Evening journal., 1900-09-01
SAYS CAAIIEEA u !
B BENEFECIAL
Gen. C8rbin Declares II Works
for Temperance
FIGURES T0 BACK ARGUMENT
Says Ills Opposition Vas Overcome BY
Overwhelming Evidence Brought
to It's support
FIGURES go BACK ARGUMENT

Washiugton, SEPT. 1.-Adt. caa.
Corbin has written a letter t6 Sssatar
Sowoli, of New Jersey. msinber Of
the military committee Of The senate,
setting forth in deaRite terms the st-
titude of the W.T. department on the
question of the army canteen. The let
ter is in substance as follows:
THE sale Of all sPirltuous' liquors by
the canteen is and has always been alb
solutely prohibited. Only beer and
light wines are sold TO either, ,oficers or
men, and these only when the COM
manding oficersis satisfied that giving
TO the troops the opportunity OF OBJ
tanning such beverage within the post
limits will prevent them from resorting
for strong intoXicants to places Without
such limits and tends to promote tenn
peranee and discipline among ,tbem'
The canteen was established and has
been maintained in the Interests. OF
temperance and bettermentsef diseip-
llne, with most satisfactory. renflts
This is shown in fewer trials by. courts
martial. In the decreased number of
desTtions and in the improved healtht
4 Of the men.
1.-THE exchange Is a cooperative
or as nearly so as possible. for the ben
eft of officers and men of the army.
The canteen is a department Of the exs,
change constituting an enlisted mems
club. Rooms in or near the soldiers
quarters are set apart for tns spa4ial
purpose, furnished With reading mat
ter billiard tables fand other games, /
but where every form of gambling, IS
Absolutely forbidden. Il is-,wberee the
nro1 write their letters h8iRe and raE5d
the newspapers and MAGAZINES. tg'he
gOYernmept hsEs no fRanslal insafsst
Whatever n either tie exebas "a a'sr
oopteen, tie fppss keing suRfEas W
the soldiers tkemsalveS Aisaest GVery
cornpanE eommaRaorf kas r6ported in
fsYor Of tho exchange aR9 easst eea ssl
an eibeetivo temperance Heazprs eEo.
\ thousand and nineteen cuamis issioRss I
officers have made special renorts to
n ulis effect 1t may be Rroper for,me to
say that IN the beginning I opposed
the canteen, but was brought TO its
support by The overwhelming evidence
OF rs beneleent results upon the NOR
ale health and contentment Of the
service.
\ "Aa set forth in the report Of Assist
ant Surgeon Munson IT, S. N.twho.
under instructions of the war DEPART
ment made a careful investigation intoll
/ the effect Of the cantesn unop ehe
( health Of enlisted men. the resnff pssne
than met the expectations Of these
most interested in tho prorsstisn Of |
temperance in the miHsry ssNrca. He
/ further nndg that The Rersez txee of /
| desertion hss beez continually fSTdees I
SINCE the Introduction 81 the. sSntees. |
Prior to its Introduction dsssNisRs |
averaged fem 10 to 70 psr cent an |
nually Since its establishment these !
/ have decreased to 25sper cent Further.
/ the number Of trials and convictions |
/ for drunkenness and offenses Originate
/ ing therelrOm, for the six years pre-
/ ceding the canteen, was 3725. This de- /
/ creased during the following six years /
Of its enlistment to 1906. For the /
seven years preceding the establish /
ment of the canteen the average num- !
Der OF men who deposited their saw
lngs with the government was 1878 /
For the seven years following its in
PRODUCTION the average has increased |
to S3S2
1T has been stated in the public
press that the receipts of the exchange
are nearly all for drink To meet
this statement ] have to inform YOU
that the official reports Of the deparf-
ment show that the receipts from sales K
of beer and light wines are and have
been Jess than One-third Of the gross
receipts being I'm 1898 fve-seven-
teonths, in 1893 siK-seyenteenths.
Taking the amount of the gross re-
ceipts on account Of the sale of beer
and dividing it by the total number Of
officers and men shows that each Of
ncar and enlisted man for the year
1898 expended on account of beer only
~ cents month, equivalent to four
glasses OF beer per month, or less than
one glass week apiece, for each Of
tcer ana man in the military service.
I'm 1889 the expenditure on the part of
each Officer and man reached an aver
age of So cents per month, or but 10
cents "a day.
These facts make It clear that IN
comparison with an, other citizens the
army OF today is the most abstemious
body in our own country. There is no =
community of which we have any re- ]
port or knowledge that win show so
small a consumption of drink per
capita TLis average should. in facf Il
appear much lower, for the reasoa that L
citiZen employees, OF which we have b
taken 40 account, have the privilege Of |r
purchase from the canteen. The NUM-
Der of clerks. mechanics and teamsters
employed with an army in tho deld 81.
as you know very large. This NUM- ~
Der, however, is not oatlinabie. but. r
you will agree, would very materially 4
reduce the average OF 90 and 58 cents -
a month
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