The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-01-27
THE CANTEEN QUESTION
south Dakota Soldier Oppose,
Restoration Of Canteen

|
So much has been said and is
being said by many army officers
for the reesta ablishment of the
army canteen, that the following
protest from former private is
well worth consideration. The
United States naval authorities
have long since banished liqnor
from the bill of fare, and it is
the opinion of a good many
Americans that today the navy
is not a whit inferior to the
army. The communication was
published in the Sioux Falls
ArgusLeader:
My attention was called to the
article ga Canteen Campaign' in
your issue of January 10. l beg leave
to offer some thoughts on the army
canteen question.
| Having served eighteen months as
private in the United States volun-
teer army during 1S98-99, 1 learned
some things about the army canteen
busi mess, the tendencies of soldiers to
drink, the morals of the officers and
| also something of army rules and dis
| cipline. While | did not learn much
| about the regular army, I am conf
dent that the regular soldier is much
| the same as the volunteer with regard
to the drink habit. Young men are
much the same no matter where To-
Gated.
From actual knowledge am posi-
tive in stating that not lees than 95
TIC nf hn ~
to the Philippines were in the habit
of drinking liquor. Some drank very
little, some more, still others to ex-
cess. This proportion prevailed
among commissioned officers as we'll
as men.
l am sure the regular army is no
better than the volunteer army-in
fact | believe that the cond itions there
are much worse.
The regular army officers seem to
be in favor OF the restor alton of the
canteen-the barrack saloon. The ex-
cuse they have for setting the booze
in front of a soldier in his barracks
is $50 he will not go outside to the vile
drinking resorts which are allowed
to abound in the neighborhOod of
every army post. This sounds queer,
when we know that if the army off,
GERS enforced the military rules, these
vile resorts would not exist anywhere
near the post. For army officers to
admit that they cannot or do not en-
force the regulations is an admission
OF grave egligence on their part.
These army officers claim that the
'soldiers will drink" and they cannot
prevent him. The public should know
that in every other particular they
make the soldier do as they wish
Why not make him quit drinking
liquor?
The real truth Of the matter is the
officers want the canteen so they
themselves can drink without going
become intoxicated they can quietly
60 to bed without risk of being seen
by some superior officer or the public,
and being disgraced. The army Off
GERS do not care two straws about
how much an enlisted man drinks,
unless their hearts have been wOn-
derfully changed in five years.
1t is a noticeable fact that all the
sentiment in favor of the restoration
OF the canteen comes from the COM
missioned officers. Not a word from
the enlisted man.
The claim is made that desertiOns
are on the increase, and that men de-
sert because they go out to these
aforesaid vile saloons and load up,
and then while under the influence OF
liquor leave the service. Now we
have only the word of these same Of
ficers to that effect and we hear from
other sources that drunkenness is on
the decrease in the army. Of course
in the military service commissioned
officers word is as good or better than
thousand priv ates, but in civil life
one mans word is as good as an
other.
There are many faults in the mill
tary system, many Of which would be
corrected if there were few more
men wearing shoulder straps instead
OF the drunken sots and old moss
backs who hold commissions in our
army today.
What would we do? Keep the can
teen grogshop out of the soldiers bar.
racks. Drive the saloons and brothels
twenty miles away from any army
post. Uncle Sam has the authority to
do this. If he can prevent liquor be-
ing sold to Indians, he can keep it
away from his soldiers. If soldiers
will desert then, why let them go,
and induce the better grade OF young
men to enlist by raising the wages to
S25 or $50 month. Cut down the
army from 68,OO0, drunken men to
10000 clean, sober men and we will
have much better army.
The class Of men who enlist in the
army to draw $l3 a month are the
class who frequent saloons. brothels
and gambling dens. No smart, clean
young man wants 10 throw away his
time for Sl3 month. Let the drunks
desert, and get the better boys In their
places. Then pick out set OF better
officers, and in q few years the UnIted
States soldier would not dream Of q
canteen, let alone drinking or carous-
ing.
Don't commence 70 reform IN evil
by beginning at the wrong end-by
putting the booze right under the
noses Of the soldier boys. Get better
soldiers, pay them more, get better Of
ticers, and keep liquor away. Then
the end for which the heroic women
OF the w. G. +. u. are striving will