The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-19
Seductive Filipino Beverage That
DemoralizeS Troops.
PROBLEM FOR OFFICERS
NATIVE DRING THAT IS KNOWN
AS VINO.
A Single Drink Units Man For
Duty For the Succeeding Twenty
four Hours, While Frequent Po-
lions Sends Him to the Hospital
Action of Commanders.

New 4Orh, April ia SpScldl W the
Tribune from Washington says that
among the serious problems confront
ing General Otis at Manila, none has
caused greater anxiety than the alarm
ing effects produced upon American
soldiers, particularly the enlisted men,
by seductive beverage which they
procure in native shops, and which
produces such physical and mental de-
moralization as to give rise to sus-
picion that the army of occupation is
being Systematically drugged or poi
soned to render them helpless to re-
sist an insurgent attack. This native
drink is generally known as vino. 1t
is exceedingly palatable and ineXpen-
sive, but a single drink of it units a
soldier for active duty for the succeed
ing twenty-four hours, while frequent
portions send the soldiers to the hos
pital for a long period of illness.
When the source of the trouble was
discovered, General Otis was disposed
to prohibit the traffic in vino altogeth-
err and to that end referred the matter
to General Highes, provost marshal
general of the city, with request for
suggestions looking to practical
course of action. General Hughes in
vestigated the trouble, and his recon-
mendations have been followed.
AS long as Manila was crowded with
troops the vino industry unrestricted
was exceedingly lucrative, but now
that most of the Americans are in the
field, practically all the shops where it
had been sold are closed. General
Hughes endorsement on the case was
as follows:
General Hughes Takes Action.
II have avoided all discussion of this
subject until L have sufficiently in
formed myself of the actual facts, and
while my information is not yet as full
and complete as I should like to have
it, still feel that l hazard nothing in
what is stated below.
There are quite number of articles
on sale at the wineshops in this city
that are about the same thing. They
are a whitish liquor, and usually fla
vOred, sometimes tinted, by some inno-
cent elements. They are called numer-
GUS names-anisado, vino, beno, Scotch
whisky, etc. The basis of all of them
is simply alcohol. Commercial alcohol
is manufactured here extensively from
the refuse of sugar houses. 1t is
pure and strong and can be sold at a
price that is far below that at which
any other intoxicating drink can be
produced
The wine dealers take this alcohol
of commerce and dilute it, perhaps add
a cheap fiavoring-maybe an innocent
coloring element-anG sell it under any
name they see fit to bestow upon it.
Anyone familiar with the old bottle
trade can tell about it by giving the
various prices of labeled and not la
beled bottles. A Scotch whisky bottle
with a perfect label is very different
article of trade from one of the>sam
kind without a label.
How to Stop the Evil.
Now, are we expected to sweep al
cohol from the list of manufactures in
order to prevent a few Uncontrolled
men from getting drunk? These men
want alcohol, and in this form they
can get it stronger and cheaper than
they get it in beer, and so they elect
to take it. The natives take it, but in
moderation and with discretion, and
we have no trouble with them on ac-
count of it whatever. The police are
instructed to endeaVor to suppress the
sale of these strong alcoholic drinks to
our soldiers, and persons found selling
them to American soldiers have their
permits revoked. There are OCCASION
ally shops that get fruit alcohol and
put it on sale as a beverage.
This material is apt to produce a
very delirious or confused condition.
Wherever such shops are found, the
police are to withdraw the licenses
from the places, If commanders will
be careful to report the places where
the men have obtained the drink which
produces the effect mentioned, it shall
be the effort of this officer to take such
measures as will prevent a recurrence.
1t has occurred to me that local COM
manders might do much themselves to
control their men. A plan which COM
mends itself to me would be somewhat
as follows:
observe the shops in their vicinity,
where their men get alcohol, and where
they loaf. Declare in orders that such
shops, designating them distinctly, are
outside the bounds of liberty, and by
arresting and Furnishing these uncon-
trolled men for non-conformity, much
evil might be avoided This is a mat
ter for the consideration of command
ers, and is only given as suggestion
that might lead to better condition
of things"