The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-13

A Protest Against the Sale of Wine
and Beer to Soldiers.

1 notice in an editorial in the Sunday
edition of your paper you say that the
frank and forcible presentation of the facts
by the secretary of war in his recent re-
port. justifying the selling of beer and wine
to the soldiers in the camps should PUT
an end to agitation against the army cam
teen 1 beg to differ from you. The agi-
tation should not be ended until the in
toxicating liquor feature of the army cam
teen is wholly eliminated. If the state
ments made by the honorable secretary
of war were really correct, that is, If the
beer and wine attractions were conducive
to temperance. discipline and morality"
then the presentation of the facts by the
secretary would indeed be clear and
forcible." Does the selling of beer and
wine in the camps under the govern
ment sanction promote temperance, disci-
pline and morality" among the soldiers?
I cannot conceive of any foundation for
this statement. No facts are given in sup
port of ii, except the statement that were
it not for the beer and wine features of tn
canteen 'the soldiers would be driven to
drink bad whisky in the vile resorts which
cluster around the limits of every military
post and camp If the soldiers desire to
drink bad whisky in the vile resorts"
how will the selling of stale beer and sour
wine to them prevent them from visiting
the vile resorts where bad whisky is sold?
In other words, if the soldier has a decided
taste for bad whisky" will he not crafty
this unfortunate taste Notwithstanding
the kind effort of the War Department to
overcome it by filling him with stale beer?
IL Is also pointed out in the report that
distilled spirits are not permitted to be
soid at all at the canteen. And why not
distilled spirits? If beer and wine are a.
good thing for the soldiers, why not a little
whisky promote temperance, discipline
and morality among them? That beer is
an intoxicating liquor cannot be ques-
toned; even the courts say they will take
judicial notice of that fact. Then the ex-
clusion of one kind of intoxicating liquor
from the camp does not justify the intro
duction of another. If the sale of distilled
spirits Is an evil, so is the sale of malt
liquor: if one can harm the soldier, so can
the other. The statements that beer can
be sold only by The single drink. is never
lowed and that the liquor must be con-
sumed on the premises, are misleading. /
dare say there is not one soldier out of
a thousand who ever heard of the above
restrictions. The canteen owners and bar
tenders are not restrained in any of the
above particulars. They sell to the soldiers
at any time of the day or night; treating
is a common and universal thing among
the soldiers who drink. They will sell the
soldiers any amount Of beer, from a glass
to a keg. as long as he has a cent of mon
cy, and they are permitted to take orders
on the paymasters for an amount equal
to one-fifth of the soldiers hard earned
pay, and those orders are usually honored
on payday. If the soldier repudiates his
beer bill. he is denied all privileges of the
canteen until the debt is liquidated.
Not only that, but these same guardians
of the morals of orr soldierS 90 ont ammo
them and solicit them to buy liquors at
the canteen and use every effort TO get
their patronage. The government saloon is
run for the money there is in 1T and for
no other purpose. The regiment is sup
posed to get one-eighth of the profits, but
they had better assess the soldiers a GER
tain sum per month for their "many little
comforts and luxuries" than to make them
partners in the liquor traffic.
/ am not a temperance crank nor do I
belong to that large class of extreme
temperance people," but l cannot remain
quiet and hear the army canteen as Ii is
now conducted, with it's beer and wine at
tachments. called a measure conducive to
temperance, discipline and morality
among our soldiers. 1t encourages them
to drink because 1t is convenient for them;
influences those to drink who are not in
clined because II is at their side,
and has the approval of the govern
ment and the army officers. No father
who has the welfare of his boys at
heart would put beer and wine on his side
board at home for the purpose of "promot-
ing temperance. discipline and morality"
among them. Even the secretary of war
would not subscribe to such an idea of
temperance reform. The camp Is the home
of the soldier: he lives within its environ
ments and there fits himself for the hard
ships he is TO endure, even to the giving
of his life. His camp home should not be
invaded by the mercenary beer vender and
his pathway should not be beset by temp
tations. Sobriety and morality do not go
hand in hand with beer and wine, and no
f%ine-spun theories about how an army can
teen is or should be conducted can make
1t so.
Colonel Durbin is now in the South de-
Tending himself in a number of lawsuits
brought against him by a few men who de-
sired to promote temperance and elevate
the morals of his regiment along the line
of the stale-beer plan. Colonel Durbin
would have none of ii, and his regiment
was thrice complimented by the honorable
secretary OF war as being one of the finest
appearing and best disciplined sets of men
that ever passed in review before him.
The health of his regiment and the few
deaths in its ranks brought forth many
favorable from all quarters.
L do not mean to be understood that
without the canteen the soldiers could not
get intoxicating liquors to drink. On the
contrary. l know that he car and does
procure them elsewhere. but that fact
should not call for a government bar
where he can get intoxicating liquors right
at home nor cause the secretary of war
TO felicitate the Nation on the presence
of a government bar in the army. The
facts presented by the secretary of war
arm canteen. Nor should the whole peo-
pie permit the matter to rest until the true
inwardness OF the question is known.
JOHN S. BAYS.