The Portland daily press., 1900-07-24
SOLDIERS ARE BLUNT.
Their Answers to OnicioI QUESTIONS Are
to the Point.

Some months ago the Secretary of War,
desiring to obtain from the commanding
officers of the various troops, batteries
and companies an authoritative opinion,
based upon their experience and obser-
walton, of the canteen system. OF supply
ing American soldiers with the facility
for obta lining, inmoderate amount, and
under Government regulations, beer as a
beverage, sent out through the adjutant-
general number Of questions on the sub
Ject The chief ones were as follows:
What opportunity, if any, have you had
to observe the wor kings of the canteen
systeln9
What, in your opinion, has been its
effect upon the morality Of the enlisted
menP
What upon the discipline2
Are trials by court-martial more or
less frequentf
Has drunkenness increased or lessened?
To these inquiries more than one thous-
and replies have been received and, en-
tirely apart from the opinions expressed
in them, q perusal of the answers as pub
lished by the War Department. shows the
terse, direct, soldier-Iike and sometimes
blunt method Of answering direct ques-
tions which has been observed among
American officers as is the case generally
among the officers OF other armies. Thus,
Nathan Calm, quartermasber sergeant at
Fort Porter, answered concerning the
abandonment Of the canteen: Increase
in desertion, crime, lying"
Thomas Dennis, post quartermas5er-
sergeant at Fort Wingate, answered:
''Bad for the soldier and bad for the
army good for the enterprising citizens
in the vicinity of the post" @ uarter-
master Sergeant Bliss at Fort Bliss, Tex.
answered In one word: Bad"
So did Quartermaster-S Sergeant Guyot
at HOlquin, Cuba. From Plattsburg
barracks came the answer: ''WOuId never
dos" from Fort Meade, South Dakota,
Better morals, better discipline, better
soldiers - From Fort Barrancas, Fla
More drunkenness more absence with
out leave, moro, cOurt-martials, discomfort
and more assertions.
From Manila came this response:
Those who desire liquor land most do)
will obtain it unmindful OF effects upon
discipline AMI all that pertains thereto
From Porte Valdez, Alaska, come this
sale of beer in the army would, in my
opinion, not have q good effect upon
morale or discipline From San Juan.
Porto Rico, came this Men win get
beer somehow. If not in a spectacle
place like the post exchange has been.
then in some saloon or grog shop outside
of the garrison" Fort Preble, Me.-a
prohibition State-the Ordinance SER
geant wrote: ''Yhe canteen is all that is
good " From Fort Knox, in the same
State, the only comment on the proposed
abandonment of the canteen was. stIn-
crease of drunkenness. Capt. Ayras,
commanding Troop e of the Tenth Cav
airy, wrote: Men Will drink and SOL
diers should be treated like men, not
boys. Let them drink, and when they
violate the laws punish them. They are
Americans, and do not forfeit all their
rights when they enlist" The comman-
der of the. Third Cavalry wrote: 81 am
unalterably opposed to saloons and sa-
loon keepers call them by what names
you please One OF the engineers corps
wrote: 1t is an open question whether
the benefit derived from making it diff
cult to obtain stimulants is not offset by
the deceit and trickery resorted to to
obtain them. -
The distinguishing feature of answers
from army officers is their lack of 1ndef-
nlteness and avoidance Of evasion. They
use in their communications few words
to express an idea, and do not appear to
count on or consider the possible effects
which the expression of their views.
however outspoken, may have. It is this
military directness which makes easy o
determination in many matters of dis
pute which otherwise would be q sui beet
OF agitation.
Practically, all the officers of the
United States are of one opinion on the
canteen.