Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-12-31
ARMY MANS VIEW
OF THE CANTEEN
IS ABLE TO TALK INTELLIGENT T
LY FROM LONG Ex-
PERlENCE.
MERELY A FEEDER FOR OUTSIDE
SALOONS, HE DECLARES
SERIOUSLY. =

A. S. Daggett brigadier- general
United States army, retired, who lives
in Washington, d. c., discu ;ges a re-
cent article in Golfers Weekly by
Major Charles NIGH. Saltman, signal
corps of the army This article is 50
far from the truth in most particular
that it seemed impossible that it could
have been written by an army officer.
It sounded like the production Of q
novice.
The official army register shows
that the major entered the service
June II, 1896. If he took advantage Of
his graduating leave, he probably did
not join his regiment before Septem-
Der Il. Assuming that he did, he had
only about nineteen months experience
with the canteen before the breaking
out of the Spanish-American war; and
all this as a new second lieutenant.
This inexperience, therefore, may part
~ account for the crudeness Of his
production
]. The article leads all civilians to
believe that the post exchange was
destroyed When the cahIeeh was aOoI'
l7ned. ms IS not so. Inc post eA-
change exists today 1t has reading
and amusement rooms, library gym
haSlum' lunch counter ana general
merchandise SloFeToohl. congress mas
appropriated about $4,000 900 for build
ings and their equipment for thi3 in
StItuUon. 1t IS the soldiers cIuD. II
mas nearly everything necessary Tor
Such an institution but mas not the
adIhILLed eVll Of peer. Let any one
read the MAJOR article with care, and
see II he can ma the slightest lndIca-
uoh mat TINS soldiers CLUB exists.
Leading the pubic TO believe that the
post exchange was abolished with the
canleen, Is almo It a universal pFac-
nee WIN the cIVIIlahS VINO write OF
speak IN iaVor OF the resolution OF the
canleen. Let me repeat, the post eX'
change, the soldiers club, with all It's
appointments, exists today.
= Mayor Saltzman says there was
no drunkenness or disorder where the
canteen was But General Dagget
says: My experience during the
whole existence OF the canteen was dl'
rectIy to the contrary In 1886 was IN
command Of a company composed Tor
the most part OF temperate men, a rev
of whom were total abstainers. We had
been stationed at Fort Spokane, then
Washington territory, Tor several
years. There was no canteen at that
20 H. An amusement room mad Deeh
established without beer and 1t had
been success tuI. Although we den
was nearby there vas put llttle drunk
ehhesS or oil order Inc nara urlhhets
visited the den, but the majority dld
not so near 1t. Ihat year we moved TO
Fort Omaha Nebraska "here theFe
were many Sa.oonS. Inc SAFE OF peer
was introduced INTO the cahteen Tor
the aVoWed purpose OF keeping the
men away from the saloons. Ihe re
suit was that men got more or less
under the influence OF beer at the can
teen. and then went to the saloons tor
something presumably stronger. In
the course OF year or more my men,
iotM aoStalnerS ana all mad ac-
CURED the drink habit | can recall
~
,t'o, ~, 0''oI ,'o'' ,'liu 'o',
'0 :. OeN'','ie '"s
~ nc 90 - was 'ii' S''i"o
J." "I'i''e "l ue5'eeS wherever =
SCI 'eu' "ielnei III AIlzola' OhIahollla'
Oo,o' ',uo' montana OF ELSEWHERE
II" ',,''Jo' says 'n"' 9los S"oP'
ana uI'eS throughout the lahd began
~ "'S' ppeaI' but says General
'"55'''' lHey uIu not at forJ Oma-
nd nor any olher post where served.
NJ Po'I oLi'ana' saloons renamed as
iong as troops renamed TO accommo-
o"'e the nara drinkers made by the
C'I'een' "Heh the post was a0an-
'o"eu' win the cahteen' the saloons
',oSeu. 1t mas oeen reported oy CIVILIAN
""''i'IS l""t 'heIe were more saloons
''"' VI MSeI' va ana washington
'"' 'cNS uurIiis lhe existence OF the
C'li'Sen '""n oeioIe lLs IaoilShmeht'
Nouul''onS vary Ill ulheFent Iocailtles,
80 'i'e'e may nave oeen places where
ms was eHe'Seu' nave oeen RELIABLY
.rioi il'eu u one post "here 'hlS was
,' &
:, me MAJOR says men stayed in
'"e SEIhnaSlumS and reading rooms,
''I.' "here there was a canteen. To
tulS General Daggett REPLIES. "There