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The Commoner
JULY, 1918
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Liquor Conditions in
Europe.
Summary and recommendations of commis
sioners Drs. James Cannon, Jr., and E. m J.
Moore, appointed by the Anti-Saloon League
of America to make a first-hand study of con
ditions surrounding our soldiers and sailors in
Great Britain and France, with special refer
ence to the evils of intemperance and prostitu
tion, which report, on May 15, 1918, according
to agreement made in advance, was submitted
to the secretary of war, Newton D. Baker, and
the secretary of the navy, Hon. Josephus Dan
iels. The report in full has been printed in
pamphlet form for distribution by the American
Issue Publishing Co., Westerville, Ohio, and on
the basis of tho facts stated in the body of the
report the following summary and recommenda
tions are presented:
SUMMARY.
1. The American military and 'naval forces
in Europe are a splendid body of men. Taking
as a whole they are so cleant so sober, and so
efficient that they bring a feeling of pride to
every American who sees them, and who knows
the record they are making.
2. The commanding officers of the army and
navy are deeply concerned for the morals of
the men under their control. They are in full
sympathy with the law passed by congress for
the protection of the soldiers and sailors from
vice and intemperance, and are earnest and
persistent in their "efforts to promote continence
and sobriety in both officers and men, not sim
ply by prohibitory and repressive measures, but
by positive efforts to divert and occupy the time
and thought of the men when off duty with
social, recreational, educational, -and amusement
features of an innocent and elevating nature.
3. The 'people of the United States have em
phasized in tho most positive and helpful fash
ion the duty of a nation to care for the social
and moral welfare of its sons in time of war by
the splendid contributions they have made in
men, women and money for carrying on the
work of the Y. M. C. A., and the Y. W. C. A.,
and the Red Cross, thus making it possible for
the soldiers to have in every city, town, and
camp, where they may be located, comfortable
meeting places, where under the supervision "of
intelligent, patriotic, helpful men and women,
social, educational, recreational and religious
opportunities are offered, which are of incal
culable pleasure and profit to the men, and the
surest possible preventive of drunkenness and
immorality. These great organizations, work
ing along with the chaplains, strongly support
ed and aided as they are by the commanding
officers of the army and navy, act as a great
social, moral, and spiritual tonic, permeating
the great body of- men.
4. While the American sailors and soldiers
taken as a body are doubtless far above the av
erage in clean and sober living, yet there is
much drinking of wine and beer, very much
more than among the forces in the United
States and much among men who had not con
tracted the habit before. There is also very
considerable drinking of strong liquors, espe
cially brandy (although forbidden in General
Order No. 77) li the seaport cities, in London
and Paris, and in all the larger towns and cities,
hut decreasing to a minimum in the towns and
villages in the fighting zone. There has been
drinking to excess," .especially in London and
Paris and the port cities, which has sometimes
been so great as to cause very unfavorable
comment and to require strict repressive meas
ures to be taken by the commanding officers.
b" n drinking has been accompanied, as is usu
ally the case, with sexual immorality, as a re
sult of which in some, sections "venereal dis
ease was reaching a percentage larger than
could be ignored." It appears that in proportion
to numbers there has been. a greater amount
h ?king to excess and of immorality among
uie officers than among the men. This appears
to be due to the fact that in creating such a
large body of officers, it has happened, as might
navG been expected, that many have been com
missioned who have been lacking in discretion
ana self control. .When freed from the re
straint of the prohibitory laws . against intox
icants and prostitution in tb.e United States,
Rna given the freedom which' officers have in
France, such men have not restrained them
selves, but have indulged their appetites to tho
detriment of discipline among tho men under
them and to the dishonor of the American uni
form, which, to the praise of the higher officers
be It said, has -resulted in their discharge from
the navy and army and their return to tho
United States.
5. General order, No. 77, which was issued
In order to meet the unsatisfactory conditions
existing, especially in the port towns has been
helpful, but while it has checked, it has not
controlled the evils. The exemption of light
wines and beer is a distinct lowering of the
standard set for the army and navy by con
gressional action, and whatever good has re
sulted from the rest of the .order, the exemp
tion of light wines and beer has not only pro
duced no results to compensate for the public
official lowering of the American prohibitory
standard, but on the contrary the drinking of
wine and beer have undoubtedly been increased
by the order, and men are forming wine-drink-ijig
habits which will plague them for life.
Furthermore, under cover of the permit to
drfnk wine, the stronger liquors are frequently
. purchased without detection or punishment.
6. The mail Bervice from the United States
to the forces in Europe is not satisfactory. It
is handled showly, and many unnecessary mis-
$ takes and delays occur, and men absent from
their business and families are not kept in touch
with home life as they should be. Letters and
papers from home renew the home ties and
oftentimes prevent yielding to temptation to
drink and immorality.
RECOMMENDATIONS.
1. It is recommended that the standard
adopted 'by congress in the passage of the law
prohibiting the. sale of intoxicants to soldiers
and sailors in uniform and the practice of pros
titution in the zone of the military naval camps
be maintained -for our soldiers and sailors when
they leave the United States. General order,
No. 77, should be strengthened at once by
striking out the exemption as to light wines
and beer, and prohibiting the purchase, pos
session, or acceptance as a gift of all kinds of
intoxicating liquor. It should also be made ap
plicable to the. navy as well as-the army. The
sweeping order of General Scott for the Bor
deaux base, which prohibits any officer or man
to be in the company of a woman of immoral
character, on tho street, in a cafe, or in any
room or house of assignation or prostitution,
should" be extended to apply to all American
soldiers and sailors. The violation of this or
der should subject the offender to court-martial
and punishment as provided in General order,
No. 77, and officers should bo given- to under
stand that they will be held responsible for the
strict enforcement of this order.
