The National tribune., 1902-07-17

| where men PAID dollar for the use OF an
other dollar fo. less than II month. Shy
| lock was 4 generous and liberal money
lender compared with some of these com
pany usurcrs. Other men hard up for 4
! little money sold portions of their uniform
| to comrades for song, drawing them in
their own name and having them charged
up to their clothing account. In this way
| their clothing account was overdrawn and
| the final settlement came out of their pay.
while the thrifty men who got clothing
| for about quarter price in this way had a
| good balance coming to them from their
clothing account when they were dis
charged
Naturally a man who paid so much for
little money to get drunk on wanted to
make it go as far as he could, and "bino
was the liquid that was the cheapest and
| at the same time the most diligent worker.
| 1t was not only the chronic drunks. of
| whom there are always several In every
company, who drank ''bino' under such
| circumstances, but many who before had
drank nothing stronger than beer. which
was now so high priced as to be beyond
their reach except just after pay day.
After discussing the entire situation, the
officers decided TO open "canteen' in the
barracks for the men, with the approval
of the Colonel. and | was selected to man
age it, probably because l was already
handling the Officers Club. A room sep
bathroom was set apart for the purpose,
and Sergeant detailed to take charge of
it, with two assistants. The canteen was
open from 8 o'clock in the morning until
early in the evening. nothing being sold
except beer, Shasta ginger ale, soda water
of several favors, claret wine, cigars,
cigarets and tobacco. The principle of
selling as near cost as possible was adopt
ed for the purpose of saving the money of
the men. Beer that sold down town for
40 and so cents bottle was sold here for
30 and 60 cents, equivalent to half that
sum in gold, all accounts being kept in
Mexican or ''dungaree" silver.
Even on this basis there was some
profit, and the earnings were divided be-
tween the companies on the basis of their
strength, going into the various company
funds, from which luxuries and things not
| in the army raticn were purchased for the
company mess.
No whisky was sold whatever, the army
regulations for management of canteens
being strictly followed in this particular.
Before opening the establishment l went
to headquarters at the Ayuntamiento and
procured a copy of the general order is
sued by the AdjutantGeneral of the Army
covering the subject in 1895, and the can
teen was conducted strictly under its pro-
visions. not only as to its local manage
| ment, but as to the system of keeping ac-
counts and making reports. The canteen
was not kept open on Sunday. There was
no place for the men to sit down and
make a carOusing place of it. No en-
| couragement was given to men to make it
| social club, and thus drink more than
was necessary. On the contrary, the Ser
geant in charge was instructed to refuse
more than two drinks to one individual, to
compel any who showed a disposition to
hang around the place to leave, and to en-
force order, decOrum and the use of proper
language at all times. The only times
when there vas any departure whatever
from proper conduct at the canteen was
when men who had been drinking down
town went there and misbehaved, general
ly because they were refused a drink be-
cause of their condition.
One such person served three months in
BIllbid Prison on cOurt-martial sentence
for cursing the Colonel and sending a vile
and insulting message to him, simply be-
cause he came to the canteen drunk and
resented being refused its privileges and
being ordered to leave it.
That some OF the other Volunteer regi-
ments had canteens not conducted so
strictly in accordance with the regulations
as this, am aware. Some of them sold
whisky, which was in violation of the
regulations, but / ascribed this violation
to ignorance ofsthe regulations rather than
to intent, because il was difficult for me
to find the copy Of the regulations, and
do not believe all the canteen officers had
one, nor do l. believe they kept the ac-
counts and made the reports called for
nor forwarded the books to the Adjutant-
General when mustered out. as provided
by the regulations. l blame the general
officers in command, all of them Regulars,
for this slackness and irrcgularity. 1t was
their business to see that the canteenS. as
all other things under their command.
were properly conducted. Too much lati-
tude was allowed and too much of the
spirit OF letting the volunteers do as they
pleased in such matters prevailed, on the
theory that they were in the service for a
few months only.
The effects of the canteen upon the dis
cipline and health of the men were soon
apparent. There was falling off of more
than one-half in the number of guard
house cases for men intoxicated. OF
course. the chronic drunks, the regular
"guard-house squad" were not satisfied
with the restrictions of the canteen, and
continued to get drunk down town when
ever they had an opportunity, but the ma
Jority of the men went to the canteen be-
cause it was cheaper than the saloons, and
as they were not permitted to drink more
than twice they never got drunk. The
practical effect was that man wishing a
drink of cool beer or soda water went to
the canteen for it, and having satisfied his
thirst, went back to his quarters to read
or sleep during the heat of the day. If,
instead, he had gone down town, he would
have drank considerably more spent much
more money, and possibly have become in
toXicated and ended his day in the guard
house.
Even the Chaplain of the regiment, who
at first was much opposed to the idea Of a
canteen, became converted to it as a prac-
tical temperance institution as managed in
the Oregon regiment, and himself accept
ed detail as one of the board of man
ayers for the purpose of helping to keep il
at high standard.
Other canteenS, conducted, as | have
said, loosely and not according to the reg1I-
lations. may not, and probably did not,
show these results, but that was the fault
of the management, and not of the insti-
tuition itself. canteen conducted strict
ly in accord with the letter and the spirit
of the regulations promulgated in general
orders from the Adjutant- Generals Office
is strong influence for temperance and
discipline and health in the army. Much
of the complaints and criticisms of the
army canteen are Just, but only so because
they were not managed rs contemplated in
the orders establishing them.
Reports made by the Sergeant in charge.
as prescribed by the regulations, showed
that only about two-thirds of the men
patronized the canteen at all, and that
about One-halfi of these drank only soda
water, lemonade or Shasta ginger ale, thus
leaving less than half the regiment to be
numbered among the beer drinkers | be-
lieve this to be Il much higher temperance
standard than that of any other regiment