The Washington herald., 1914-05-31

OFFICERS RESENT
IEETOIM ORDER
Say 1t Holds Them Up to Pub
lie Gaze as Drunk
ards.
RUM RUSSIA'S DOWNFALL
If Roiestyenskv,s 0fhcers Had Alb
RUM RUSSIA'S DOWNFALL
If Rojestvensky's, Officers Had Alb
stained Port Arthur Might Have
Been Saved.

There are now two absolutely teetotai
navies In the world, the first being the
Canadian navy, the second the American
navy. Some time ago Secretary Daniels
of the American navy issued instructions
that hereafter there should be no drink
ing of alcoholic liquors upon any United
States navy yard. nor elsewhere upon
the property of the United States navy.
Further, he decreed that liquor should
not be kept aboard any vessel Of the
navy. but whether the prohibition Is to
include liquor kept for use as medicine
IS not disclosed. Naturally the edict
has created great deal Of excitement.
Discipline in the navy forbids ofncers
giving their views to the press, but from
the comments in the American news
papers we should Judge that the navy
strongly objects to this arbitrary use OF
authority The officers who drink feel
that the action of the secretary holds
them up to the public gaze as potential
drunkards, men who are no more to be
trusted with a glass of liquor than
maniac is to be trusted with an ak. says
the Toronto Daily Mail and Empire
veteran diplomat writing in the
Philadelphia Ledger voices the dissatis-
faction of the men. He explains that the
officers Of the American navy Will be
seriously embarrassed when entertaining
officers OF other navies. When foreign
officers have been IN the habit of drink
ing from childhood, when their glass of
wine or stein of beer is as much a nee
efNty at meal as a cup of tea or
coffee to most people, and when they
are offered unfermented grape Juice or
lemonade the pleasure of the evening is
spoiled for them. and they will be anx-
tous+ to escape the ordeal of accepting
the invitation of American officers.
American Officers Unhappy.
As matter of fact, American officers
have long been in an unhappy position
In the matter of entertaining, for they
are given no table allowance to cover
the item. no matter how official is the
entertainment The officers of all navies
have spending account for this pur-
pose. and naturally their hospitality is
upon much heartier scale than is the
case in the American navy.
With the exception of the late Canadian
navy, no other navy in the world en-
forces abstinence on the part of officers
All encourage it. In the Russian navy
there is too much drinking undoubtedly.
and the disaster that befell Rojestven-
sky's feet in the Japanese war was
part due to the heavy drinking on the
the British navy, and there is a we'll
authenticated legend to the effect that
Queen Victoria partook of il. On one
occasion she was cruising in the royal
yacht, and had taken up her quarters to |
the lee of one of the forward deck !
cabins,I, where she was sitting with her
ladies-in- waiting Throughout the after |
noon she observed officers approach the |
spot, then turn back again, their faces
expressing great worry.
Finally she asked Admiral Fullerton
the reason and he explained that the
queen had been setting with her back to
the cabin where the grog was kept and
her presence made it impossible for the
officers to enter. The queen laughed
and promised TO move on the under
standing that she should be given a |
glass of the grog and this was done. Ali
the years the Queen sent on the throne, |
however, were spent in the interest of
temperance. The same may be said of
the late King Edward, one of whose last
public expressions of opinion was a hope
that he might be able to do something
to lessen the evils of excessive drinking |
He had not been long on the throne be-
fore he conveyed to the army and navy
the hint that his health could be as we'll
drunk in water as in wine.
Oatmeal in War Times.
1t used to be the custom on British
ships of war to serve out a double ration |
of rum when the ships were going into |
action The practice has long been done |
away with, and when there is fighting to |
be done neither officers nor men are al |
lowed to drink of anything but oatmeal !
water It is too well recognized that a |
modern man-o'-war is too complicated a |
piece of me mechinery TO be risked in the
hands OF men whose pulse has been
quickened by alcohol The modern con- |
ming tower has its walls literally covered
with electric buttons and switches To |
press the wrong one at critical moment |
might easily mean the destruction of the |
ship and the loss of thousands of lives |
Moreover, the sighting of modern guns Il |
something that demands the greatest |
nicely, and Lord Charles Beresford has |
told us that the prize gunners- in the |
Mediterranean feet, which established a /
wonderful record for gunnery when he |
was in command, were without exception
total abstainers. The officers all know
that any yielding TO the temptation of |
alcohol would be fatal to their success in |
their profession for there is the sternest |
discipline. and an officer who showed any |
sign Of intoxication would be court |
martialed in any navy. Perhaps IL is be- |
cause they are so careful in this respect I
that the Americans resent the order of |
Secretary Daniels.