The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1901-10-03
The Canteen Question.

| tOF TIE hDOIlllOu Vi lic tduJefH at -
S. Army posts. But one, at least is not,
and he gives, to our mind, very strong
reasons for his belief. That officer Is
Brig. Gen. A. :. Daggett. retired
Maine man, with first-class record as
an army officer.
Following is letter written by Gen.
Daggett and comments upon 1t by the
Boston journal. The letter and the
comments are well worth a careful peru
sal
West Harpswell, Me-, July a, 1901.
Rev. j. b. Dunn, d. d, Ocean Grove, y. J.
Dear Sir: In reply TO your letter Of
the 22d inst, will give you the follow
ing reasons for my opposition to the
army canteen, viz
O 1t presents the saloon to the re-
crut in its least Objectionable form.
Many of our soldiers come from the rural
districts, where they never entered nor
even saw saloon. Arriving at an army
post, they ind the saloon, called canteen,
established by the United States govern
ment, managed by army officers, and In
many cases made as reputable as such
an institution can be. 1t is the place of
resort for nearly all the soldiers of the
garrison. They live in an atmosphere
that makes them feel that the thing to
do Is to spend their money at the can
teen it helps the company mess. The
most Of the recruits yield and soon form
the beer habit
The credit system prevails. The SOL
der, being out of money, obtains checks
on the canteen, presumably for small
part, but actually, in most cases, for
large part of his pay. This debt he is
compelled to pay on pay -day. He re-
ceives his money at the pay table aud
Immediately goes to the canteen officer,
and pays large part perhaps all of it,
to the canteen. In a few days he is out
of money again, and repeats the same
process, month after month, during his
term of service. He entered the service
| free from the drink and debt habit. He
is discharged with both fixed upon him.
a. The canteen stands as a constant
invitation to the total abstainer to drink
as temptation to the moderate drinker
TO drink more, aud as a convenience TO
the drunkard TO load up on beer when he
has not the means to obtain anything
stronger
3d. The constant presence of the can
teen and the credit system offer oppor-
tunities for the soldiers to keep slightly
under the influence of liquor all the time
1t was no unusual thing to find a COM
pany q commanded company for more
than twenty years. on inspection, with
majority of its men more or less under
the influence of liquor, but not so much
so as to subject them to punishment;
but they could not perform their duty Ms
we'll as they could if they had not been
drinking.
(4.) If there is no canteen at an army
post, saloons will spring up just beyond
the military reservation, but of so vile a
character that respectable soldiers will
not visit them. When | commanded a
company, four-tifths of my men would
not go near such dens of vice. The
drunkards would have their payday
spree, spend all their money, serve sen
tence of court-martial, and be sober the
rest of the time. The vier the outside
dens Of iniquty are, the better for the
morals of the garrison, because they keep
respectable men away, and the majority
are respectable.
J (5.) There doubtless have been cases
when the canteen has been of temporary
bene fit. 1t is said that falsehood may be
of temporary benefit To him who avals
ilLhS VI IT, Dub IL Will Dt IullOuS
to him in the end. So will the canteen
system be to the army.
Co. The carteen system, in nv opiE-
ion, resolves itself into this question Is
it best to keep constant temptation be-
fore the total abstainers and moderate
drinkers for the purpose of controlling
the drunkards? Many of our railroad
companies and business firms require
total abstinence of all their employees.
Only imagine their establishing canteens
for them, Trainmen slightly dazed
with beer. | believe the government
should require the same of the army.
You are at liberty TO use this as you
please. Yours truly,
A. S. Daggett,
Brigadier General, u. S A. retired.
The Boston journal of Sept. % con-
tains the following:
There was recently printed in the
Army and Navy Journal letter from
, Brig. Gen. Aaron 5. Daggett, L. S. A.,
! retired, who, from his forty years ex-
perienee in the army, strongly deplored
the pernicious influence of the army
canteen. He declared that the canteen
worked harm because it presented the
saloon to the recruit in its least obiec-
tionable form; because it encouraged the
debt as well as the drink habit; because
it stood as a constant invitation to the
Total abstainer to drink, as temptation
to the moderate drinker to drink more,
and as a convenience to the drunkard to
load up on beer when he lacked the
means to get anything stronger, and
, because the constant presence of the
canteen and the credit system offered
, opportunities to the soldiers to keep
slightly under the influence of liquor all
the time. Admitting that there might
have been cases in which the canteen
WIS of benefit, Ger. Daggett said that
the question resolved itself into this
as it better to keep constant tempta-
ton before the total abstsners and mod
crate drinkers for. the purpose of con-
trolling the few drunkards ~
Commenting upon this letter, the
Army and Navy Journal invited Gen.
Daggett to state what ne would have as
a substitute for the canteen. Replying
to this request, Gen Daggett, in sec
! ond letter, makes the following sensible
suggestions:
"O) Establish ample and attractive
reading rooms, which may be the gen.
eral places of resort and where games
and facilities for all sorts of proper
social euj0yments can be found. (2)
Establish ample and attractive gymna-
Sums. (3) Encourage and give facili-