Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1905-05-04
SOME CANTEEN FACTS
Why the Temperance'People.In-
huence Congress No Mystery.
REPLY TO CHICAGO CHRONICLE,
Many Men Who Don't Vote Prohihi-
ton Ticket Believe In Principles.
The Cnnteen without Deer n Big
Success.

Vhe Snnteen WIthONt neer BIG
Success.
The Chicago Daily Chronicle pub
fishes in Il leading place the following
letter, which tells SO we'll the relation
of the temperance people TO the anti
canteen law and states so many facts
without getting excited in the least
that ii is of general interest The let
ter Is as follows.
To the Editor of the Chicago Chronicle:
The editorial in the Chronicle entitled
"What Blocks the Army Canteen' pays
q tribute to the Influence" of the Prohibi-
tion party that is fully deserved. But YOU
are altogether mistaken in the assumption
that the influence OF THE organized ad-
vocates of prohibition should be consid-
cred curious or astonishing" because
as a matter of fact. there is no mystery
about 1T.
a Line of Picketa.
The Prohibition party is the thin line of
p!ckets which makes up the vanguard Of
the great army of Christian people of this
country who with scarcely Il dissenting
voice through their official church dcclara-
lions demand the suppression of the liquor
traffic and the prohibition of the saloon.
Nearly if not quite 3o0o0.oOo people of
the sort of prohibition law locally which
the Prohibition party stands for in state
and nation The antisaloon leagues, with
their thousands Of intelligent voting con-
stituents; the w. c. 7. u, with it's ma
ton wide organizations; the countless
Good Templar orders and the many other
societies whose tendency Is the Develop
ment of antisaloon sentiment find their
common ultimate purpose incarnated in
the Prohibition party. This party has
carried on 4 ceaSeless agitation for nearly
forty years and has unearthed and classi-
fed the facts OF the liquor problem moro
.ogically and eXhaustively than any SINH
lar movement in American history
The Prohibition party up to date per-
haps has been numerically so weak as
mot to make Il ripple on the surface of
any national political campaign" but it's
strength lies in the rapidly increasing
millions who personally indorse It's prin-
tiples more or less completely although
they do not as yet support its candidates
at the polls. 1t is called radical and in
dependent. but because in the political
fed 1t represents this nationwide con-
stituency of Christian people and many
others. what you term it's ''extraordinary'
and astonishing influence upon con-
gress In these especial matters is the most
natural and reasonable thing In the world.
Opinion Versus Facts.
anticanteen law are concerned. there has
been great deal more "opinion" than
actual fact in current circulation The
Prohibitionists are not at all worried over
the effects of the act. The official figures
Of the war department for 1904 show a
steady decrease in the number of court
martials, in the number of admissions per
1000 to the sick list. In cases of alcoholism
and insanity, and on the other hand show
that the canteen stores minus beer during
the past year paid a profit of over 100 per
cent, besides adding 16 per cent to their
net value. That the number of deser-
tions does not necessarily prove anything
as to the relative value Of a canteen with
or without beer is strongly indicated by
Lieutenant General Miles in the following
from his official report for 1901: ''Deser-
tions most usually occur during the first
six months of enlistment. In many cases
the men that have deserted belong to a
class whose presence in the service was
not desirable under any conditions, but
whose real character was not known at
the time of enlistment
The one insurmountable fact that will
continue TO render the average army Off
GERS testimony suspicious and unconvino-
ing to the great mass of temperance peo-
pie Is that there is maintained at prac-
dcally every army post today an officers
"canteen." we'll supplied with beers and
whiskies, which the "nnticanteen' law
did not touch and which must color the
reports" however much pains may be
taken to make them impartial.
Army ana business.
The law has not had time for fair or
conclusive trial. Congress has appropri-
ated over S1.Ooo,000 for specially equipped
soldiers clubhouses to take the place of
the old canteen quarters This was done
at the !nstigation of the prohibition "lob-
py.' but sufficient time has not yet elapsed
for the complete distribution and proper
Investment of this great fund Let con
gress abolish the officers canteens. re-
quire abstinence as q vital essential In
every grade and cooperate with the state
In creating an adequate prohfbitive circle
around every army post and the canteen
question will solve itself. for with every
great Industry. the great railroads. tho
big fraternal orders and the labor unions
more and more demanding abstinence as
one of the first requisites OF employment
and membership certainly the army can.
not afford to take backward step in this
matter FRED D. L. SQUIRES