Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-09-07


lrison life since the Intro ducti0n Of the
Scanteen. II ssems TO b necessary, tho,
forsths benefit OF those who have short
memories to revert to the days when
there vac no canteen, and to give rome
specific .nstancee OF the sort of thing
that then prevailed. Let the good wom-
en- who would .patter titions to heav-s
en- compare the present with the past
pictures OF army post drinking.
Lese than fifteen years ago there pre-
vailed at every army station OF any 6ixe
what was known az the suffers store
system. The sutler wac q civilian, q
man with political pull sufficient to
secure him his appointment, and who're
sole interest in the soldier wac centered.
In what he could make out OF him. The
suffers place was sanctioned by law
and he was a law unto himself. He sold
beer to the eoldiera without any restric-
tions whatever. He filled the men and
took their money. but the moment one
OF them became the least ..obstreperous''
because Of the suffers beer the vender
howled for the guard and the .offeEder"
wae locked up. At David leland, New
York harbor. rendezvous for recruits,
the writer has seen the sutler serve a
man with ten glasses OF beer at once, In
order that he might pour them all down
one after the other in quick succeseior
and thus hasten the drunk" This, Of
course, was pay day, when the sutler's
bar wac lined with men. and the man
who ordered only one beer might be
obliged to wait two or three minutes be-
fore he could get another. In those
days the government actually supplied
sentries to see that the suffers inter-
ests and belongings did not suffer at
the hands of the men made drunken
that his pockets might be lined. In a
single afternoon at David's Island sixty
men We're thrown into the guardhouse
| az the result of the sutler's sanctioned
right to sell as much beer as he chose
to any soldier he chose. drunk or sober.
Against the suffers store and Its evils
there arose cry. Army officers asked
that 1t be abolished, and the men them
selves enid the suffers were the devils
own. The system was abolished and
post and garrison all over the country
went dry" One fact must be faced.
The soldier is essentially social. and he
will drink moderately il light drinks
and proper restraint be provided; t,eav-
| lily II he be forced to leave garrison lim-
its to quench his thirst and hard liquor
be put in his way. When the suffers
store went out of existence there .sprang
up about the government reservations
all over the United States blind pigs
and low GROCERIES. The case was worse
than ever, for bad as was the previous
state beer was the only beverage sold.
Fort Sheridan thirteen years ago offers
a case in point. Two companies OF the
| Sixth infantry We're ordered to the fort
Just at the time the anarchists were to
be hanged. Highwood. where the post
was located, Highland Park, to the
south. Lake Forept and Lake BLUM to
4 the north. We're all no license towns. The
soldiers had no canteen. What was the
result? Places known az hard cider
shacks sprung up all about the fort.
The eide" was villanious chemical
connection that made men both drunk
and crazy. It kept the guardhouse fat.
4 Men used to take from Chica go covered
baskets filled with bottles OF bad whisky
| to the post on pay day and CELL 1t at the
4 price OF twenty-year-old bourbon. There
1 was a similar condition OF things al
4 nearly every post in the country. De.
sertions were many. the sick list was
crowded and extra sentinels were neces.
sary to guard the prisoners. Then cam.
j the canteen and reform. Unlimited
selling and no selling has been tried ane
the last was worse than the first. Ever
tho the canteen be. as one sister put.
4 II, "a compromise with the legions OF
evil" 1t certainly has to a eat extern
solved the problem Of army intemper-
lance. Let the members of the praying
i chain. however. take this as a subjec1
4 for thought: The saloonkeepers o.
i Hlghwood are the most earnest support.
ers of the movement which has for 1t.
4 object the abolition OF the canteen Al
Fort Sheridan.