The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-12-16
A
FAIR TRIAL
National Anti-Saloon League Will Fight
to Keep the Ant-Canteen
Law in Force.
annual SESSION IN WASHINGTON.

Washington, Dec. 12.-The most I'M
portant action yesterday Of the Ma
tional Anti-Saloon league, now hold
ing its annual session here, was the
adoption of an address to the public
on the army canteen question, in
which the charge is made that high
army officials have persistently pur-
sued course extremely unfavorable
to the anti-canteen law, and pledginS
the association to do its utmost to
defeat any attempt to repeal the law
until it has had full and fair trial.
The report says
what is popularly known as the
anti-canteen law mas been in force
less than two years Immediately fol
lowing many years trial OF the can
teen law and after lamentably large
number of soldiers had contracted the
drink habit-accordin to the official
report, just published, of the inspector
general of the division of the Philip
pines. In seventy-one companies in
vestigated between 10 and 33 per cent
of the men drink to excess habitually.
Congress, at its last session, ap-
2ropriated $5O0,O0O to ouild. equip,
and maintain suitable buildings At
army posts for the recreation and So
ciability Of the men, and also in
creased the rations of the men five
cents per day, thereby enabling them
to secure comforts without depending
on the profits of an army saloon. Be-
cause of the shortness of time, these
appropriations have not as yet. except
in very limited degree, been utilized
by the army.
High army officials have mcst per-
sistently pursued course extremely
unfriendly to this law, and pursued it
in way that has thrown the whole
influence of the war department with
the soldiers on the side of distrust
and dissatisfaction with the law, and
have persistently published misleading
reports as to the effects of the law.
Notwithstanding the shortness Of
the time the law has been in force the
frightful Generalization of the army
through the drink habit under the
canteen law, the utter unfriendliness
TO the anti-canteen lew of the war de-
rartment and the non test of the sub
stitutions possible through the wise
use of the above appropriations by
corgress-notwithsta all this,
the official reports Of courts-martial
show that the trials per 1000 men
three years of the canteen liquor sell
ing law, increasing from forty-two per
| eco men in 1898 to 100 in 1900, AM
that since the year 1900 lin which is
included six months of the canteen
liquor selling and eighteen months OF
non-selling,) the courts-martial have
decreased 80 per 1000 men. The re
ports Of the surgeon general of the
army show a marked decrease of dis
ease. The admissions to the hospi-
tails, covering the whole army in the
calendar year 1900, the last year OF
the canteen, were 2,311 Pc 1000
strength. while during the calendar
year 1902 the admissions to the hos
pitals dropped to 1,791-a decrease III
Il single year of about % per cenc.
The same report shows a startling de-
crease in insanity of about 33 per cent.
"In view of these considerations
and facts the Anti-Saloon league as
sembled in national convention in
Washington, declares itself upaltera-
bly, opposed to the repeal Of the anti
canteen law, and pledges to do its
utmost, by petition, by agitation, and
by ballot, to defeat any attempt to re-
peal this law until it has had full
and fair trial, and that II will not
cease this agitation unit the public
and those who control the army un-
derstand that liquor selling in the
army canteen is question of national
morality, and not alone one of mill
tary regulation, and that the issue is
whether handful of officers can
safely defy the expressed moral senti-
ment of the nation, or that they can
successfully convince the people that
saloon is a temperance society when
conducted in the army.
"The committee on legislation Of
the National Anti-Saloon league Is
fully authorized to adopt such meaS-
ures as they may deem most effective
to defeat any and all efforts to
relegalize te selling of alcoholic IL
luors in the army canteen."
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