The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-01
THE ARMY cANn.Ex.
hhe Hall Biffs Prohibition Of the
sale of Liquor ut Array Pests.


% he aoAises prohibits the sale Of liquor
al army posa- This really means the
SAFE VI beer. for spirits have never been
% sosd since the dsys or the poss trader.
snog1d this amendment De embodied in
.iae ai4i u VIII b@ Regarded a@ a calamity
bF great majority Of the officers.
since the wrlser entered the resygz~ ser
Vice. nearly twenty years ago. SAYS a cor
respondent Of the sez YORK Sun. drunk
e1nsss has steadily decreased among Of
acerH aid enlisted nen Al as erst post
large one. many OF tie Officers we've
hard drinkers. today. Of the sxty officers
ol ms regiment. there IL cot one 10 his
EhoW5euge Among the enlisted nser the
cnanse IN quite az marked, and Is owing
principally To two caases The srss Il
TIE superior cias1 81 men efaIsstfny. owing
10 the Erscser examination Of recruits
i speak now OF those coming IN yer ,hre.
years ard not ~ those who enlisted for
the war with Spain: for II is with the
former thai We have 30 deal The sec.
ond cause. Ear greater In it's sf-ects Is the
pest exchange II may seen, strange al
s1rss, that bringing beer into the garrison
and selling II shot. have this effect but
> little study VIII explain e. The first
change IL pre1uced was the disappearance
OF the lo@-eiass saloons that always sur
rounded ali large pasts. The soldier when
paid would go 70 these places ana al
himself with beer. or more generally vita
Pad whisky. perhaps remain drunk until
his money was all gene and then come
BACK. more or less OF wick 70 a trial
by couFt-rn4TtiaI for unauthorized alb
aenee o. souae more serious osfenz..
| These saloons were also. IN almost every
case. fences where the soldier sold or
pawEee articles Of his uniform. an Of
force prohibited by the Art las Of War
TAey we're for years a source az endless
trouble 10 pest commanders and did more
20 encourage demon aiizati9n and drunken
ness than can vel De described Their
owners were, a. might be expected. tGe
bitter enemies OF the post exchange when
II aas started and AZ one post went
far IA 10 bufu q building devote ed To the
Few enterprise \ continuous fringe 81
these dives surrounded the post EbeTe the
writer &as serving some years ago when
an exchange was started there. they dis
appeared almost entTely within year.
The exchange substituted for these rum
holes CHEEKY elubrooms whore the soldier
In his leisure hours could ind recreation
ard companIonsbip without dissipation:
and as the one Just referred 10 iH fair
example, perhaps q brief description of
Il will NOT be sralks. 1t consisted Of a
library where hfteen or twenty period
icais ana newspapers we're on file. and
where the soldiers could find pens, ink and
paper for ais correspondence. "a billiard
and pool roon containing also piano; d
iuneh room where he could buy simple
dishes toilet articles. athletic goosis etc.
canteen where baer, tobacco and cigars
were sold ard finally a grocery store
where the married soldiers. and many sin
gle ones could sks ont the ration by
p,rohazng staple and fancy groceries.
Credit was given good men until the ;ol-
lowing ray day The writer was in
charge OF this sxehange for over a year.
his once being next the canteen. and he
does not now remember ever having had
10 integpnse his authority 20 restrain the
men The non-conaEnis sioned officer in
charge never allowed the men 10 over
Indulge In beer. and they soon realized
the purpose Of the place. compared II with
what they had before and took pride In
T. THE trials hy court martial decreased
desertieus also and ~ times the officers
OF the pot began looking around for the
military millennium. the change was so
marked.
TIE writer IS now I'm camp. with his
command near large town where
large volunteer encawpment has been all
summer After every pay day during
their stay IN serSice the town vas flill
~ drunken and gtotous soldiers They
had tn ge folIr miles for drink, and
when they 60; there they naturally took
sun5tgh 81 save another trip.
The regulars have eneamped since last
MAY in a similar position, win post
exchange. There has not been trial
fer drunkenness since the exchange start
Ell and hardly a day passes but e.tizens
comment 70 tbe writer un tho fact that
they never see "a drunken man from iae
car4p on tha streets ThiH Is almost 81
tirely due - the post exchange.
Ia K strange that of3cees dread the re~
s1lls % aheiishlmg that institution Us
enemies Say Take u43t the beer and
leave the rest" YES e'u' Nhat won'd re-
ra2ns Little or ue u+aH, "a made on
any article bat beer. the sale - which
e. carefully guarded and restricted No
treating y allowed ami no man Is Al
lewaa 70 drink 10 excess. The lanch =
AZ tiasHs even a loss IL ire exchange.
bras Il and The sale ~ what are known
as ".aff GrinhS" are encouraged. The
,reata ffoua r." sale 81 n,sr s3pport the
either aeeATfsns. uts. and wnai remains at
81 ths ~ sseusss ~ ths * fs1Ees arr nssf
snNs into the soldiers u,ess fuud and
varies ara supplements the army ration.
Moreover 4 he can't get beer The zsll-
der Won't 10 Ia tae exchange. but VIII
So where he rsn sef n ART mare {njnrt-
ot5s things Nel3arsalf Aut true There
viii ~ no mere a9nney for the periodicals.
the billiards fh~ l5nch. etc, Gp8 even
the very wood soldier VIII hardly eafe for
an ssuagtFactive place.
xvhn sesl~es tns passage ~ tn.s rcsojst-
tfas,- FIRST shs ssioen kee4ers waa for
,,,orfv Patterned IT the gci6cr a~a vho
hunger for hFs patronage seto1d. tA~ tT'r-
NsAsfsnysfseA 'Ee4a fScf ThSt the enlisted
znsr ~ tne army are leeo1#T every }es~
,,,s.re eesfsr,~Ne2t{rE se}f-ee1Ntrel'o8 s1a
s,rfsasssf with tNe service. #u2 That
lrty.,sses,ytess IL steadily decreasing. goes
49, vofs,igse~~ tse assxc wfh q ross the ~
aga2isv Recognised eals af fs~r
.rha WRITER son1ss - Eeoi t'ar.,3n sfocs.
- o4rerts are trroa.eHt{ou 80 e. ana -
-. SEA- ..y7 temperate r.#uct pies VhIch
n.t ssln retains sad tvses - its. @R -,
1f.. wi asesa ss9 s@Rv tsa@s wth ven
she editor - fhe No3ves asa wishes -
NE ssas, heartily that tee manufacturers
- .tr.,Nss VS. a 5ost a5t RAJ gas As
mss R-as Pass resasa0 r. $50 cs. avtns Afssy
os7~.4x are Interested sn So" 0Nf4ra~~
,..fsg. rse.-Al an& gsvssst+ taotc nse0
s.r more sAan tAr W e r l. c3n ever
H. ghs r1e3 en e irssef-us and -
STAINING srss.kerness sa toa arsny rae
asasvs. t.-en before stfc3 aed H@w. sffrr
wears 80 er}ai thsy haVe presidents se3se3
r. "a 81 ren: go 81. (aaat.cssH #frq Ie