Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-14
The Army Canteen Whine.

The rum trust is SenulnS out, ant
lii is being published with giee by sucf
as the Biddeford Record. the deelara
tions of various well known men II
favor of the liquor traffic \ favoritt
topic IS the army .eanteen, beeaus
they have been able to win more con
yerts on that than on any other line oi
booze sophistry. Gen. Wotherspoon
is ouotad on conditions at Fort Leayen-
worth as follows:
II had occa sion to make a very care
ful investigation of the offences com
United by the men and that brought
me into direct contact with the CLASS
of dives and brothels that have beeh
referred to here. / never have seen I'D
my life anything so disgusting, SO oe-
praved as those We're. Among the men
this class of dives was divided mt
two groups the red and the green
light. The red light was place where
liauor alone was sold of very vie
character, but compared To the otllei
place. the green-light district. it was i
pentleman's club AT those places
iEtTe WIS Il bdt I0biii IN
the men believed they got knockout
drops almost with the hfst arlrh.
There were stalls in an extension of
the building where women, mostly OF
the vilest type, had their habitatlons
and extended their grasp over the sol
dfers. A man would go down after
nav day and get into one of these
ereen-lieht places. He would remem-
her that he had one or two drinks,
also that lie started in with $40 or 500
in his pockets and he would be out IN
the hands of the police at the end OF
three days.
That is supposed to be true deserlp-
ton of conditions just outside OF Inc
fort, and all because the army can
teen or federal rum shop once main
tanned at every army camp, was aboi-
ished by act of Congress. Ever since
the air has been filed with this idtotle
whine from certain army officers and
BY the liquor interests and their min
ions. They always point to the hor-
rors existing Just beyond the jurisdic-
ton of army officers and whore they
cannot prevent the soldiers from 60
ing 10 make worse than brutes of
themselves.
Just for a mon1ent consider the
above indictment of conditions sup
posed TO exist in proximity to all forts,
homes ard posts. by distinguished
army man, and then remember that
the federal government has thus far
failed TO see the simple solution-and
why?
If such conditions exist, why, instead
of drooling about Uncle Sam getting
back into the business of dragging the
army, does not Congress take action to
rgidly and thoroughly wipe out such
conditions and traffic, not only in
proximity 10 army posts but every
where in the land2
Is it not high time for the federal
government to assume full control of
such forming and hypnotic
drugs, and polsons as concern public
health?
These mumblng apologists and
pleaders for vice and crime because
there is money in exploiting the bodies
and souls of human beings) talk and
write as though humanity was obliged
to have the product of the booze
trust, as it is obliged to have food and
water.
1t is no longer a case of going into a
hellish business ourselves on the pre-
tense that we can make an evil any
better by adding respectable names 10
its patrons, but it is case of drasti-
cally cutting out the cancer at home,
first and then stepping outside to help
cut it out of our neighborhood. If tho
testimony of Gen. Wotherspoon and
other army officials is true, what a
lasting shame 10 our boosted govern
mont that we as a nation permit it,
The dark ages of rum.' What a
history to send down to posterity
along with record of such marvellous
as credited TO us in
| other lines,
And all because of money profit in
| the souls and bodies of humanity!
| Southern slave trade was Christ-likt
in comparison to this heliish traffic, or
which every conceivable form of vice
and crime are founded and nurtured
And stil men of intelligence stand III
and justify one crime with another!
Professor Riesser, a well known Ger.
man economist. reckons that if wal
broke out between France and Ger.
many each country during the first 81,
iwlpEG Af hnCtilitiac L.