The times., 1901-05-12
DEFENDS THE CANPEEN.
Ex-scrEcant Mocrs Says It's Aboii-
tion Was III-tdyfsed.

When the Government took away from
the soldier I'm the Philippines his canteeu
they robbed him-yes. they robbed him,
was the opinion expressed last night by
Benjamin ~. s. Moers late sergeant in
Company f. Thirty-sixth Infantry, who
left Manila in February. Young MOers
was formerly first machinist In the navy.
| and now, having been mustered out from
the Thirty-sixth Infantry has resumed
his machinist's trade at the navy yard
The Government has now left the sol
dier helplcss.' he said. and has made
| him an easy prey to that vllest of all de-
cOctiOns. the native vino. | suppose IL
ought to be taken for granted that sol
dieTs viii drink little. When they have
their canteen they drink but very little.
| and they take the mild things. such as
beer, in preference to stronger things.
! such as whisky. After having been out
/ hiking for twelve hours on stretch
man is tired. When he comes In he wants
little something TO brace him up and
| put him on his feet again.
For time in the Thirty-sixth. we had
/ our canteeu. We were twenty months on
the firing line. and it was hard TO get
anything out to u.s. But the officers club
bed together and gave US a canteer.
| While we had it everything went well
I
n rare thing to see a soldier drunk We
| could get all the tobacco we wanted at
| a reasonable price. and we were not
| obliged 10 go to the FilipinOs for Il. and
| be charged 10 cents apiece for cigarettes.
About the middle of December orders
came that we were to close up our can
teen. The results OF taking it away were
apparent almost at once In the first
place there was no tobacco TO be gotten
except from traders who got out to us
through the Filipino lines and charged
US $3.50 for small package OF tobacco,
that we used to be able to buy at the
canteen for Is cents. The traders brought
some beer. too, but 1t cost 50 cents a pint
bottle. Whisky and brandy that they
brought cost US s. bottle. In the can
teen we used to get beer for 35 cents a
quart. with a package of chewing gum
thrown in to make good measure. Good
whisky cost only Sl.50 bottle. The men
had to have something. so they took TO
the vino at 10 cents a quart.
The Filipinos never drink vino them
selves. and they make it only for the
Spaniaris and Americans. 1t comes in
three kinds-a muddy liquid, which is
three or four times as strong as whisky,
in fact is almost plain alcohol. The drink
is made from a plant called the neppa.
and on distillation the muddy liquid comes
first 1t is followed by clear liquid.
which is weaker. and the last is a dark
green liquid which is about twice as
strong as our brandy.
The worst thing about vino drunk
is that you do not get over it. 1t takes
days and days to clear your head. and
when you are under the influence Of the
liquor you are fighting crazy all the time.
That Is the reason why SO many of the
boys come back and go into St Elizabeth'5
Asylum. II you go too far you never re-
cover.
Another trouble with the vino drink
ing, which Is forced upon the men BY TAX
ing from them their canteen Is that 1t
makes the men less careful of the Fill
pinOs. The soldier under the influence OF
the drink Will go among the Filipinos re-
gardiess OF his safety, and perhaps pick a
quarrel. He does not have 10 do much 70
get trouble, because every Filipino on the
islands is an enemy Of the white man IL
he gets in a quarrel II is ten 10 one he IS
boloed. and that ends him.
The United States Government bv with
drawing the canteen is taking its prOtec-
ton away from the soldier. 1t IS exposing
the enlisted man and officer alike not only
to temptation, but TO a choice between
total abstinence. which he cannot live up
to, and to vino drinking. which he cannot
resist because the wine is 81 chaaD -