The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-08
The Army Canteen.

The Arn9y Caufeen.
IN the first session of the Fffty-sixth
Congress. the House of Representatives,
swayed by tie strident appeals of a lot Of
hysteTieal women. stultiied itself and vio-
lated the Constitution in refusing a seat to
the duly elected and properly accredited
member from the State OF Utah. Again. in
the second session of the same Congress,
ii has been stampeded by the cries of other
nysteTicaI Wcmen into action which, it en-
dorsed by the Senate. will be a deathblow
to temperance, good order. and discipline
in the army. Il is a pitiful commentary
upon the courage and manhood OF Repre-
sentatives that they seem TO be so easily
led By ignorant and fanatical influences
Into courses which they know are wrong.
defensive of good public policy, and in
voIving cruelty AID injustice TO the people
most interested.
The canteen. or the pest exchange" as
it is called in the service has proven itself
positive and unmixed blessing wherever
it has been established 1t is not a bar
room as lis assailants would have the
country believe In fact the sale of spir-
ituous liquors IS not allowed in any post
exchange. Only harmless. wholesome beer
such as the people of this country drink
as much as they do tea and coffee. and
sound American native wine. are to be
had. But beer and wine. the sale of which
is restricted 10 well within extreme tenn
perance limits, are not the only comforts
carried in stock by the canteens. They also
keep for sale periodicals. toilet articles,
tobacco. cigars, and lunches. Every SOL
der IS allowed credit at the post exchange
to the extent of twenty per cent OF his
monthly pay and no more
All the profits Of the exchanges go into
the company funds, and here is where they
exert an effect. the value Of which anybody
can convince himself, by asking the
first enlisted man ne meets II is not gen.
orally known, perhaps. that the army ra-
ton provided by the Government is Meth
er Of the quantity nor variety necessary to
keep active men in good health and coEdi-
lion. The ration must be supplemented in
some way and the profits of the canteen
furnish the only one that army ingenuity
mas been able to devise There are food
commodities issued by the Government to
The troops which the latter are permitted
10 commute; the principal ones being Cof-
fee, sugar, bacon, pork, beans. pepper, and
salt. b. resort to Communication and the
money in the company fund derived from
the post exchange, the enlisted man is en-
sbled to secure a diet which, where the
management is competent, is vastly su-
perior 10 the Government ration pure aud
simple
The much abused canteen makes for
soldier buys a glass Of beer ne knows that
whatever the profit upon it may be it will
90 to improve his company mess. The
same is true if he Duys underclothing. or
any of the otker small necessaries Should
The Senate ratify the action of the House,
all this excellent system will be swept
away The men will be forced to fall
back upon the Government ration They
viii have no company fund to exc it out
IN fact they will not have enough to eat
Instead Of the strong influence of the can
Teen, which encourages the soldier to pa
troniZe his home industry and contribute
through 1t to his own general benefit, he
viii be tempted as in the old evil days of
drunkenness in the army, to wander away
from the post into the dives which were
used to spring up all around the outskirts
of Government reservations, and there
spend or lose months pay in az hour.
Neither the House of Representatives
nor the hysterieal women whose dictation
in the matter it has accepted appear to
care what the victims of the proposed
persecution think about it We have a
right to expect something different and
more sensible from the Senate. members
of which body have time and opportunity
TO inform themselves before voting on the
question We earnestly ask them to get
the views of men Of the rank and file of
The army as well as of officers. We do
not know what we are taking about if
they VIII not be quickly convinced that
abolition Of the eanteen or post exchange
system viii involve universal demoraliza-
lion to the service. a destructive break
up of discipline, general drunkenness, and
wholesale deserIion. Senators should IN
derstand that TO deprive the army of what
in the opinion of many intelligent enlisted
men Is the only hing that makes their
service tolerable, is assuming response
bility for a train of evils which is GER
tain to follow, The Senate at least should
show itself superior to the influence of ia
Eaticism and hysteria and dare to DO JUS
lice 10 the American soldier