The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-18

To the Editor Of the indianapolis Journal:
The Journal has seldom done a more sub
stantial service to it's readers than In last
Saturdays issue. giving editorially the ma
terial points in General Hughes's refuta-
ton of the scandal a vile type of politicians
had concocted and circulated to the detri-
ment of the best army in the world, and
all for low political purposes. These scan
dal-mongers had circulated that the army
In it's march through one of the small
Islands was little else than a mob and had
desolated q strip sixty miles wide across
the island, whereas only three small huts
had been burned, worth about $2 In all,
and a small shed; and 1t was by no means
certain that soldiers had done even that.
But now comes a lower and viler set of ira
ducers with a set purpose of running the
army officers who have charge of the army
posts, showing that IL the allegations are
true, every one of them should be dis
missed from the service in disgrace. A
dispatch from Chicago, dated Nov. IL, to
the Associated Press, Is a sample of scores
that have appeared within the last six
months, all evidently inspired by the same
purpose, the running of the army officers
Implicated. This dispatch says that the
night after the pay day at Fort Sheridan
the carousing of drunken soldiers, from 8
o'clock to midnight was so boisterous that
the inhabitants OF Highwood were in a
state of terror, and that two drunken SOL
diers were so badly wounded. in the fights
as to have to be sent to the post hospital
more dead than alive, and all because the
| post canteen had been abolished, and the
men had gone out to drink the bad liquors
the saloons had supplied. IL this be true,
or even half true, IL shows a lack of army
discipline which should at once be investi-
gated and the oficerf in charge should be
| dismissed at once. But who believes IL?
1t is of a piece with the scandal which
magnifed the burning of three huts and a
shed into desolating nearly half OF the
island.
In the light Of the persistent demands of
the liquor makers and retailers for the un-
conditional repeal OF the a~nti-canteen law.
IL is not difficult to account for this increase
of drunkenness among the soldiers. Ii is
the same unaccountable phenomenon which
causes more drunkenness in Prohibition
States and towns than exists where sa-
looms abound. and the demand for the army
canteen is in the interests of sobriety just
as the demand for saloons is. Every State
and national convention of liquor makers
and liquor sellers for the last year has de-
plored the increase OF drunkenness among
soldiers ever since the canteen was abol-
| ished. But that a~nti-canteen law will never
1 be repealed, except. in the near future. by
a law which will insure better protection
for the soldier against a more dangerous
| enemy than the shot and shell of an op-
posing enemy. 1t is not In the role OF a
prophet that / fortell that not a member of
Congress from Indiana in either house of
Congress will vote TO repeal IL. leastwise
quainted personally with the Democratic
| members and their environments as with
| the Republicans. Not one OF these, from
his personal habits or his political environ
ments, can be thought of as favoring the
backward step such a vote would imply.
| Even il either personal habits or local en-
onm might favor such a vote, the
loss OF IL per cent. of the Republican vote
of this year in Indiana. as compared with
the vote OF 1900. with a gain of 80 per cent.
In the Prohibition vote, with no great
grievance to harp upon. would make any
prudent Republican hesitate before giving
a vote the Prohibitionists would be only
too glad TO have him give. Scandalizing
army affairs is not the way TO repeal the
-anti-canteen law. l.. L. SEE.
Indianapolis, Nov. Is.