Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-14
THE ARMY CANTEEN
Effort for Its Re-EstabIish-
ment to Be Made.
OPINIONS OF GOVERNORS
All Presiding Officers of Homes
Agree in Recommendation.
DRUNKENNESS HAS INCREASED
Since Beer Was Forbidden. and the
Efforts at Discipline Have
Been More Difficult.
DRUNKENNESS HAS INCREASED

! Chairman TaWnPy OF the House apD"o-
priations committee and other friends o
! the old soldiers who are spending the
! twilight of their lives in the national sol
ders' homes for vclun' Ger soldiers intend
| to make hard fight In the House when
tho sundry evil appropriation bill comes
1 up for consideration to eliminate from
! that measure the provision. inserted for
! the first time last year abolishing the
| beer halls or canteens In these homes.
| As published exclusively in The Star the
! other day. the percentage of acute alro-
holism. of offenses growing out of the use
! OF liquor and of arrests for such Offenses
/ has increased largely during the first
| eight months of the operation of the
anti-canteen clause affecting the homes
| over the last eight months that The beer
| halls were in operation.
Since the publication in The Star the
other day much additional information Of
| interest has come 70 the sundry civil
| subcommittee of the appropriation COM
| mittee on this subject in the shape of re-
| ports and recommendations from the
board of managers of the national SOL
| diers homes and from the governors of
these various homes scattered all over
| the country. some of them in wet states
| and some of them in dry.
More than this Mai. Moses Harris. gen.
eral treasurer of the board of managers.
when he appeared before the sundry civil
| sln1ry committee in executive session the
other day. expressed in the most decided
| language the attitude of the board on this
canteen proposition. He gave the follow
ing as the views of the whole board on
the matter:
Treasurer Harris Statement
A period of eight months has now
ella psed since the closing of the beer halls
during which time the general policy as
To administration and discipline has not
been otherwise changed. Reports from
governors of all branch homes show that
1.31G more offenses have been committed
| by members during this period than dur
| ing the same eight months of the previous
fiscal year, when the bee" halls were in
operai ion. an increase of 1892 per cent.
| Practically all of these offenses were
due to intemperance.
The number Of cases of acute cohol-
| ism treated in the hospitals during this
period has increased. The smallest in
crease reported was IL per cent. at the
Pacific branch tSanta Monica. Cali. and
the largest. 81 per cent at the eastern
branch in Maine.
The opinion of the board as stated in
! it's last annual report. that the discontin-
uance OF the sale Of beer would be a dis
| tinct detriment TO the morals and physical
| interest Of the members of the homes APP
| plorable results shown by the above fig
ures. and it is strongly recommended and
urged that the prohibition against the
sale of beer, which was attached as a
provision to the appropriation 70: the
support of the homes for the current
! fiscal year. be not renewed.
! The statement OF the board that the
| highest percentage of increase In cases
iof acute alcoholism occurred in the home at
Togun Me. where everything Is supposed
| to be dry prohibition laws having been
! In effect il the community in which the
home is located for years. is considered
by Chairman Tawney and other members
! of the House who will fight against the
| inclusion of the clause this year as of
particular interest Mr.. TaWney wrote to
the governor of the Eastern Branch Home
at Togun to secure his views. first-hand
impression of conditions tina prevail there
with the anti-canteen provision in force
| In reply Gov. Richards Of this home said
in part: a., ~ -
trials. both for absence without leave and
! for drunkenness during the period from
| March to December l. 1907. is greater
! than the number of trials for the same Of
! Tense during the period from March 4 10
/ December !. 1906.
| An examination of the records Of the
trials for absence without leave in in
| dividuaI cases dlscloxes the fact that in
very many instances the absence without
! leave is the result of the debauch in
\ some DrOtIel uINe III Tue N4tlH!iN VI
| The branch o" in the neighborinS cities,
where the absentee is often found IN
! jail or to have remained away until AT
| least partially sober in order to avoid
| trial for drunkenness. The most Sig
nificant fact. however. in connection with
| the closing of the beer hall is its effect
upon the health of the members Thai
one such debauch far more seriously af-
4 fects the health of the veterans than
| continued moderate use OF beer is shown
| by the hospital records which show that
| the percentage OF cases of acute alcohol
| ism to the whole number treated during
The period from March :, 1908 to Novem-
Der L. 1906 was 12.1. while the per-
centage from March I. 1907. 10 November
| I. 1907. was 246
Difficulties Of Discipline Increased.
Gov Richards says further in his letter
| to Mr.. Tawney that the difficulties of
ma int aiming proper discipline at the
| branch have been largely increased since
| the abolition of the beer halls Although
Maine is a prohibition state and the
strictest kind of prohibition laws on
| the statute books there. Gov. Richards
| says: THE number of saloons and other
resorts which have been established in the
| vicinity OF the home since and result
| of the anti-canteen provision of tile APP
| preparation act cannot be positively
| stated, because. this being prohibition
state all such places attempt 10 work
|
| that the number has more than doubled.
| and that all OF them are far more pros
porous There are now places in the vi
| cinity OF the home to which the members
| resort i'm large numbers and to all APP
| pearances for no other purpose than 10
| obtain Intoxicating liquor.
| This liquor. sold In spite OF the pro-
| nibitory law of the state. is Of the vilest
| character. and it's injurious effects upon
| those who drink il can hardly be over
| estima ted. Pocket peddlers numerous
! and the state authorities seem to be ut
| terly unable to suppress them. Some of
| them have become SO bold as to attempt
| 10 ply their nefarious trade within the
limits of the reservation
| Gov. Richards concludes his letter to
| MIR. Tawney by stating that ii is earnest
| H. TO be hoped that success may attend
| The efforts To SECURE the restoration Of
| the beer hall TO the Soldiers Home. Near
| at hand and every day observation of the
| home he says, both before and since
the abolition of the beer hall. conclusive
ly demonstrates that it's closing at the
homes is A step backward in the cause
OF temperance and an injury to the best
| interest. happiness and welfare of the
veterans who are the wards of the gov
ernment.
Mr. Tawney has also received letter
very similar in conclusions and RECON-
mendation TO this one from Gov Rich
ards. from the governors of the central
! branch home at Dayton. Ohio: the north
western branch at Milwaukee, Wis: the
southern branch at Hampton. Va: the
Pacific branch at Santa Monica Cal the
Marion branch al Marion Ind: the Dam
vile branch at Dsnville. H.; the noun