The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1873-10-04

following succinct history of the
origin of the SOLDIERS Homes"
which will be found highly interest
ing:
In the year 1865, in March, a
corporation was established by Con
gress of one hundred of the pinci-
pal gentlemen of the country, who
incorporated an institution, known
as the National Soldiers and Sail
ors' Home, for the disabled volun-
teers of the army and navy. There
were five several attempts made to
get that one hundred men together,
or fifty one of them, which it was
necessary to do under the law, for
organization. Those attempts fail
ed. A citizen of Dayton, a man
representing our country at the
first Court in the world, General
Schenck, was the Chairman of the
Military Committee of the Lower
House of Congress, becoming dis
heartened from that meeting which
I had three times attended, because
/ had said to those soldiers who
went out with me in 1861, without
bounty or hope of reward, that,
God sparing my life. l would see
to it that they were taken care of so
long as they should live applause
and that promise I was bound to
fulfill; and therefore was prese t at
each Of these meetings,-I said to
General Schenck in despair: That
shall be done; those men who have
fought my battles, who have been
disabled by shot and bayonet and
saber cut; and worse than all, those
who have been disabled by the fell
disease of the swamps and pens of
the Southren climate; and worse
still, those who have been disabled
by starvation in prisons where they
have been found; what provision
can be made for their future COM
fort and supports Entering with
great heartiness into the matter, he
said to me: Come to my room this
evening, and we will endeavor to
draw some plan by which soldiers
home can be organized
Therefore the present plan was
drawn, an establishment known as
the National Asylum for disabled
Revolutionary soldiers and sailors
was made consisting of nine active
members of the Board of Managers
and three members ex oficio, con
sisting of the President, Secretary
of War and Chief Justice, and in
order that the Board of Managers
might be a perpetual body, always
having some member in it, the
Board was chosen for six years, two
for four years, two for two years,
and two for one year, 30 that one
third of the active members should
go out every two years, and Con
gress every two years renews ou1
Board.
I'm 1866 that Board met, but be
fore the act went through Congress
the Secretary of the Navy desired
Congress to amend it by striking
from it the words, volunteers :
|. the navy and taking away from i
all the revenue derived from priz.
money, or from naval fines and for
FIXTURES; SO that you will now un
derstand why it is that you have
substantially, no navy men amons
you. When we first began, an,
found navy man, volunteer sea
men who was disabled, while w
had plenty of room and apparentl,
Q great plenty of funds, we took hin
in; but / am sorry to say that tn
opinion Of the Secretary of tn
Navy, as well as our own, upon re
Election, was that we had no righ
to do so; and that will account t,
you why some of the older bene
ficiaries, who were sailors, you d,
not now see among you.
"Again, we desired that ther
should be, as there was but on
Government, one war, one enemy
one disability, one glory, no distinc
ton made between the soldiers G
the regular army and the voluntee
soldiers; that the Home should b
as well for the, volunteers as tn
regulars; but the officers of til
regular army, asserting that thi
Institution would die out; so far a
the volunteers we're concerned, b.
cause but q few years more mus
close over us all, officers and sol
diers, benefciaries and manager:
and therefore, as the regular arm
was to be perpetual forever, as I'll,
right arm of the Nation, it was bee
that the soldiers of the regular al
my should have their Soldiers
Home sperate and distinct, as yo
know it is at Washington; there
fore, my friends, they struck OF
that portion of it. and that is th
reason why we are not now allowe
to take any soldiers of the regula
army into our Home. When star,
ed and destitute, I am sorry to sa
for myself that I do not look S
critically at his discharge paper,
see in what company he served, 6
I ought to, and sometimes soldie
or two of the regular army slips il
but by law we can have nobody hen
but disabled volunteer soldiers
the war of the rebellion, with tw
exceptions. Congress two veal
ago, added that the soldiers of IL
Mexican war and the soldiers (no
as scarce almost as angels visits
of the war of 1912 should find q
asylum here.
81 have been thus careful, m
friends and comrades, to give yo
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