The daily gazette., 1880-08-06

POLITICAL KNowLEDGE---CHARA
IsTICs OF THE HOME AND ITS INMATES
Correspondence of the Gazette.
NATIONAL MILITARY HoME,l
DAYTON, OHIO, AUG. q
1t affords me verv great pleasure TO in
form the .GAZETTE's readers th at the BEN
efciarits and officers OF this Homs high
ly appreciate the spicy and cogent reas-
onings contained in the Wilmington
DAILY GAZETTE, which is regularly r. =
ceived and eagerly read by scores of sol
diers and citiZons, anu several admirers
of the GAZETTE have already asked me
to extend TO the editor their sincere
thanks for his valuable acquisition to
our literary bureau. | regret that the
press of De eiaware is not, or has not been,
more fully represented here than it has,
AMI more especially now when the minds
OF all are buing agitated aud while each
fscLon is advancii Z its claims and pr
f. rences, The most intense interest il
manifested by the mem bers of this Home
to search ami tn secure all posi- BILE in
formation reiaIive TO ihe plans and prog
Tess made In each State aud every SEQ
ton. There arc hut few neutr Is, and
none of the Indifferent, but on the con-
trary all are interested in the coming
political crisis, and already there has
been considerable commotion in this
earthly paradise, and v hen we remem-
Der that nearly ali of these four thousand
veterans are voters, we can readily see
the Importance of satisfying this thirst
for knowledge, as 1t will be- the means
OF securing a more intelligent vote
among the elements which are so prone
to have t1uctuating opinions.
To make my meaning more plain, thai
the Intelligent readers Of this paper may
not nisunderstand nor miscOnstrue any
meaning, I will cite some Of the charae-
tors and some of the characteristics tina,
a bide and abound in this earthly para
disc for this Is without doubt the Eden
Of America, aud it would require many
descriptive letters to convey a true idea
of its magnitude and its nagnifcence;
but | purpose in this letter only TO por-
tray the character and some of the pecu
larities that are to be encountered
among the beneiclaries OF this Home.
In the first place we must remem bei
that this represents and is recognized a.
a small city within itself, having the
power, both financial and military, foI
lie enactment and enforcement of all
laws essential To successful government
1t has It's own governor, who has his
staff otfi GERS to assist in the execution OF
| the different duties. The Home is bu,
lhree miles from the thriving city OF
Dayton, and is accessl BILE by both steam
and horse cars. Geographically speak
irg. the origi giuators could not have selec
ted d more suitable site. Right IN the
irui full Miami valley, one of The richest
agricultural regions in the country, right
her, in this spot IL situated the Natona
Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers
| nd right here thousands upon thous
| ands of pleasure and curiosity seekers
| come aud go, and there have been az
many as thirty thousand visitors here il
onn day and I have frequently seen ter
thousand in one day since l have beef
here. Well, what do they seek? A very
| natural q Iestion for anyone un icqualns
| ed with the magnitude and magn ficent
| of the National Home. Well, L will re-
| ply 10 that inquiry. You will see mis-
| ,ellaneons mixture of mankind and yol
| will see just that class of subj iects tina
| this home was organized for-nAmely
| from three to four thousand dlsabl
| citizen soldiers; and every man here h
here by right caused by reason of theil
| having served their country in times o.
| great danger. Every man here is per
manently entitled TO the privileges anC
| benefits of ths home, anu though they
| are beuefciaries, yet they are here By
| right and not by favor. Among this
| large num Der there are fifteen hundred
| pensioners who receive from four up tt
1ne hundred dollars every month Every
conceivable form and phase of woun,
and disability Is here represented, frou
the armless and lim bless hero, down t,
he loss of foretnger, which in many
cases Ia known 10 have been Intention
ally blown off to avoid going to war.
There are very many here who art
partially, and others who have been
tna,ie wholly helpless by reason of palsy
paralysis, etc. Then the lame aud the
blind, tue deaf and the dumb, the lm.
Dalrel intellect, from the comparatively
Intelligent to the incurable idiotic. Ev
cry creed, color and condition, from til,
coutented Christian down to the class
that are ever contentious. The elements
that 20 to make up both paradise and
| pandemonium are represented here.
JIG. B.