The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-12-22
EAYQRS IHH Army cAN1EEN.

FAvORS THB ARMY CANTEEN.
10 the surprise of the temperance
organizations of the United States, but
more especially the Women's Christian
Temperance Union, Archbishop Ireland
last week appeared before the senate
military affairs committee ut Washing
ton, as an advocate of the army can
teen and gave it his unqualified ap-
prevail. He declared that he was to-
tai abstainer all his life, and yet he
was not prohibitionist. From per-
sonal experience he was convinced
that the army canteen promoted So
briefly and morality in military life
and was far preferable to the saloons
that soldiers We're wont to frequent
outside the army posts. He consid-
cred it the only safe and successful
way to eliminate dangers to the men
as much as possible and reduce the
drinking under army regulations than
try to prevent it altogether. He as
serted that he had always favored high
license rather than prohibition, prob
ably from his knowledge of the failure
of prohibition wherever it has been
tried.
Many persons do not really under
stand what the army canteen is In
brief, it is a sort of cooperative store
with some features of Il social club.
wherein can be obtained lot of things
not furnished by the commissary de-
partment, ut prices fixed by the SOL
diers themselves. The boys get all
the profits and are out of temptations
which beset them when they visit dis
reputable saloons outside the army
posts The archbishop referred to the
fact that the soldiers at Fort Smelling
go schooner to st. Paul than formerly
because of the canteen, and after pay
day they do not find their way to police
courts rs in the past.
The metropolitan papers of the coun-
try endorse the practical views of Arch
bishop Ireland. They know him as the
champion of total abstinence, for the
advocacy of which he first won inter-
national renown, and believe with him
that a diminution of drunkenness in
the army and in every community in
the land is better than futile attempts
to make people sober by laws which
cannot be enforced. Bishop McGolrick,
of Duluth, another advocate of absti-
hence from alcoholic drinks, backed up
what the archbishop said before the
senate military committee. Had Bish-
op Cotter, of Winona. been there he
would have done the same thing, and
Bishop Stanley, of North Dakota,
where prohibition was tried and found
useless, would have heartily supported
the sensible views of the st. Paul prel-
ate.
In our opinion it is better not to
abolish the army canteen. In the in
. terest Of temperance and morality it
should be retained. If soldiers are de-
prived of it they will be sure to go
outside for their liquor 1t is an estab-
lished fact that the canteen has de-
creased intoxication among the sol
diers, and therefore we are in favor
of striking out the anti-canteen clause
from the army bill. The good people
who are laboring for the adjustment
of the cantcen are actuated by the
best Of motives, but they lack a knowl-
edge Of human nature if they imagine
that military men can he kept from
drinking by compulSion. There is
plenty of temperance work for them
to do in the ordinary walks of life if
| they go about in the right way and
do not develop into cranks and fana-
tics.
Tho senate committee has wisely
amended tn" house rantrrn bill by
emitting beer from The prohibited ar
liclcs. and doubtless HE arrhhiSh0p'S
argument influenced that body to pcl'-
nit the use of that beverage.