society on q large
scale. How sad to think that our
der the influence OF the example of
older officers who freely used the in
toxicating cup! That was the lament
we heard from the White House.
But how has Hayes carried out his
avowed purpose and indicated bis tenn
peraLce principles so far as the army is
concerned? He has done more than
any previous Executive to encourage
drunkenness in the military service.
Instead of treating drunken officers
with a just severity and with an equal
justice, he has pretty uniformly COM
muted their sentences. as imposed by
courts martial, and restored them to
duty.
Even the gravest offcnses against
military order and military discipline,
and common decency as well, whether
committed under the influence of drink
or otherwise, have been leniently re-
garded by this pretended temperance
advocate. Crimes which outrage the
sense of honor of all decent men, and
which unit man for the society of re-
spectacle people, have found ready
pardon from him.
An officer who had long disgraced
the military service would at last be
brought to trial, and the evidence pre-
sented to show beyond question his
be sentenced to dismissal. Thereupon
he or his Ohio friends would journey to
Washington, and lobby about the White
House until its temperance occupant
restored the offender to duty. That
has been the rule. and every dismissed
officer. no matter how fragrant his of
lenses, has had good reason to expect
that it would be applied to his case.
His military associates might prove
his guilt incontestably, and get rid
of him for time as . nuisance and a
man unfit for decent society; but
Hayes would see that they soon had
him back again. Since Hayes worked
his subterranean way into the White
House, he has confirmed the convic-
tions OF only nineteen officers out of
sixty found guilty OF gross offenses,
most of them involving drunkenness on
duty. Forty-one of the convicted off,
GERS have been retained in the army by
Hayes personal order
He began the work soon after getting
into the White House, and has kept It
up steadily ever since, In November,
1877, he issued general order to the
army, in which he delivered sermon
on drinking. . No person addicted to
it." said Hayes, "can expect to be
trusted with any responsible duty; and
. person who cannot be trusted had
better not be continued in Office"
% After this solemn warming" he said.
in closing the order, Ga rigorous execu-
ton of the sentences imposed in due
course by courts martial may be ex-
pected."
And yet, on the very day of its issue.
he set that order aside! He committed
q sentence of dismissal for drunkenness
on duty to suspension for three months
only. The next day he again set sem
tence aside, and in . case where the
offense was Of q kind he had previously
declared was unforgivable. The officer.
in order to escape cOurt-martial, had
given his word rs a gentleman to abb
stain from intoxicating drinks. but had
broken it.
In the spring of 1877, commenting
upon two cases of this sort. HAYES had
said that If ouch officers were retained.
1.-THE high reputation which the army
has always held for honor and Dig
nifty. as well as integrity, would soon
be thing of the past" But in No
1877. when the case of an Of
licer dismissed for that very offense
came before him, be committed the sem
tence to suspension from rank and
command on half Pay. for eighteen
And at short intervals HAYES has been
putting drunkards and reprDbates back
IN the army from that lime to this. No
matter how gross or nasty the proved
charges and specifications, he has taken
The culprit to his embrace and treated
him as il he had committed some trivial
offense only. What is mean, contempti-
BILE. odious and disgusting behavior in
the eyes OF decent men generally, seems
10 strike Hayes as very pardonable con-
dfrof