Daily Republican., 1885-12-30
For The Veterans.
TEE HOMES Provided ron THE
OLD SOLDIERS By THE UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT.

OLD S0LOIEB0 By THE UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT.
INTERESTING OUTLOOK.
1t is An oft quoted saying that
" Republics are ungrateful," but the
conduct of the United States Govern.
ment toward the boys who wore the blue
the late rebellion has done
much to dispr0ve this theory. Not
only has millions of dollars been paid
for pensions to those who contracted
disability or were wounded in the ser
vice, but good comfortable homes, not
almshouses, have been provided for
every man that served in the army and
has An honorable discharge, who is not
longer able to work from wounds, sick.
ness, old age. or any cause, whether
incurred In the war or since.
There are now five OF these homes in
the United States, the central one be-
ing at Dayton, Ohio the eastern at
Togas, Maine the northwestern at
Milwaukee,, Wisconsin the southern
1t Hampt ton, Va, and the western at
Leavenworth, Kansas. These homes
are gov srned by board of managers,
of which General W. B. Franklin ID
pI esidept. The President of the u nited
States and the Chief Justice Of the
Supreme Court are members ex.officio,
and the remaining members are elected
by Congress and hold the Office for six
years. ALI the mem bers of the board
serve without pay, and devote their
time and attention to advancing the
interests of these Homes, and making
them useful for the purpose for which
they are intended.
A recent report shows that at present
there are 10, ,7O3 veterans enjoying the
com Orts Of these homes, divided AZ fol-
sows: Dayton, 5000; Togas, 1,708 ;
Milwaukee, 1859 Hampton, ,036. The
|newHome atLeavenworth has only been
open one month, and the number of in
mates is unknown. OF the above num-
ber enrolled 2, ,203 are absent on fur.
loughs, q number of whom finding
themselves able to make their living
have not been in the Homes for years,
but take the precautien to keep their
furloughs renewed, so that they can re-
tarn at any time that suits their con.
venience. The inmates of these Homes
are we'll fed and we'll clothed, the army
rations of salt hcrse, beans and hard
tack being things OF the past. Good
Isubstantial fare Is furnished In abun-
dance, and plenty of seasonable cloth.
ing. At the Dayton Home, and pr0Ha-
bly, at some of the others, there is q
large and well stocked library and a
reading room, where newspapers are
daily received from almost all parts OF
the United States. There is also q
theatre, where performances are fre.
lquently given.
Here In the con Portable Homes
| provided by the bounty CT a grateful
country, the veterans can spend their
declining years In peace without care
or trouble, and they no doubt often
gather around the cheerful fires these
wintry nights and tell Of deeds OF
bravery, or hair-breadth escapes, and
In other ways fight their battles ovel
again. Since the establishment OF
these Homes there have been 80, 182
admissions, many OF whom have died,
while others have Withdrawn and gone
to spend their last days with friends
The question is SOM etimes asked how
long will 1t be necessary to maintain
these Homes, and for how many years
will the demand on the nations graft
j tndAv, ,nauo- -II6vftnurch vys vn6 raw %
nature is reached? After q careful
study of this question, and compari
son with the survivors of the war o
1872 and the Mexican war, Captain
Thompson, treasurer of the Home q
Hampton, Va, gives it IS his opinion
, that il will be fully 60 years from tn
close of the rebellion, or until 1870
before there will be any perceptibl
falling off la the demand for shelte
: and support.
During the war there were 2,O73, IL
! men who enlisted, of which numbe
! l285 $40 were discharged for disability
, and at the close OF the rebellion ther
was 1. .747, 1886 Union soldiers alive; sine
!, Then about 200, 900 or IL per cent. hav
died. or the total number alive at tn
close Of the war about 500,0 900, or nearl
one third have filed claims for pensions
at least one-fourth Of which were unao
| | TO substantiate their claim. Many
d those claimants have since died, an
, Captain Thompson calculatesthat abot
/, 297. 600 disabled soldiers are still livinl
{ lof which about per cent. enly are no
l lin the Homes.
ell In the report made by the Captain o
J. this matter he says:
"I will not, however impose my ow
Iconclusions upon any one as 10 tne pr
Icise difference the result will sho
q when the last man dies, but WILL
Q guided by the statistics and facts q
: fecting the survivors of 1912 andMexi'
i. in estimating the results which are
q affect the Homes at given PERIODS
q the future"
al The average age of the Union 30
10 diers at the end of the rebellion W
,. 26 years, 1t Is now 45. 1t seems 10 me
1t fair presumption that the rate OF q
le missions to the Home will continue
AIA
10 reached 30 years Mt least. We may O.
i. meet to have at that time-5 yea
d hence-12,00 900 men In the Homes, !
q there will then be living l,2SS.O
i. Union soldiers, and 12 600 is no a
4. reasonable number of this class to cou
Of upon.
al Again, In 1901, thirty-six years v
70 thave elapsed-the length Of the peri
,e existing since the Mexican war-t
N Union soldier will then average
10 years of age, and baslng my calcul
T. tions upon the yearly rate OF dea,
as since the war, I estimate the num-
AZ who will then be living at o60,O
although the tables of insurance g.
1850, 17S as the probable number
that yeAr-applying the calculation
,ol Increased mortality to the cia
,e There would still be 100000 disab
!, soldiers, per cent. Of whom would
rv likely to be in the Homes, wh
as would then have about ,l4o me
ay bers.
m. ITO 90 forward to a point 60 ye
tn from the close of the war, II the 50
I'M percentage Of Union Veterans should
es, as long lived rs those of lSl2, IN
he would then be living over so 600, ant
X predict that the Homes will have
nd come such fixed institutions and
m popular, that at least per cent. OF
,rx1su ne that will ma tOv