The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-22
SOLDIERS ARE BLUNT.
Their Answers to Oncial Questions Are to the
Point.

Some months ago the Secretary OF War, de-
string to obtain from the commanding officers
Of the various troops. batteries and companies
an authoritative opinion. based upon their ex-
perience and observation. Of the cantsen system
Of supplying American soldiers with the iacil-
ty for obtaining. in moderate amount, and
under Government regulations, beer a. a beN-
erage, sent out through the Acknowledgement
a number of questions on the subject. The
chief ones were as follows:
What opportunity. II any, have YOU had 10
observe the workings of the canteen system?
What. in your opinion, has been its effect upon
the morality Of the enlisted men?
What upon the Discipline:
Are trials by court-martial more or less fire.
quent?
Has drunkenness increased or lessened?
To these inquiries more than one thousand
replies have been received and, entirely apart
from the opinions expressed In them, a perusal
Of the answers as published by the War Depart
ment shows the terse. direct, soldier-llko and
sometimes blunt method of answering direct
questions which has been observed among
American officers a. is the case generally among
the officers Of other armies. Thus. Nathan
Calm, auartermaster sergeant at Fort Porter.
'fA' iibte ~ ~ '' '''
canteen: Increase In desertion. crime, lying"
Thomas Dennis. post quarter aster-sersc0n
at Fort Wlngate, answered; Bad for the sol
der and bad for the army; good for the enter
prising citllen, in the vicinity OF the post. '
Quirtermastcr-Sersean Bliss at Fort Bis,
Tex, answered in one word. Bad So did
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS tuyot at liOluuln,
Cuba, From PIattoburg barracks, came the
answer. Would never DO, from Fort Meade,
South Dakota, Better morals. better discipline.
better soldiers. From Fort BarrancaN Fla,
More drunkenness, more absence without
leave, more c~onrt-martials, discomfort and
more desertiCn~."
From Manila came this response: Those
who desire liquor land most do will obtain IL
nnmindill of cTect, upon discipline and all
Alaska, came this RESPONSE. Absolute prohIbt-
ton of the sale OF beer IN the arm would. IN
my opinion, hot have a good effect upon morale
or disciT line" From San Juan, Porto RICO,
came this: Men will get beer somehow. II
not In a respectable place like the post exchange
has been. then in some saloon or gros shop
outside OF the garrison" Fort Preblp, Ne
a prohibition State the ordnance sergeant
wOrte. The cantcen is all that is good. From
Fort kEoS, in the same State, the only COM
ment on the PROPOSED a6nndonm"nt of the
Ayres. commanding Troop. + Of the Tenth
should be- treated like men. not boys. Let
them drink. and when they violate the laws
punish them. They are Americans, and do
not forfeit all their right, when they enlist"
The commander OF the Third Cavalry wrote.
II am unaltrrahly opposed 10 saloons and "a
loon keeper. ] never can Or will believe in
saloons or saloon keepers, call them by what
nPlneS You please One Of the engineer,
corps wrote II j. an open question whether
the benefit derived from making II dIftcult
10 Obtain "'lihlilauiS J. not Offset bv the deceit
and trlckery resorted to to Obtain them"
The Distinguishing feature Of answers from
army officers l.. their lack Of indahnitoneSs
and avoldauc" Of evasion, They use in their
Communications few words to express an idaa
and do not appear to count on or con slider the
possible effects which the expression Of their
views, however OltSpOken, may have. II IL
tins military direcrness which makes easy n
determination in many matters Of DISPUTE
which otherwise would be n subject Of agito-
ton, Practically, all the officers Of the United
States ar" Of one opinion on the canteen.