Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-05-10
NATIONS CAPITAL.
The "Cantxn' System Fol-
the Army Under Debate.
Illness OF Senator Edmuuds-Pensiops
For Maine People.

WAsHiSGroS, Nay a communics
siou from the Treasury Department vit
reports from special agents ~ to the evas
ion of laws against the entrance Of Chins
men coming from Canada, vas referred Z
the committee on immigration.
The annual pension appropriation bill
~as taken up. the que dion being on tn
amendment increasing the number Of pen
son ssenfs. Agreed to. The bill Va
passed. Meiical academy bill passed
The army appropriation bill vas take
up The ameEdmt5t reported from tb
committee on appropriations and agree
TO BY the Senate was the paragraph sppro
priAsins 500 600 fer buildings At militsr'
poets for hbrsriss. gymnasiums, amuse
ment room and canseens.
Hale moved an amendment providing
that no alcoholic liquors, beer or vine shal
be sold or supplied to enlisted men in An,
such building At suy military post.
Gormal submiteed, a. the paragraph ha(
been struck out. there was no propriety il
inserting such . proviro. II the Hous.
should insist upon restoring the paragraph
the conference committee could prescribe
conditions.
Hale thought it veil to establish now the
pr position contained in his amendment
If the paragraph was restored to the bill
the proviso ought to 90 with il He doubted
whether any senator would oppose it.
Frye said the State of Maine had . very
deer feeling on the question. The people
of that State tried to enforce the prohib-
itory Law. and did enforce il very we'll, but
il the sale Of liquors was authorized at one
military post that could have . very bad
effect The recent decision Of the supreme
court had excited that State very greatly,
and had tendency TO destroy the prohibit
ory law il it did not actually destroy it. II
the United States opened the doors by that
decision to such violations of the prohibit
ory law, and then in addition to that author
lied liquors sold on its own premises, the
State of Msine might - well give up the
prohibitory law.
Allison remarked that he understood the
Secretary Of War had given orders in pro
hi>itory States that no liquors should be
sold at the military posts.
German said that while he believed in
and prscticed il absolutely, it
was not possible to enforce it on every body
else. and not wise il it were possible. Such
legislation - resulted in the re-
cent decision Of the supreme court was
regarded by lawyers and laymen as most
Co krell read statements in support of
the canteen system ~ against the post
leadership eyste m, and argued that the
whole system might be safely left to the
of War. He thought that the
law Of Name would not find in
the csnteen sy.tem . thoussndth part of the
opposition it no found in its own citizens
He had rece ntly heard . temperance orator
speak Of the prohibition law of Maine as
e ffective, and say that no liquor wss sold
there. while the very day before he hal
read in the Voice (prohibiion organ of the
United Ststes) an account of q city in
NJ siae. -tsh q d;~esA--, Of IL ho~inv the
location of - places where liquor saloons
were running openly and notoriously.
Hale said that Cockreli's argument in
tavor of the csBteen system as against the
the post leadership system was 90 strong
that he believed i; would be established as
a part Of army life, therefore the adoption
Of the amendment would do no harm. II
would enable the Senate conferees to carry
It into the conference and have it incOrpor
sted into the bill. He did not set himself
up as IN ultra aud extreme prohibitiouist or
I. m perance man, but it would not be tru b.
full if he did not admit that the prohibitory
Law of Name and the temperance sentiment
there based upon had in very great de.
gree driven grog shop. out of that State
In he small towns (hundreds Of them) no
int xicating liquors we're sold. privat ly or
publicly. In the large towns and cities i,
had been found impossible (as is likely to
be auywhere) to extirpate liquor rsfi.;
but the STATE had Cvrv-I an immense BEN
fit from the prohi,ltory law.
Call spoke OF HaIe's amendment ~
'rtiing With 4 very grave question. What
ever promoted prsctical temperance Was,
ne said, . good thing; whstever vas q mere
sham, looking in tie direction Of extreme
sud impracticsble 'forts, was only retard-
ing the advan,e ofsound morality and tenn
perance.
Cockrell moved amend the amendment
BY striking out bee. and wine. After some
debate q vote was AIKEN on Cockrelps mo-
ton TO the sme menduent. which resulted in
no quorum voting.
The Senate at ldjourned leaving Hale's
amendment to the rmy bill and Cockrelfs
amendment to the amendment pending.