There should be no hesitation and no delay
in issuing this order and in passing this legis
lation, for the prompt taking of such action will
prevent the formation of- wine-drinking habits
by American- soldiers and sailors, and the pur
chase of strong liquors under the cloak of the
wine bottle, and would result in a still greater
reduction in sexual vice.
2. It is recommended that the American
government, either through the department of
state, or through the military and naval author
ities, request the governments of Great Britain
and France to issue an order prohibiting the
sale of intoxicants by residents of those coun
tries to American soldiers ani sailors in uni
form in deference to the standards concerning
intoxicants and prostitution established by the
United States for its army and navy, and re
cently emphasized in a statement made by Gen
eral Pershing in which he said: "From the
military point of view we can not tolerate al
cohol among our soldiers. War is merciless;
men must be competent; the drinking man
makes a bad soldier. The army won't stand
alcohol because it must conserve its man-
3. It is recommended that the secretary of
war and the secretary of the navy unite in a
joint statement to the American people, em
phasizing in the strongest possible way the
creat and beneficent work which is being done
by the Y. M. C. A., the Y. W. C. A., and the
Red Cross in Europe, not only in furnishing
physical comforts and social pleasures, but in
strengthening the moral fibre of the men, and
assisting them to resist solicitation to vice and
intemperance. Every proper stimulus should
be given to secure the subscriptions by our peo
ple of whatever sum may be necessary to main
tain tho work of such organization In full
vigor, enabling them to send to Europe a forc
of men and women, adapted to perform th
services of inspiration, uplift, and practical help
fulness, which has already counted for so much
in the lives of our men in tho training camps,
and which is doubly needed now that they art
to bo engaged in activo battlo.
JAMES CANNON, Jr.,
E. J. MOORE, . ,
Commissioners.
BANK GUARANTY
From tho Commercial and Financial Chron
icle, New York.
Tho proposal to guarantee bank deposits Is
not now entirely now, but is fully as indefensible
as ever. As pending in tho Senate, all deposit
in national banks, whether large or small, are
to bo guaranteed up to $5,000; tho fund for this
purpose Is to be obtained' by a tax of not over
one-tenth of one per cent on tho deposits of each
bank up to tho limit of the guaranteed amount.
On behalf of this, one plea is offered: that by
promoting a feeling of security in the mind of
the owner of deposits of moderate sizo tho gen
eral business structure will recoivo strength, and
also there will bo a tendency to the moro free
circulation of money by attracting small hoards
out of private hiding places where they are both
unsafo and unproductive
Very little force can bo attached to the last
plea. Tho tendency towards availing of tho
conveniences of tho bank deposit and the bank
check has been continuous these many years.
If tho idea of guaranteeing by a tax upon all
engaged in the particular line is sound, where
should it stop? A proposal to hold the resources
of savings banks everywhere liable for tho de
posits of all, or to similarly hold tho assets of
all life insurance companies liable for the policy
obligations of all, or to lipid the resouiccs of
all transportation corporations liable for tho
securities of all and any, would arouse Instant
protest. To make all property responsible for
all debts would be chimerical; but to hold all
banks responsible for $5,000 worth of the de
posits of all looks in the same direction, differ
ing only in degree. The proposition Is to en
courage incompetence and recklessness by mak
ing competency and care responsible for their
results. Tho proviso that deposits bearing in
terests at over 4 per annum shall not be cov
ered is no improvement, for it tends to invite
offering interest up to that rate.
The Clearing House association has protested
unanimously against this proposition, declaring
it "in violation of common justice and common
fairness." It would mulct stockholders In order
to compensate for mismanagement in other in
stitutions perhaps thousands of miles distant
"and over which no mutual control or relation
ship exists." The inducement to individual care
and the sense of responsibility would be Im
paired if people are to be relieved by any form
of legislation from the effects of negligence.
The association justly denounces this bill as
wrong in principle; "it would impose an unjust
burden upon conservative bank management
and would exercise a deleterious influence upon
every community." The chamber of commerce
has followed by adopting a committee report
which indorses the protest of the banks.
Thero are some worse because more far
reaching propositions than this, but there Is
none more utterly jndefensible. And tho fact
that it Is being offered in war times makes it
all the more necessary that we should be on our
guard against It. "it should bo smothered.
- It is difficult to satisfy a person who has set
his mind on being critical. Billy Sunday was
given a freewill offering of $120,000 in New
York city and $50,000 in Chicago. The first he
distributed among the Y. M. C. A., the Y. W.
C. A. and the Red Cross, and the second he gave
to the little Pacific street mission where he was
converted years ago. Those who said Sunday
was in evangelism for the money he made out
of it now sneeringly say that his converts don't
stick anyway.
The force of public sentiment was never mor
strikingly displayed than in the very rapid dis
appearance from view of the self-styled red
blooded American who made as the test of
everybody else's loyalty that they agreed wltk
him.
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