The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-20

carefully formed judgment that thes
claims are without foundation in fac
In the early period, after the law wen
into effect abolishing the canteen, wa
impressed with the zeal manifested t
punish all acts of drunkenness and dis
order growing out of outside saloons
There seemed to be a determination t,
resent the law and by statistics t
prove it to be cause of disorder :.
soldier could not get drunk at an out
side saloon and escape punishment
The kindly hand that helped him to the
barracks from the canteen, which was
so common in the years before this law
was enacted, was conspicuously absent
after it went into effect. Personally,
| have had no faith in the accuracy OF
the statements of the increase OF
drunkenness in the army on account OF
| the new law, that have been common
ly reported in the public press. 1t is
my candid opinion that there has been
no increase of drunkenness and dis
order, Notwithstanding the alleged in
crease of trials by courtmartial: and
/ that the passage of the act has not
contributed to the decentralization of
the soldier. The facts are that during
the existence of the canteen the soldier
could get all the beer he wished, and,
if he wanted stronger drink, he could
and would, and did go to the outside
saloon for it, just as in later years he
has gone there for beer and stronger
drinks.
ABOLISH THE OUTSIDE GROG-
gerry.
Strange that, like Banquo's ghost,
the army canteen will not down. And
now comes a company of Washington
women, forming themselves into a soci-
ETY., passing resolutions and stirring
themselves up into a frenzy, and all
for the restoration of the canteen to
the army! One wonders if any woman
in the society is the mother of boy
who is an enlisted soldier in the army?
And what is the logic of it? This:
There is drunkenness in the army.
The drunkenness is an evil, and the
army is disgraced by the evil. The
cause of the drunkenness is the presence
near the army posts of low and vile
groggeries. And since Congress abol-
ished the canteen, and the soldiers cam
not secure drink within the post, they
viii go outside the post and patronize
the groggery. Mark you, drunkenness
is an evil, and the groggery is the
cause of the drunkenness and these
dear sisters want soberness in the
army. That is one member of the syl-
logism. The other is this: The canteen
is an evil When the canteen was in
graced by drunkenness. And the can
teen was the cause of it. Therefore it
was abolished. But now it is found
that the abolishing of the canteen
has not abolished drunkenness, be-
cause the groggery, a drunk-producer,
is just outside the post. And these wo-
men want soberness in the army, there
fore, say they, restore the drunk-pro-
ducing canteen to the army!
The usually sane Chicago Record
Herald calls the groggery an evil and
the canteen an evil. 1t distinguishes
lesser evil in the canteen than in the
groggery, and recommends that Con-
gress choose the lesser of two evils |
and by law restore the canteen. When |
Caesar wanted a wife it was deemed of |
the largest concern that the happy |
bride be a woman of maidenly vir- |
ute and virgin purity. Only such could |
be chosen for his excellency. Only |
laws that enforce purity and virtue, |
that are in themselves pure and en-
bodiments of the truth can be rightly
chosen for enactment by Congress. 1t
would be infamous for Congress to
choose either of two or one of ten
thousand evils and enact the same into
a law.
never has been defense OF it on moral
The outside groggery is an
evil There cannot be a defense of it
On moral grounds. Both have been
tried and both produce the same results
disorder, assertions, dis
grace. And these women and a good Il
many senators and congressman and II
men would restore the drunk
producing canteen to the army!
In the name of all that is good in
our Americanism, why not abolish the
outside groggery ?-Rev. James G.
Tucker.
The greater the distance to travel,
he less the likelihood of temptation.
At a distance of three full miles a
saloon is not so demoralizing as when
near at hand and the average young
nan is likely to give the subject serious