Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-08
FOR THE GOOD OF THE ARMY;

Acting Adjutant General McKeever on
Canteens and the Recruiting Service.
Canteens and the recruiting service form the
main topics for discussion in the annual report
just submitted by Gen. McKeever, acting ad-
jutant general of the army, to the Secretary
OF War. He says that great progress is re-
ported to have been made in the establishment
OF the canteen system. At present canteens
are In successful operation at sixty-eight posts.
and during the six months ended June 80, 1890,
transacted business of $474, 625, with q re-
sulting profit Of SSs, 430.
THE cANTEEN SYSTEM EXPLAINED AND APPROVED
'Some misconception has grown up in the
public mind" he says Sin regard to these in
situations, engendered, no doubt, by the gen.
eric term used as q designation. The word
'canteen has contracted q specific meaning
from many years of use in European armies,
and Is generally understood as describing o
drinking place where soldiers assemble for
more or less vicious revelry As conducted in
the American service, the canteen is simply q
cooperative establishment, in which a general
business. under military supervision is con-
Quoted in the sole behalf OF the enlisted men
OF the army. The testimony of officers who
have reported on the practical operation of
canteens confirms the wisdom Of the action Of
the War Department in fostering and encour-
aging the extension of the system. There can
uo HO qucstiOu tudt IL mas contributed largely
to the comfort and contentment of enlisted
men, and thereby improved and strengthened
discipline throughout the service"
CONCERNING THE RECRUITING SERVICE,
he remarks that the operations have been car
ried on in over forty smaller cities and towns,
whence recruiting parties have been sent into
the surrounding rural districts, and persistent
efforts have been made to obtain recruits from
farming and other communities away from the
great centers OF population. In like manner
special reglmental recruiting parties have been
sent ont into about thirty different towns to
conduct temporary rendezvous therein and
freely canvass the contiguous districts Some
OF the settours were very Observation-Disclosures
were fairly 80, and in some instances the re-
suits, as regard the number of recruits OBJ
talned, were very meager. The class of men
thus obtained, 1t is believed from reports re-
ceived, to be considerably above the general
average, and during the present fiscal year,
with additional appropriation made for the
purpose. 1t is proposed to extend the plan in
order that its merits may be more fully tested
1t Is to be remarked in this connection that
throughout the past year recruits have been
required before acceptance to present satisfac-
tory evidence of age, character, habits, &C.,
and that this coupled with the almost general
business prosperity Throughout: the country,
may IN a great measure account for the falling
Oh in the number Of applicants for admission
to the army, which has been common to all
rendezvous for several months
Gen. McKeever says in conclusion of this
subject: ''Of the $3.50 accepted recruits 4,O52
were native born and z, 1913 of foreign birth:
5,s75 were white and Sis colored. Seventeen
thousand five hundred and sixty-three appli-
Giants for enlistment lover 70 per cent of the
whole number) were rejected by recruiting
officers rs lacking the necessary qualifications,
either physical, mental or moral. As indi-
Gated by these figures the officers charged with
the responsible duty OF recruiting have, as q
rule, zealously guarded the interests of the
service in preventing the entrance into the
army OF men untitled for the duties of soldiers.
In exceptional cases. where recruiting officers
have failed in their duty in this respect, they
have been replaced by others"