The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1865-06-22
Soldiers Home.

Home at Indianapolis. This Home
if / understand the design, is to be
something like the Hospital Of the In
valides at Paris, intended To receive the
MANNED and crippled soldiers OF Indi-
ana, as that does of France, and sup
port them at the expense of the whole
State, either by voluntary contributions
or a public tax. | think the location at
Indianapolis indefensible and unjust, both
to the people of Indiana and TO the gal
liant soldiers themselves and for the
following reasons:
< l. 1t would not, and could not be "a
home for anv MANNED solder outside
OF Marion county-inieed outside of
Indianapolis-and especially 10 those
who are blessed with wife and children,
/ for l take it for granted that the getters
I up of this home have no idea of taking
into that building all the wives and chill
/ ren of the manned soldiers OF the State.
What sort of "home' would it be for
the crippled soldier of Wayne county.
who has q wife and children there, or
for soldier from Floyd, or Nigo, or
Allen or Dearborn, or Lake, or Laporte?
A wounded and manned soldier would
not leave his family to accept the hos
pitality of an Institution which would
ing them to struggle for subsistence
alone and unaided True soldiers are
not thus constituted They have hearts
in their bosoms, and affections which
the loss of a limb neither expels nor OBJ
literates. The brave men who never
knew fear in battle could not be induced
to desert their darlings for such a home
as that They would spurn your home,
for, as has been beautifully expressed,
" tbs home wher ere the heart Is.
2 As a'home' for TIE soldiers of Ind
ana, it can never be made useful, for the
reasons which are set forth above To
ask the manned and crippled to go to
indianapolis, and to leave the families
which they love, would be insulting to
their feelings as husbands, parents and
brothers. Not one in a hundred would
ever darken the indianapolis Home"
They would prefer remaining at their
present residences in the various coun-
ties and townships. and take their chan
ces of support and success amongst
their old neighbors and associates. Let
the reader put the question to himself:
Would l. if wounded and crippled, de
sert nv family-would l accept Home
a hundred miles from that wife and chill
dren. and leave them to the hardships.
Tue CDalltN anu Tie ices VI luc "oIlu
Every parent, husband and brother will
give the answer. 1t would be an indig
nant negative.
l desire that the people of Indiana
should look upon this question practical
ly. No doubt the people of indianapolis
and Marion county should have n Home
for soldiers. 1t should be one for their
own crippled and MANNED warriors, and
they should build and maintain it at their
own expense, as other counties will be
called upon to do. | heartilv approve
Of the movement instituted at the Capt.
tai, as n local measure of its own, and
hope every county in Indiana will take
steps to initiate ..Home" of similar
character. 1t must be done. for it is
Just to those who have deserved the graft
tude of their country.
AS am an honest objector to this In
dianapolis Home" scheme as a State en-
terprise, perhaps l ought TO make sug
gestion of the better way. This will be
done in few words:
l. l would establish COUNTY HOMES,
or even TOWNSHIP HOMES, and provide
for their support by equitable taxation,
and by private donations. would keep
their management in the hands of the I
people of the counties or townships,
those soldiers who are their neighbors,
their relations and their friends Either
of these plans would keep the manned
soldier with his family, and enable him
to watch over the little ones whom God
lad placed under his care.
. / would do even more than that
would. instead of building an ediiice .
to he called a Home" secure to the
MANNED and crippled soldier a homestead +
"A neat little cottage in the village, town
or city, or forty acres in the country /
That would be q ''home" indeed. and, in
the long run. the cheapest for the tax I
payer or the liberal citizen. In this
home he would he surrounded by
wife children and friends and soon
feel that he was truly one Of the people,
rs he is, and not a pensioner upon the
bounty of the State. | have no wish to
see any American soldier put away un-
der any roof not his own. and above all,
subjected to the police of upstart of
icials. with neither the heart nor head
to appreciate his worth. This would be
the case under the State management of f
a Soldiers Home. Ny idea is to let
the counties and townships, and the peo-
pie of the counties and townships man
age this affair in their own way, and it
1ianapolis.
3. l would help the MANNED and help
less soldiers in another way, and this is /
always easy to do. if enough will assist
Let the people rots out OF office all the .
drones, all the agitators, all the STAY at
home patriots. mischief making Copper
head Republicans and Copperhead Dem !
ocrats, and vote IN all the one armed. one
legged and otherwise crippled soldiers
who are qualified to fill the various State,
county and township offices This will
provide for many hundreds in the State
Of Indiana. Then, if Governor Nor
ton will follow suit, and fill his executive
on liberal scale from the
same class. that will greatly aid also
These things being accomplished, 1
would suggest to President johnson. /
that ne set adrio all the noisy patriots /
and lazy verrnin now filing the minor /
Offices in Washington, and pat in their /
place those who have need of and de. i