Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-09
The Canteen Issue.
TO the Editor of The Evening Star:

To the Editor OF Ihe Evening Star:
In The Star of Saturday last the Rev.
Wilbur F. Crafts urges the two supreme
objections against the canteen.
1. The government should not engage in
the liquor business
2. Temptation to drink should not be put
in the way Of young men not addicted to
drink.
While these so-called arguments have
been refuted time and again. somehow the
refutatfon does not seem to be in such
shape as to make it obvious to Mr.. Crafts.
Let me urge The Star to make room for
another effort in that direction. To EN-
gage In the liquor business" is an affirm
alive act, 1t Is to do something that 1t has
not done. or is not doing now. If there
were no drinking places anywhere in the
United States, or at least anywhere within
reach of the soldiers, and the government
should institute such a place then 1t could
be truthfully alleged to engage in such bust
ness. But the saloons are already there,
surrounding the camps. TO thoroughly ap-
preciate this situation let us who live in
Washington call to mind the excursion
boats on Sundays in the summer time.
which go down the river to various points.
These boats all have fully equipped bars,
but as they lie at the wharfs by law they
are closed-hermetically- traffic in
the city; not drop can be had. This Is
typical Of the 'iaw''-the anti-canteen law.
But. behold the whistle blows. off starts
the boat. When the paddle wheels have
made half dozen revolutions down come
the shutters outspread are the glasses,
and beer whiskey, julep, cocktails, &c, all
the way down the river, continuously to
the point OF destination. and back again
until the boat bumps against the wharf,
the beverages flow in one continuous, un-
broken stream Anti-canteen law Is this.
Now, suppose Uncle Sam steps In. and.
going around to all the saloons that en-
viron the camps. and likewise appearing on
v,1yr hn
bungholes of all whiskey barrels, throw
overheard all liquors of any kind except
beer and light wines. These only shall you
sell IN the future: these, will answer very
We'll for the boys in blue.
Is not this a negative act. is It not abol-
ishing. instead of creating; Is 1t not olsen
gag1ng, to certain extent, instead of en-
gaging nthe liquor business7 This is what
the government virtually does in permit
ting the canteen in the camps An endless
discussion could not develop anything more
than this result 1t is as if al parent takes
from his child the cartridges he has been
firing, and gives him pAper caps instead
1t produces the noise without the deadly
effect. Can you justly assert that such a
parent is encouraging hiss child in a danger
Gus practice? The child already has the
weapon. and the bulletsTT to pacify him the
father permits the noise to Continue while
restraining the dangerous feature.
A word about the second objection, the
temptation to drink. It Is SO trite. this
S<tiie oio AaAidCS- suppose III ol SChooi
boys were told. when about to start upon
term, that they should not play marbles,
or ball. or any such games, at any time at
all while they were attending school; that
they must wait until they graduated. be-
cause. you tell them, "you boys, II you
should be permitted to play ball after
school hours. or during recess, would soon
become so absorbed in these games as to
become utterly Disguised with school and
the result would be You would stay away
altogether should we allow you to play af-
ter school hours you would lose all oppor-
tunity to study your lessons. you would
learn nothing. and we teachers would be
charged by your parents with tsa ching you
nothing but play and idle games"
Common sense has demons ated the wis
dom of granting the student brief periods
for rest and relaxation. and the five or ten
minutes recess, during which the boys rush
out. tossing the ball one to another, as they
leave the door Of the school house. recon-
Giles them to the after hours which they
know must be devoted to study. 1t Is as
idle to suggest that a boy who is allowed
to toss a ball at recess thereby contracts
a habit which he would never have known
had he never attended school as It IL 70