Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-01
He Claims That 1t Has Been Main Ia In
ed In the Interests of
Temperance.

Senator Sewell of New Jersey. a member
of the military committee of the Senate,
has received letter from Adjutant Cen
eral Corbin setting forth in definite terms
the attitude of the War Department on the
question of the army canteen. The letter
is dated August % and is as follows:
Replying to your several inquiries con-
corning the post exchange. or army can
teen.' have the honor to inform:
''First-That the sale Of spirtuous liquors
by the canteen is and has always been alb
solutely prohibited
'tSecond-Only beer and light wine are
sold to either officers or men, and these
only when the commanding officer is sat
isfied that giving to the troops the oppor-
tunity OF obtaining such beverage within
the posts limits will prevent them from
resorting for strong intoxicants to places
without such limits and tends to promote
temperance and discipline among them.
'Third,rhe 'canteen' was established
and has been maintained in the interests
of temperance and betterment of discipline
with most satisfactory results. This Is
shown in fewer trials by courts-martial, In
the decreased number of assertions and the
| improved health of the men.
"Fourth-The exchange Is a cooperative
store, where supplies are sold at cost, or
as nearly so as possible for the benefit of
officers and men of the army. The canteen
is department of the exchange constitut-
ing enlisted mems club. Rooms in or
near the soldiers quarters are set apart
for this special purpose, furnished with
reading matter. billiard tables and other
games but where every form of gambling
is absolutely forbidden. 1t Is where lie
men write their letters home and read the
newspapers and magazines. The govern
ment has no financial interest whatever In
either the exchange or canteen, the funds
being supplied by the soldiers themselves.
Almost every~sompany commander has re-
ported in favor Of the exchange and can
teen as an effective temperance measure.
One thousand and nineteen commissioned
officers have made special reports to this
effect 1t may be proper for me to add
that in the beginning l opposed the can
teen, but was brought to Its support by
the overwhelming evidence OF Its beneh-
cent result upon the morale, health and
contentment of the service.
LAS set forth in the report of Assistant
Surgeon Munson, U. S. A, who. under In
structions of the War Department, made
careful investigation into the effect of the
canteen upon the health of enlisted men,
the result more than met the expectations
of those most interested In the promotion
of temperance in the military service. He
further finds that the percentage of deser-
ton has been continually reduced since the
introduction of the canteen Prior to its in
PRODUCTION assertions averaged from 10 per
cent to II per cent annually. Since its re-
establishment these have decreased as fol-
lows: First year to ~, the next year 81,
the next 81, then 63, the next SO, then SO.
the number of trials and convictions for
drunkenness and offenses originating there
from, for the six years preceding the cam
teen. was 1925. These decrease during the
following six years of It's establishment to
1906 Further, that for the seven years
preceding the establishment Of the canteen
the average number of men who deposited
their savings with the government was
1913 For the seven years following its
Introduction the average had increased to
1882
that the receipts of the exchange are near
ly all for drink To meet this statement
have to inform you that the official re-
ports Of the department show that the re-
ceipts from sales of beer and light wines
are and have been less than one. -1rd OF
gross receipts. being in 1898 five-seven-
teenths and in 1889 six-seventeenths TAX
ing the amount Of gross receipts on &C
count Of sale of beer and dividing 1t by
the total number of officers and men shows
that each officer and enlisted man for the
year 'OS expended on account Of beer only
20 cents a month"; equivalent to four glasses
of beer per month, or less than one glass
a week apiece, for each officer and man In
the military service. In 1889 the expendi-
ture on the part of each officer and man
reached an average Of So cents per month.
or but 1.9 cents a day. These facts make
1t clear that in comparison with all other
citizens the army Of today is the most
abstemious body in our own country. There
is no community Of which We have any re-
port or knowledge that will show so small
COnSumpUOn OIL uTluh per Cdplld Ills
average should in fact appear much lower.
for the reason that citizen employees, of
which we have taken no account. have
the privilege OF purchase from the canteen.
The number OF clerks. mechanics and
teamsters employed with an army in the
field is, as you know. very large. his
number however, is not obtainable, but,
you will agree, would very materially re-
duce the average OF 20 and So cents
month.
s.If there is any further information that
uo,, the records IN this cnh
the department will be only too glad to
furnish 1t. You must admit that the anx-
iety Of temperance people outside the serv-
ice about the army is UNIV ARRANGED As
compared with those existing twenty and
thirty years ago-as we knew It then-or
with any community at the present time
anywhere In civil life, the army II q model
Temperance society; q practical one; one
whore seasonabae Abstinence 70 the rule,