The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-05-22
ARMY OFFICERS FAVOR THE
ARMY SALE OF LIQUORS.
SOME REMARKABLE REPORTS
Hold That Enforced Sobriety Leads to
Desertion, Saloon Rows, Fighting,
and All Kinds of Disorders-The
Outside Dram Shop Keeper Charac-
terized as Shark and Bad Man.
(By Associated Press.)

New York, May 22.-General Brooke
has sent an order to all comandants of
posts in the department Of the east to
send to him on September l a complete
report of the results which have ensuad
on the abolition of the army canteen.
Officers says that these reports will
show beyond cavil that intemperance
has largely increased under the new
regime, and it is predicted that the next
congress will give serious consideration
to the real situation as it has deyeloped
Seven privates absent without leave
from Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont, have
just been locked up in the military
prison at Governors Island, which is
the headquarters of the department.
They disappeared from their post i'm
mediately after payday of this month
and their troubles are attributed by
officers to the abolition of the canteen.
reporter interviewed number of
officers at Governors Island and every
che of them was saying: Il told you
SO" when the cases of Fort Sheridan.
Fort Smelling and Fort Ethan Allen were
called to mind. The officers there regard
il but a matter of a short time when
the public sentiment of the nation will
demand the re-establishment of the cam
teen.
Arrests for Intoxication.
Captain Adams, who was acting ad-
| jutant general at Governors Island. said
| that since payday there had been UNI
usual trouble in nearly every post in
| the department and he understood in
| other departments also. He understood
that the number of men arrested had
| Ia hap
| been noticeable number arrested for
intoxication. He was not prepared to
say just what the percentage of increase
| was
Trouble is reported at Fort Hamilton,
Fort Schuyler. Fort Wadsworth, Fort
Hancock and Wilets Point.
Pay day at Fort Totten, Willets Point,
Long Island Sound, came last Wednes-
day and the 491 soldiers stationed there
drew about $40 per man. Since that
| time there have been wild and hilarious
times in the saloons of Whitestone, the
nearest village to the reservation, and
in the half dozen road houses that are
situated at intervals along the road that
leads from the fort to the village.
The records at the fort show that for
the first twenty days of this month
there have been seven courtmartials on
for absence without leave. The q alb
| sentees and the II men now in the
guard house will add considerably to
those figures. There have been since
the last payday as many as ten men
absent without leave at one time from
one company of less than 100 men.
Unprecedented.
Commenting on this Major j. w.
Black, the commandant of the fort.
| stated that the number was unprece-
dented in his recollection.
Major Black, Adjutant Howell and
every officer and soldier interviewed at
the fort gave without hesitation the
opinion that the change for the worse
i'll the general discipline was due en-
tirely to the abolition of the canteen
and the turning over of the soldier with
his monthly pay in his pocket to the
tender mercies of the outside saloon
keepers who thrive in the vicinity OF
military posts.
The force now at Fort Totten consists
of four companies of the second bat
talon of engineers, the nucleus of three
companies of the new Third battalion
of engineers that Is being recruited and
the second company of the coast artil.
lery. With few exceptions all these men
are veteran soldiers of the highest
branches of the service and in charactel
are well up in the general average Of
} the American soldier.