The age-herald., 1898-06-01
ARMY SUTLER
 IS NO MORE

Everyone who remembers the old army sutler will be glad to hear that he is not l to be allowed to do business in the present war. A great effort was made in some quarters to revive him, but it has failed. Congressmen and constituents more greedy than patriotic have been besieged to pass law legalizing the sutler. so that they could go into the business of making money out of the soldiers meagre pittance.
 The case is known of a man who offered s25000 for the privilege of starting q sut- 1er's store at a certain camr even with the knowledge that the camp would not last more than thirty days. This gives Tn idea of the enormous profits the suiler used to reap. It Is estimated that four ffths of all money taken in by the suter was profit. He often sold liquors and a1- ways tobacco and every other l1xury or necessity for ne soldiers, and 1t often oc- cur' d that, a- ih, eLd of the north the privates pay would be unequal to the task of wiping his score off the slate.
 A soldiers lunch, a glass of beer, some crackers and cheese and bunch of raisins. which would cost 10 cents in store, would be furnished by the sutler for $1 and every thing else was equally exorbitant.
 In this way many men in the civil war accumulated immense fortunes The only Justification they pleaded for the big prices charged was the risks they ran. The1e was something in this, for it often hap pened that in the shuttle. of battle the sutler and his whole establishment would be swept away. The sutIer in war occu pied a position analogous to pawnbroker in times of peace. Each was necessity, but none mourned to see one swept away.
 Notwithstanding his bad reputation. the sutler hung on until about ten years ago. At that time congress read him out of ex- istence, and he has never been tolerated since. In lieu of the sutler the canteen was established. which is by contrast a phianthropic institution.
 Each camps canteen is under the super vision of the commanding officer, and is often run under the immediate charge of committee of officers appointed by him. Uncle Sam himself owns all the canteens, and he sells everything that soldier needs to have, and some things which the tenn perance people say he does not need. No profit is made by the canteen. The commissary department buys all the goods in the cheapest market in the country and sells to the soldiers at cost. Uncle Sam carries on really losing game as a store- keeper, for he is ''out" every year just
 
 from the cheapest market to the different canteens.
 He pockets this loss, however with his accustomed good nature, charging it up to the account of what is known as equaiza- tion of pay. This equalization is an inter- esting matter. It grows out of the vari- ations in prices between different parts of the country. For example, an allowance is made to an officer of a certain amount a month for fuel But in some parts of the country cord of wood would cost $7, while in others 1t might be had for 8. To adjust this Uncle Sam has fixed up what is known as an equalization. He makes a unit of one cord at 8 all over the country, which is declared to be the equal of 1,700 pounds of anthracite coal or 2,000 pounds of soft coal. Thus each officer can take his fuel allowance in coal or wood, or its equal in money in any part of the coun- try. And If he desires in any month to exceed his allowance for fuel he can buy from the government at cost price. Thus, by means of the canteen, the sol- dier is the best buyer in the country, for he buys through the government, in enor- nous quantities and in absolutely the cheapest market. A glass of beer in the canteen costs only cents. And here is where the temperance folks enter their protest This governmental policy of sell- ing glass of beer at such a price not only sets the prohibitionists by the ears, but it hits the high license men a hard blow The canteens pay little heed to this talk.
 Arrangements have been made for es- tablishing canteens in all the camps