The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-06-03
"BENO" INSTEAD OF BEER.
An Officers Observations Adolf
ton of Canteen.
New York Evening Post.

New York Evening Post.
An army officer, who recently returned 10
this vicinity after two years of field service
in the Philippines said to-day that the only
persons in the East who appeared TO DE
reaping the benefits of the abolition OF the
post canteens were the divekeepers and
traders in cheap whisky. The enlisted men,
said this officer, whose condition the white
ribbon societies had tried To elevate had
been made the victims OF Well-intended out
misguided legislation.
John Green (the sobrquet of the Ameri-
can sodier) will drink declared the shout
der straps land might just as well
start on these premises. calling black
black and white white. He drinks just
like a man of any other class. and some
times more and sometimes less. But out
there, especially when you are stationed In
a wilderness, say zoo miles from your near
est base of supplies and 400 miles from CIV
iiZation proper why, there isn't much else
TO do when off duty. That doesn't mean
drink your hide full. It's what a soldier
calls loosen up Instead of the men sitting
Down in the mud and growing, reclting
their woes and rehearsing every KICK the$
might have had coming for year. they
used to go tolthe canteen. stretch their legs
under a table. such il was. play cards.
read the magazines and papers, smoke a
pipe, and drink their beer. The canteen
scld good beer at low prices.
"If a man became ObstreperouS his mates
took him to his quarters, where he was OUT
of sight till he cooled of. Order was always
maintained. The soldier never got any
LIQUOR over post canteen bar, but he could
buy sandwiches, canned food, jelly, frui.
and other delicacies. And he had the salts
faction of knowing that every cent he spent
there was going to come back to him in
some way, because the profits OF the cam
teen were divided. by the officers. equally
among the companies. With these DIVIDENDS
the companies bought fresh milk. butter.
eggs. fresh meat and fruit TO reduce the
monotony OF government rations at their
mess.
.Then the canteens were abolished. II
was easy TO see the effect, almost instantly.
Most of the small posts could not support
their clubrooms. Without a place to hang
out the men became restless. There was
no cool beer to ease their thirst The men
began to have grievances or think they had
The enterprising natives and Spaniards be-
gan to start grog-Shops and dives In the
neighborhood of every garrison. They sold
poor whisky, a local drink called 'beno,
distilled rice and alcohol. which Is said
to be the cause of most of the insanity on
the islands, and beer. But the beer was
% cents a bottle. and a soldier cannot at
ford that. The other drinks looked attract
i've. because they were cheap. Now. when
Johnny Green wanted a drink, he usually
got il, and the risk he ran in going TO
these places especially If they were for
excursion, and resulted oftentimes. in
Johnny taking enough TO last him till he
could come again That is to say. he got
his bundle before he started for camp.
1T often happened that before he landed
in camp the beno and cheap whisky had
got in their deadly work. and bemuddled
Johnny ina gined himself In fight. Nine
times out of ten. he would become insubor
dinate, curse his superiors, be thrown into
the guardhouse, and his amusement be
brought to a close by court-martial,
which sent him up for a long term in
military prison..
Those are my impressions of garrison
life with and without post canteen.
must say that more drunkenness among the
enlisted men has come TO my attention
since the canteen was abolished than
saw in the army in the days of its
prime