Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-08
THE ARMY POST EXCHANGE
HEARING BEFORE THE SENATE
MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.
Speeches in Opposition to the "Can-
Unreserved lndOrsement of 1t.

The Senate committee on military affairs
today continued its hearing upon the an
canteen provision of the army reorganiza-
ton BILL listening to a number of short
speeches in advocacy of the provision and
protest against 1t from Rev. Mr.. Miller,
who served fourteen months as an army
chaplain in the Philippines.
Speaking for the advocates of the meas
ure Rev. w. F. Crafts gave the result of
his own observations of the operation of
the canteen at Newport after the close of
the Cuban war. He said he had found it
as low as the lowest saloon and that
regular orgie was in progress the day he
was there, the result being that most of the
soldiers at that nost deserted that night.
He quoted General Sternberg saying
that the canteen causes many soldiers to
contract the drink habit and General Miles
opposed to the use of intoXicants by the
soldiers in the tropics. Mr.. Crafts said he
had received statement from res dent
Taft of the Philippine commission, saying
that he greatly interested in the move
ment in behalf of the native races of the
Pacific islands.
Mrs. Thatcher of New Jersey appealed for
the abolition of the canteen on financial
grounds saying that it caused soldiers to
squander not only their health and their
time. but their money as well.
Mrs. Kels of Mississippi spoke for the
mothers of the soldiers, saying that all of
them favored the suppression of the liquor
traffic.
Mrs. Ingalls, of ST. Louis said she knew
of many soldier boys who had contracted
the liquor habit at the canteen.
Miss kearney of Mississippi said she had
be- n informed that General Eagan had
been a notable exception among general
army officers in favoring the canteen.
Mrs. Allison, w. c. T. L. superintendent
of legislation. said that official statistics
show that the liquor traffic is literally fol-
Low, 80 CO. fi,a
She presented figures to show that the
liquor expectation from the United States
to Cuba for the first five months of 1899
had reached s4722D. as against sio,19 for
and Porto Rico there had been a corre-
spending increase.
MIR. Miller for the Canteen.
Mr.. Miller gave his unreserved indOrse-
ment to the canteen and said that this view
was the result of actual observation in the
Philippines. He declared himself to be
temperance man and said that it was be-
cause he is such he took this position In
the PHILIPPINES the canteen is not, he said,
the low grog shop that it has been de-
scIibed, but is entitled to be called post
exchange, 8 it officially is called. He was
su e that these exchanges do much to re-
sir ct drunkenness. The reason for his po
sitIon VAS found in the fact that if the
soldiers could not get the lager beer and
the light wines supplied at the canteen they
would patronize the low groggeries kept by
the natives, where only vino is sold. This
liquor he described especially harmful to
health and said its effects often was to
almost cause insanity. Many vino Joints
had been destroyed by the establishment of
the canteen.
Mr.. Miller expressed the opinion that rs
per cent of the officers of the army are
favorable to he canteen, and also sad that
the enlisted men want it. He quoted writ
ten opinions from post commanders in the
Philippines in support of his position.