The Frankfort roundabout. [volume] (Frankfort, Ky.) 1882-1908, 1904-11-05

va. Ids was WDlle peer was
allowed to be sold i'm the canteen.
Arriving at the park, the first thing
in order after making camp was to
construct temporary building for
a canteen, from which beer was
sold. During u four months stay
in this camp there was not u single
instance of soldier being arrested
by the civil authorities, and that
too in view of the fact that the men
had access to the saloons of Chat
tanOoga. Tenn. In addition they
could take a stroll over the hill
near Lyle Station. Ga, and get all
, the moonshine whisky they desired,
and that of the vilost sort. The
men did not drink the moonshine,
and were poor patrons of the saloon
in Chattanooga. Why? Because
their wants were happily supplied
by the canteen. The county in
Georgia in which Chicamauga Park
is situated is prohibition, and some
good old deacon, having in mind
the welfare of this small command
of soldiers in general, and his own
pocket in particular, petitioned
that the sale of beer in the canteen
be stopped, while he sold wine in
any quantities desired, and that
too without license. Now who was
the most interested in the welfare
of this small command. the COM
manding officer, or the man who
had the wine to sell? The question
answers itself.
After this camp was broken, four
months was spent at Jackson Bar
racks, New Orleans, La. This
reservation is lined on three sides
with saloons, yet they got but little
patronage from the post. and not a
single instance of a soldiers arrest
by the civil authorities. The next
two years was spent at Galveston,
Tex, Ardrore, ]. T., and San An
tonic, Tex, where the usual stand
ard of discipline was maintained,
during which time a desertion or
court-martial was an exceedingly
rare occurrence.
Since June, 1900, 7 have served
| in the army at Fort Monroe, Va,
where we have about nine hundred
enlisted men, and as first Sergeant
| for the past three and a half years,
/ can truthfully say that, in my
humble judgment, the law prohib-
| itin9 the sale of beer in the canteen
was most lamentable error.
| While il is true that men got drunk
occasionally when beer was sold in
| the canteen, as a rule large ma
| iority of the otfenses were of a
minor character. and one punish.
ment sufiiced: while to-day a man
to get a glass of beer has to resort
| to the vilest sort of groggeries in
| the towns surrounding the Teserva-
ton, with the result that a man
who gets intoxicated to any extent
is hauled up before a magistrate,
an unjust fine imposed for the ben
eft of the municipality. only To re-
| turn home to be brought TO account
| for such infraction of military law
as he may have transgressed.
The sale of liquor in the Indian
! Territory is prohibited by law, vet
! III the town of Ardmora II number
| Of wildcat saloons exist. or did
exist in 1898, and such peace officers
as the town afforded did not know
of their existence. or did nor care
enough about them to bring the
guilty persons to justice. Or, it
might have been that their solicit
tude for the welfare of the soldiers
then in camp near there was so
great, that an ordinary infraction
Of law like selling liquor without
license and to Indians. that it was
impossible for them to think of
other than the welfare of the
soldiers during their short stay in
their midst. Again ut Chickamauga
Park. Ga, where moOnshiners
openly peddled their wares, we
find the vigilance Of the law-ahid-
ing citizens relaxed TO the extent
that these viOlators of the law are
not molested. If the sons of these
good people are capable of carrying
the thrusts of this deadly moon
shine, they are just little out of
the run of ordinary human beings,
for you must understand that
Georgia mOOnshine is not made UP
like the original Kentucky article,
crude Kerosene becoming deli
ciOus beverage when compared to
it.
| merely mention these instances
of people buttin2 in on propositions
that is of no particular concern TO
them, in order that you may see
the origin of most of the objections
raised IN the past to the sale of beer
in the amy canteen. TO those
good people who were opposed to