Bisbee daily review., 1909-01-27
REINSTATEMENT OF THE CANTEEN
 |S DEMANDED
Sentiment in Army Circles Said to Be Practically Unanimous For the Change-Gen. Fred. Grant Favorable.

WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 26.-- From private to major, the United States army is making this request as if with one voice. So emphatic is the entreaty, congress could restore the canteen instanter were 1t not for the eyer-watchful eye of the women tenn perance worker.
 Dssertions in the army are increas- ing at such a rapid rate the war de- partment has resorted within the last month to printing proclamations- There is about s250.000 offered as re- wards for the capture of deserters, $50 being allowed for information that will enable the government to capture each runaway. These proc lamations carry the deserter's picture, side and full face views, also de- scription, making the whole sheet look like the Bertillion report upon a crimipal.
 Army officers are united in the be- lief the taking away of the canteen is responsible for the assertions. Army ard navy journals are also ad- vocating congress to return the can teen. Representative Bartholdt, of Missouri, who looks after the saloon and brewery interests in congress, is the fa~her of a btll providing for its | Ie-esta5lishment. The friends of the canteen are amassing strength quietly but it requires a strong congressional heart to deliberately step out in the open as a target for thousands of blue ribbon orators. Conditions are not just what they used to be in this respect. The time has passed when a member of congress may argue against prohibition without finding it hard to win the following election.
 "The anti-canteen law ought to be l repealed" says Major General Fred eric D. Grant, 'but the prospects oi congress doing anything right away are not very encouraging. Politicians do not care to autagoniZe the ex treme prohibition sentiment. Con gress sees, I think, it has made 8 mistake, but it is a hard thing to go back now"
 Col. Silas F. Stewart, a retired ar my officer, who is a prohibiuonist il all matters excepting the canteen, de clares with the rest of the canteeI
 forces that the taking away of tn,
 eanteen is practically wholly respon
 sible for the increasing number O , desertionS, He says that the mum Der of young men that have r1I away from duty is so apalling thu government hesitates to make publi' the figures.
 The abolition of the canteen
 responsible" he ayers. The mel
 simply won't remain at the posts | The last congress raised their pay t
 hold them but it failed. The desel
 lions have kept on increasing unt
 now they are apalling. There is n
 army in the world, and there neve
 was one. so highly paid, so well feC
 or better clothed, and yet we can nc
 hold the men in it. No army has eve
 offered better inducements in the va
 of promotion. yet the men are dissa
 isfed and desert.
 M "Desertions began the day the cal
 teen was abolished. The men di not intend to desert, but they go | town with their months pay in the | pockets, become intoxicated. oyer-sta
 their leave, and then are afraid | come back for fear of punishmen . The longer they remain away th longer they have 70.
 Frankly, life at an army post no . is a drudge We will never stop q , sertions until we restore the canteel !, We can double the pay and the SC ' diers will not remain.
 We were told that We might kee '' the canteen open for the sale of so V drinks. That was CT no avail. . "The deseTtion of a soldier near m