Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1900-05-15
FAVORS THE CANTEEN
ARMY CHAPLAIN SAYS IT I'M
PROVES SOBRiETY,
"A ericanaSa1Oone Has Superseded the
Native Philippine Gin Mill Where
Poisonous Liquor Was Sold = Con-
demns Democratic Criticism.

Poisonous Liquor Was Sold = Con-
dennis Democratic Criticism.
Chaplain Charles C. Pierce, of the
United States army, who has been on
the firing line with our troops in the
Philippines since February 4, 1899,
was commanded to report to the adju-
tant general upon the physical and
moral welfare of the American soldiers
there. His report reads as follows:
| am compelled by you to write with
out fear or favor" | have no favor to
ask. General, because, although | have
been in Manila for eighteen months, my
work is there and | desire to return to it.
As to fear, / have never known such
feeling in the army. My treatment has
always been courteous, and [ have always
been permitted TO say, freely and frank
ly, all that | thought necessary, in the
matters involving my legitimate sphere of
work.
As to matters of moral import | have
been panied to note in many alleged inter
views IN newspapers q disposition to give
to the facts but partial publication. |
have read the statement that but two
saloons existed in Manila. at the time of
its occupation by the Americans. As |
first saw that city. only eight days later.
l can say that this figure IS too small;
and although it is a fact that more public
saloons exist to-day. it is also true that
there are not so many of them as to in
yoiye Il net increase in the number Of
places in Manila where liquor may be
L
ton. The truth is land | have not yet
seen a statement of this fact in any
newspaper purporting to give an inter
view with persons who have returned
from there), that the American saloon has
superseded something else. What it has
superseded is a most important question
IN this interesting controversy.
When | first saw Manila the streets
were practically lined with little nipa
huts, perhaps about twelve feet square,
in which the natives were selling, at
merely nominal price, not only fruit and
tobacco, but also native gin. These ''gin
shacks" should certainly be included IN
the number of drinking places existing
at the beginning, and their number was
very large. The character of this native
drink was so fiery and yillainous that its
effect upon such of our men as used it
was deplorable. 1t became my duty to
bury two soldiers who never recovered
from the effect Of drinking it. One of
them had been in the service about eigh-
teen years. and received from his officers,
III personal conversation with me, COM
mendation so fiattering with regard to
his character for sobriety and soldierly
honor that it might be coveted by any
man. He had never been drunkard,
but this native poison was so yirulent
in its effect that he became maddened,
and fingered in his delirium a whole week,
never having recovered his reason, at the
time of his death. Our authorities set
to work to restrict this traffic, by a sys-
tenn which finally resulted in its prohi-
bition.
| am not personally an advocate Of any
saloon. but | am forced to give my testi-
mony that the substitution of regimental
canteens, in which only beer was sold,
III place of this traffic in native gin, re-
suited in most immediate and percepti-
BILE improvement in the sobriety Of the
troops | should welcome the day when
all men, out of the army as well as in
it, might find it agreeable by their alb
stinence, to crush out the market for all
malt or spirituous products. That millen-
NAL age, however, has not dawned, and
my opinion is that it is better to accept
such forms Of restriction as are feasible
than to insist upon a theory which, how
ever ideal, is impossible Of enforcement
[ bear my cheerful testimony to the
earnest effort of the commanding general,
supplemented by the vigilance of the two
incumbents of the provost marshal gen
erals Office, to crush out the more danger
Gus forms of this traffic, and to impose
such restrictive regulations as will reduce
the whole business to minimum. The
whole history of our occupation of Manila
has been one of development and pro-
gress, along physical, intellectual and
moral lines, and | believe that no man
could refuse to admit it had he been per-
mltted to see the progress of this work
and to be admitted, to some slight extent,
into the confidence of those who are
charged with it. | am quite sure that the
desire of the authorities would involve
the further diminution of these saloons,
by some gradual process, which will lead
up to the very limit of feasibility.
The critics of those who have this
work in charge may have share in the
Improvement of our men, which is more
practical than mere criticism In the first
place they should see to it that some pro-
vision is made, through Congress, for fur
nishing chaplain for each regiment sta
toned there, SO that religious and moral
instruction may persistently be given to
all our troops. In the second place their
contributions ought to be given to those
who have in mind the esta blshment of
reading rooms and club houses for sol
diers, so that men may find some other
place, furnished by Christian people,
which is as bright and as attractive to
them in their leisure hours as the saloon
itself.
These measures will doubtless serve to
lessen very greatly the attendance at sa-
looms, and | conceive it to be the duty of
the American people, in behalf of the
men whom they have sent forth, to hold
their territory and to fight their battles
las brave and noble and true body of
men as ever stood in the defense of any
nation) to make sacrifices, if need be, to
insure the establishment of such agencies
as may, along the line of moral suason
and religious influence, counteract more
baneful agencies. and supplant lower in