The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-06
CANTEEN is WANTED
VOICE FROM THE PHILIPPINES
CRIES OFT FOR 1T.
THE CONDITIONS DEMAND 1T.
rx.SAVANNAHIAN WRITES OF EN-
CEssEs THAT PREVAIL.

..vino" Plays Sad Havoc With the
soldiers Who Drink 1.-THE Drink
Ia Cheap. Consequently Popular.
Ten Cents VIII Buy n Quart of 1t.
LEGISLATION Brought About by the
Ladies' Who Cried Out Against
the Cnnteen Is CONFERENCE.-The
writer Wants to Know What They
rink an American Soldier Is.
The loss of the canteen is regarded by
the soldiers in the Philippines as a piece
~ legislation that works for their ply
steal and moral undoing. In a letter to a
eriand in Savannah, extracts from which
folow. a recently discharged soldier
writes interestingly of the conditions now
existing The soldier was a resident of
Savannah for several years before the
outbreak of the Spanish war, when he
enlisted with the Guards, and was made
sergeant of one of the companies. The
ex-Savannahian writes as follows;
ION Feb. /, of this year, was among
the lucky few who secured their discharge
from the military service to accept po-
sition in the civil service of these ISL
ands. Having been for some time before
my discharge, working as private stenog-
rapher to Gen. j. Franklin Bell the then
provost marshal general of Manila, ac-
companied him here, upon his assignment
10 the command of this district he be-
ing relieved as provost marshal general
shortly after 1 was discharged.
You cannot imagine with what joy /
DOTTED Uncle Sans uniform. There was
no fighting to speak of and you can we'll
imagine how CALLING to me is discipline.
However, l had but little of it.
ION pay day soldiers drink beer and
whisky, the rest of the month they drink
vino and "anisado,'' native drinks.
Vino is Spanish for wine, and il was
in such a sense the natives use it, but
the Spanish pronunciation of "v'' and ''b"
is about the same. hence the soldiers who
are not llnguists, as a rule, cali the ma
tive drink ''beno," and it was undoubtedly
after taking a drink of the connection that
the old philosopher exclaimed: oh, thou
invisible spirit of wine, if we have no
name TO call thee by, let us call thee
devil l never drank it but once, and had
sense enough to let it alone. For some
time now | have been total abstainer,
but at no time did 1 ever drink that con-
coction as regular tipple.
1T is a white wine, made out of nearly
any old thing, as far as l can learn; rice,
bamboo and other vegetables. 1t recon-
mends Itself to the soldier because it is
so we'll suited to his purse Ten
cents buys quart in its
pristine purity. Its taste is
much like absinthe (the same
paregorical favor and, personally, have
no doubt it is similar. 1t has the most
peculiar effect on men who drink it.
Drunk in moderation it seems to be very
heslthful but to excess. it produces in
sanity. One of the intermediate phases is
its ability to develop an average army
liar or even a truthful man, into the
most gorgeous and devoted disciple of
the Prince of Liars.
The percentage of soldiers who drink
the vile stuff (be it said to their credit
Is not large. but its effects are so damna-
ble in those who do use it that it leaves
an impression of being more prevalently
used than is really the case.
Since the ladies. who should have de-
voted their time to the nursery, have es-
sayed to manage the social life of class
OF men, OF whose needs they know moth
ing, in land of whose temptations they
know nothing, by abolishing the canteen,
which sold only beer, God knows what
quantity of vino" they will consume
now. I haven't taken a drink in months
and don't intend to while / am on these
islands, and it is, therefore. from no per-
sonal loss that l grow indignant at the
thought of those hayseeds in Washing
ton permitting crowd of out-of-date fe-
male fossils to dictate to them a set of
rules, fitted for a girls class in a Sun
day-school, to be used for the manage
ment OF American soldiers. ! wonder
what the devil they think an American
soldier is?"