The Washington times., 1901-08-29
The Army Cnnteen.

| investigation of affairs at Fort Sheri
! dan has been set forth by its secretary
! S. 5. Dexter, in a little book which h
! calls Cant and the Canteen." In ii h.
| quotes the statements of many people
| who have reason to know what effec
the canteen had upon the army. anC
what the effect of its abolition ha:
been; and as these witnesses are all re-
sponsible and well-known persons. theil
testimony is worth the serious atten-
ton of those who are really interested
| in the welfare of soldiers;
These statements agree in all essen.
tial points. They go TO prove that the
| establishment of the late well-regulatet
and carefully devised canteen system
which, by the way. is only about TWEEN
ty years old and quite different from
the old-fashioned suffers store-was
attended with great benefit to the
| army, and thar it's abolition has caused
disorder and decentralization, and to
some extent disease, through the in
crease of intoxication. Perhaps the two
most interesting statements are those
of Major Louis Seaman, late surgeon OF
the First United States Volunteer Engi-
neers, and of the Governor of the Sol
diers' Home at DanviHe, Illinois. The
former says:
LESS than five per cent Of the army are total
abstainers. Citizenship is not forfeited by en-
listment. soldiers not prisoners; they are
well paid men, and have their pass DAYS.
When a soldier cannot obtain a glass OF beer
light wine at the post exchange camp the
first Tlq hs liz rfGa ,asl..
pass Is the nearest saloon. where in Porto Rico,
he Is served with loaded with fusel oil
at home, vile doctored WHISKY; in the Philip
pines, vino, a sort of wood alcohol distilled
from the nepa leaf, or in China the samshu a
product OF RECALL rank poisons one or two
drinks OF which steal away his brains Then
follow excuses tG which in his sober moments
he would be the last to descend characterization.
drunkenness, debauchery. or desertion.
The record OF the summary court of the
Twelfth United States Infantry shows that during
February and March, 1900, at Paniqui, Philip
pine Islands, there were between seventy and
ninety trials by court martial for each month.
Four-ffths Of the offences were intoxicaton
from native vino A post exchange was es-
tablished in the latter part of March. Since
then and until February. 1901. there were never
more than twenty trials in any month. and one
month the number reduced to eight The
record shows no more than two Of vino
intoxication' In any month. The company COM
manders' reports show that there are but eight
total abstainers in the regiment"
The Governor Of the Illinois Soldiers
Home, Mr.. Clements, says:
81 came TO this Home as governor strongly
preiudiced against the idea OF the sale OF any
kind of LIQUOR on the Home grounds. Nv prin-
ciples and my feelings were all against IL and
! could scarcely discuss the matter in a dis
passionate manner. After two pension
payments, however the very necessities of the
case forced me to change my views. de-
sire to state positively and unreservedly that
the results Of permitting the sale of beer upon
the Home grounds at this branch have been in
the interests of morality and sobriety in that it
has kept many Of the members from visiting
saloons in the town
1t is noticeable that all the testimony
here collected comes from men who are
obviously interested in promoting tenn
perance. There is not single liquor
dealer who has had anything to say in
favcr of the canteen, So far as heard
from. and half the men whose opinions
are recorded by Mr. Dexter are men
who would be in trouble in one way or
another II drunkenness should increase
in the army. 1t seems as If most of the
arguments for the abolition of the can
teen were the result of absolute unfa-
miliarity with the conditions. If 1t
were otherwise, there would certainly
not be this unequivocal statement from
a prohibition man that he was com
PEELED to establish a canteen in the Sol
diers' Home of which he had charge in
the interests of morality and sobriety.
His letter Is too long to quote in fun;
but the two chief reasons for his change
of opinion were that the habits of the
inmates of the Home We're already
formed. and those who drank would
continue to drink; and that since this
was so it was better they should drink
moderately than go to saloons two or
three miles off. and be drugged and
robbed while in state of intoxication
Possibly, IL other advocates of total alb
stinence were in a position where their
regulations depended on the promotion
Of temperance. they would likewise find
that the canteen is the best way TO at
tain it. so far as the army is concerned
The conversion of Mr.. Clements is Ger
tainly a significant object lesson, and
incidentally shows him to be a man of
sense as well as principle. 1t takes both
brains and pluck for a man to recognize
that he has been mistaken and say so.