The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-11
FAvoRs PRESENT LAWS.
Anti-saloon League Against Re
 establishing the Canteen.

oSIdDAloAlAB tho SohIoSA'
 Washington, Dec 10-The most import ant action taken today by the Anti-Sa- loon League, now holding it's annual ses- sion in this city. was the adoption of an address to the public on the army can teen question. in which it Is charged that high army officials have persistently pur- sued course extremely unfavorable to the anti-canteen law and pledging the association to do its utmost to defeat any attempt to repeal the measure until it has had a fair trial.
 The address says: What is popularly known as the anti-canteen law has been in force less than two years. immediately following many years trial of the can teen law and after a lamentably large number of soldiers had contracted the drink habit.
 Congress at it's last session appro- priated 900 to build. equip and main tain suitable buildings at army posts for the recreation and socia bility of the men and also increased the rations of the men cents per day and thereby enabling them to secure delicacies and other com forts without depending therefor upon the profits of an army saloon; because of the shortness of time these appropria- tions have not as yet except in very limited degrc, been utilized by the army.
 High army officials have most persis- tently pursued a C rse extremely un- friendly to this law and pursued 1t in a way that has thrown the whole tn- fiuence of the War Department, with the soldiers on the one side of distrust of and dissatisfaction with the law and have consistently published misleading reports concerning the effects of the law.
 Notwithstanding the shortness Of time the law has been in force. the frightful A1-A !. ks drink habit under the canteen law, the ut ter unfriendliness to the anti-canteen law of the War Department and the non-test of the substitutions possible through the wise use of the above appropriation by Congress, the official reports of courts martials show that the trial per thousand men more tha ioubled during the last three years of the cantee liqur selling law, increasing from forty-two trials per thousand men In 1898 to 100 in 190O and that since the year 1900 Gin which is included six months of the canteen liquor selling and eighteen months of non-seIling) the courts martial have decreased to 61, that is, have decreased 8 per l 900 men
 The report of the Surgeon General of the army showed a marked decrease in disease. The admissions 10 the hospital, covering the whole army. in the calen- dar year 1900, the last year of the can teen. were 2.S11 per 1000 strength, while during the calendar year 1909 the admis- sions to the hospitals dropped to l,79l-a decrease on a single year of about S per cent. The same reports show start ling decrease in insanity of about 8 per cent.
 Tn view of all these considerations and facts the Anti-salOon League. assembled in national convention in Washington. declares itself unalterably 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 repeal this law until it has had a full and fair trial and that it will not cease the agitation until the public and those who control the army understand that liquor selling In the army canteen is a question of na- tional morality and not alone Ot mili-