Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-09-30
w, c, T. u. COLUMN.
GEN. DAGGETT AGAINST THE
CANTEEN.

General Aaron s. Daggett, who re-
tired last spring after forty years of
service, has given his reasons for
opposing the canteen in letter ad-
dressed to Rev. J. B. Dunn, D. D., at
Ocean Grove. The letter is as follows:
West HarpsaUeU, Me-, July 24, 1901.
DEAR SIR: In reply to your letter
of the 22nd inst, I will give you the
following reasons for my opposition
to the army canteen, viz:
% It presents the saloon to the
recruit in it's least Objectionable form.
Many of our soldiers come from the
rural districts, where they never en-
tered nor even saw saloon. Arriving
at an army post, they find the saloon,
called canteen, established by the
United States government, managed
by army officers, and in many cases
made as reputable as such an institu-
ton can be. 1t is a place of resort for
nearly all the garrison. They live in
an atmosphere that makes them feel
that the thing to do is to spend their
money at the canteen; it helps the
company mess. The most of the re-
cruits yield, and soon form the beer
habit. The credit system prevails.
The soldier, being out of money, ob-
tains checks on the canteen, presum-
ably for small part, but actually, in
most cases, for large part of his pay.
This debt he is compelled to pay on
payday. He receives his money at
the pay table, and Immediately goes
to the canteen officer, and pays large
part, perhaps all of it, to the canteen.
Ina few days he is out of money again,
and repeats the same process, month
after month, during his term of SER
vice. He entered the service free
from the drink and debt habit He is
discharged with both fixed upon him.
(2) The canteen stands as con-
slant invitation to the total abstainer
to drink, as temptation to the mod
crate drinker to drink more, and as a
convenience to the drunkard to load
up on beer when he has not the means
to obtain anything stronger.
90 The constant presence of the
canteen and the credit system offer
opportunities for the soldiers to keep
slightly under the influence of liquor
all the time. It was no unusual thing
to find company q commanded
company more than twenty years. ,on
inspection, with majority of its men
more or less under the influence of
liquor, but not so much so as to sub
Ject them to punishment; but they
could not perform their duty as we'll
as they could if they had not been
drinking.
"a IF there is no canteen at an
army post, saloons will spring up just
beyond the military reservation, but
of so vile character that respectable
soldiers will not visit them. When 1
commanded company four fifths of
my men would not go near such dens
of vice. The drunkards would have
their payday spree, spend all their
money, serve sentence of'court- mar
tiai, and be sober the rest of the time.
are, the better for the morals of the
garrison, because they keep respect
able men away, and the majority are
respectable.
90 There doubtless have been
cases when the .canteen has been of
temporary benefit. It is said that
falsehood may be of temporary bene
fit to him who avails himself of it. But
it will ruin him in the end. So will
the canteen system be in the army.
CO. The canteen system, in my
opinion, resolves itself into this ques-
ton: Is it best to keep a constant
temptation before the total abstainers
and moderate drinkers for the purpose
of controlling the few drunkards2
Many of our railroad companies and
business firms require total abstinence
of all their employees. Only imagine
their establishing canteens for them
Trainmen slightly dazed with beerl I
believe the government should re-
quire the same of the army.
You are at liberty to use this as you
please.
Yours truly,
A. S. DAsGETT,