The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-28

wants, who are most commonly negroes.
Officers servants and mess attendants
constitute quite a large class OF camp
followers. and ordinarily there are a good
many people who straggle along in the
wake of an army looking for employment.
Under the regulations an officer Is not per-
mitted to compel an enlisted man TO do
any sort of mental toll. such as cooking
or washing. At the same time the enlisted
man Is at liberty to accept pay for work
Of this sort from an officer.
The army "canteen' has taken the place
of the old-time suffers store. Officers and
men together subscribe the money neces-
sary for the establishment OF the cam
teen. to pay for the stock I'm trade. etc.
and after a reasonable percentage on the
investment has been paid pack to them
the balance OF the profit goes to the sol
diers. h profits. chiefly derived from
the sale OF beer. are very large. and they
are applied TO the improvement of the
condition OF the men, paying for various
luxuries which make a welcome addition
TO their messes. Thus. for example. they
are enabled to have on their tables butter
and milk. which are not furnished by the
commissary. After n while the original
debt for the canteen is paid of. and then
the enlisted men run IL for themselves.
IL is natural that the war department
should wish to do away with the cxtor-
tions which Inevitably accompany the suit
III FlEAtAhs "a Nlt new iNhIts
which contemplates the furnishing of the
soldiers through the canteens with ev-
erything that the sutler used to sell. At
the same time. the sale of distilled liquors
Is rigidly prohibited. on grounds that
seem rational enough. The only drawback
about this prohibition Is that men de-
prived OF whiskey by official order will
always try 20 get IL by underhad means.
The consequence Is that the most abomt-
nahle sort OF stun is smuggled into camps
and the men turn up drunk in squads.
A retired army officer was telling the wri-
ter yesterday about the trouble he had at
an army post in the far West. when the
sale of whiskey within the post imits was
forbidden by an order for the wal de-
partment. The soldiers used to sneak
away at night to certain questionable es-
Establishments that were set up In the
neighborhood. called in military parlance.
hog ranches. and many of them were
constantly unit for duty. The officer
quoted. on his own responsibility. directed
the post trader 10 get a quantity of good
whiskey and sell II TO the men at reason
able price, the only restriction being that
no soldier should be permitted to get
drunk. The result was that nobody did
get drunk and the hog ranches quickly
went out OF business.
In the neighborhood of a settled military
camp there are always INSCRIPTIONS per-
sons who sell the rottenest kind OF whis-
key by the c~anteen. bottle or jug. There
Is no law to reach them. and II caught
they suffer no penalty beyond the confs-
cation of their stock in trade. and per-
haps a brief imprisonment In the guard
house. Worse than these are camp follow
ers OF another kind who prey upon the
soldiers. They are professional gamblers
short card men. provided with marked
cards and sometimes with SINAI faro lay