Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-10-26
The Hrmn GdntRen.

The discussions in the Methodist
conferences and at the prohibition
gatherings regarding the army can
teen have called forth many letters
from subscribers. Among them is the
following:
BURLINGTON, IND, Oct. 10.--To the
Editor The Prohibition papers and
speakers assail the Republican party
in general and William Mckinley in
particular, on account OF the establish
ing of the army canteen, a place to
sell whiskey, beer, etc, to our soldiers
to make drunkards of them. They
hold President Mckinley responsible
for the establishing and continuance
of it. viii you please give me the
facts, rs to why, how, where, and by
whom the canteen was got up and put
in operation, and what did Mckinley
have to do with it, and what could or
can he now DO about itP-A. NJ EVER
MAN.
The army canteen law was enacted
about twenty years ago on the recon-
mendation Of army officers who were
familiar with the operation of the can
teen system in European armies.
The object of the law was to keep con-
troll Of the sale Of liquors in the hands
Of army officers, and TO prevent or dis
courage the location of saloons near
army posts. The law was, in fact,
one to regulate the sale of liquors in
camp. Under the law no creating"
was allowed. Nothing but beer was
sold There was absolutely no profit
derived from the sale by the seller.
There was no inducement to sell any
soldier more than he ought to have.
The reports for 1890, 1891, and 1892
showed that the canteen system was
to the advantage of the service AID
conducive to temperance. 1t was
found that at posts where there were
no cantecns saloons Of the lowest kind
were established as near the military
reservation rs possible. The soldiers
as sSon as they could get leave, started
for the resorts. Realizing that they
could not get drinks for some time
after their leave had expired they
drank too much, and returned drunk
to duty or deserted. 1t twas contended
that three-fourths of the desertions in
the army were due to the conditions
in the vicinity of camps where there
was no canteen.
Under the army law the canteen
was practically a clubroom where beer
was sold under military regulation to
the soldiers. In the last few years
officers like General Shafter have criti-
rised the management Of army can
teens, and have said good deal
against the system. Nine-tenths of
the officers Of the army, however,
strongly favor the canteen system.
In the war excitement of 1898 certain
temperance societies organized a cam
paign against the canteen system.
They caused to be inserted in the
army reorganization bill, passed in
the last days of the Fifty-Fifth Con-
gress, paragraph which reads as fol-
lows: THAT no officer or private sol
der shall be detailed to sell intoNieat-
ing drinks as bartender or other
wise in any post, exchange, or canteen,
nor shall any person be required or
allowed to sell such liquors in any en-
campment or fort or on any premises
used for military purposes by the
United States"
1t was aud is contended by total
abstainers that this paragraph abol-
ished the army canteen. Army Off
GERS took the position that, as the
paragraph did not repeal the army
canteen law, it did not abolish the
system. The Secretary Of War re-
ferred the matter to Attorney General
Griggs. The attorney general held
that the first clause OF the new law
"haying forbidden the employment
Of soldiers as bartenders or statesmen
of Intoxicating drinks, it would be