Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1901-10-10
THE LATEST ARGUMENT AGAlN5 7
THE CANTEEN.

J
is borne by Brig. Gen. Daggett, who
won his promotion to that rank after
a service of forty years from second
lieutenant up. During the civil war
he took part in every important bat
tie Of the Army Of the Potomac, and
since that time he has seen service on
the Plains, before Santiago, in the
Philippines, and in China, where he
commanded the Fourteenth Infantry.
When a captain, he had twenty years
experience in the handling Of enlisted
men. As a result of this long service,
Gen. Daggett unequivocally pro-
nounces against the canteen, on purely
practical grounds, declaring that ut
will be ruinous to the army in the
end"
The strongest argument hitherto ad-
vanced by those in favor Of the can
teen relates to its counteracting the
attractions of the vile resorts which so
rapidly spring up in the vicinity Of
an army post. To this Gen. Daggett
replies that the viler the dens outside
of the government reservations, "the
better for the morals Of the garrison,
because they keep respectable. Equal
ly striking is his assertion that the
capteen is a constant temptation to
the abstainer to indulge and to the
moderate drinker to drink more, and
that it is a convenience to the drunk
ard "to load up on beer when he has
not the means to obtain anything
stronger" He fortifes this with the
statement that it has been no unusual
thing to find a majority Of company,
when undergoing inspection, more or
less under the influence Of liquor, but
not sufficiently so to subject them to
punishment. Similar allegations were
made by intelligent enlisted men of
the Second Artillery at Fort Warren,
Mass, in 1895. They said that the
canteen beer stimulated their appetite
for stronger drink, and drove them
out Of the fort in search Of it. They
cited the violent death of comrade,
and pointed to various prisoners as
proof that the canteen did not pro-
duce idyllic conditions within this
island fortress. A new consideration
brought out by Gen. Daggett is his
reference to the canteen credit system,
which keeps men constantly in debt.
About this side of the question both
public and press have heard too little.
Admitting that Gen Daggett's opin-
ions are entitled to great respect, and
that his views have given strength
and encouragement to the opponents
Of the canteen, the Army and Navy
Journal rightly asks the General what
his substitute for the canteen would
be, and how he would satisfy the
craving" Of The enlisted men for So
ciability and good-fellowsbip. 1t is
to be hoped that Gen. Daggett, and
others who feel like him--among whom,
it is understood, was the late Gen.
William Ludlow-will take the Jour-
nal at its word, and tell the public how
they would counteract the admitted
evils which come from crowding single
men in barracks in an utterly unnat-
ural mode of life. The only genuine
cure would be the abolition of the
army itself but, this being impossible,
the evil should receive careful atten-
ton, particularly in view Of the great
increasein the garrisons Of the seacosst
fortifcations, some extremely dreary
and isolated, others close to the temp
tations of great cities. 1t is well under
stood that the War Department is
thoroughly committed to the canteen,
and, in its efforts to have the law re-
placed upon the statute book, has
called for reports from post command
ers and officers in charge Of troops in
the field. There can be no doubt that
the great majority Of these reports will
favor the restoration Of the post bar,
not only because of its chief cOmmod-
ity, beer, but also because of the ad-
vantages in the way of extra food, bill
lard tables, dividends, ETC., obtained
by the various companies through the
surplus profits. The canteen, however,
was not abolished until last March.
Since that time the army has been in
the throes of radical reorganization,
during which thousands Of extremely
youthful and raw recruits have been
injected into the service and are not
yet digested. Moreover, the morale
of the officers and the esprit of the
regiments are admittedly at lower
ebb, because oftwo wars, vital changes,
and the presence of many hundreds