Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-09-20
WHAT is AN ARMY CAN1EEN?

JNlON.5 A.
Ghas. MCLEAN. -. 5.O0l
Clarence Mcclellan. j col
WHAT is AN ARMY CAN1EEN?
Col Thomas r.. Hamer, having served |
ment of Idaho volunteers, delivered an |!
address recently at his home town of |
Canton.Ill H.. where he had returned. MIR
Hame's is We'll known 10 Hon. George
a. Turner, of Marshailtown. Who once
lived III Canton, and the extract from
the eolonel's address given below found |
its way to this Office in a Canton paper
sent 20 Mr. Turner The Interesting
part of Col. Hamer' $ address is thetrue |
explanation of an. army canteen. Pro-
hibitonists thruout the country are
railing against President Mckinley for
allowing the existence of the army can
teen when not onein hundred has any
eoncertion Of its real character Be-
fore amy reader OF the TT thinks of
condemning the president on this
ground let him read this soldiers de- |
seription OF an army canteen.
In 1850 the suffer was the big man in (
the regiment. He Was the fellow who
dealt out chained lightning al the rate I
of 81 ard SD Il bottle. and ii was his |
businsss to t,ei as much Of that chained I
lightning into the soldier5of that day as /
because tf,ereinshis profits lay.
That was the llistptyof selling liquor in &
the army of your day. Later | believe /
after the civil war, the selling Of liquor !
on government reserN atoms was pro- I
hibited by law. Then grew up around /
our frontier posts. ard just beyond the |
lines of the reserya the low grog-5i
gerry Of the west, and 5hsit the attend
ant evils. ard this as heefi the his
tory Of the liquor sales il#ll.e army UNI
It'll the present cantsen system. Was es-
tablished Now ] want u explain to
YOU what the army eantesn really is. /
III is exclusively an enlisted mans club, !
and in no way interfered With by the y
officers except in she way of daily in
spection. In connection With it is Il
reading room and a gymnasium. if any
the.conmand may have. TIE literature
SEPT by the good people Of this country
10 the army in the field is generally
taken io5the army Scanteen and there, IN
Ia comfortable room. read by the men
for whom it was Intended. THERE'S for
sale at the army cantaen combs. soap.
.shoestrings, tooth, brushes and other
notions. and in many Of them there is
carried fer sale a reduced prices the
latest literature of the. day The sale
of whisky is absolutely prohibited
HIherein. They do sell beer and the light
est of wines wine that can hardly be
tailed intoxicating. All Of these bev-
#erases are sold to the spldierat greatly
reduced prices for the purpose of keep
ing him out Of the grogsllops Of the city.
and bringing him into the canreeIi.
which, as l say, is subject day and
night 10 inspection. The profit arising
From the sale Of articles in the canteen
belongs to, the solder and goes into
What is called q company fund and is
used blythe colnnissary sergeant of the
company under the direction of the
company officer for the purpose Of pur-
lchasing Of butter, canned fruit and.
tothsr little juxuiies that make a sol-s
oilers life bsarahle and which are not
furnished in the regular government
sation issued him. have carefully
Watched the workings of the canteen.
system in the Philippines, and think I
know whereof | speak. / pledge YOU
llry word of honor that have never
|. seen an intoxicated man in an army
ltcanteen II have seen the good effects
of this institution and am here to8praise
them. but i must confess that have
never seen the bad effects that have
heard so much about since my return
Ito the United States.
I'm the Philippine islands they have
ia liquor called beno. which is as near
lto a wood alcohol as you can get. It's
distilled from bamboo blossoms. For
I121a cents you can buy a large quantity
of it,, because its production costs but
little and 1t sells at a ridiculously low
price. This beno is handled at native
/ stands called 'ten6as. You Know the
soldier is a social fellow. He is on
duty day after day and night after
might and when he comes off tired he
wants sociability and recreation. and it
lis perfectly natural for him 10 go to
some place TO find it. and the cheapest
/ place in the tenda near by. where, for
no cents he can have a pretty good
time. But the effect is deadly. i have
Iseen carload after carload Of those
dear boys go on to the transport for
home. mental and physical wrecks. and
every case that came under my person
al observation could be traced directly
10 the deadly benos In the Philippines
lit is simply a choice between two evils.
4 The tenda, where the native beno is
sold, that accursed poisonous stuff that
.invalids our soldiers. destroys their
brain and health, and from the effects
of which they can not long survive. and
1.-The army canteen run under official in
spection, where the men can assemble
and enjoy the society of each other un-
!. der the eye Of their officers and can be
found when needed for duty.
4 Stop that cough rightSHaway with
Mulrs Lightning Cough Cure. Twenty
five cents. McBride & Will Drug Com
lpany.