St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-03
"UNREAsONING CRITICISMS.
"A Soldier Explains the Recent
Action of the Grand Army.

Certain members of the Grand Army at
| meeting few days ago, thought proper to
| indulge themselves in severe criticism and
censure of the conduct of the governor on
| account of his unwiilingness to recommend
the granting of the full measure of their de-
mands i'll the way of appropriations for the
| old soldiers
The above is the caption and opening
paragraph i'll the leading editorial col
umh of the st. Paul Dispatch of the 2lst
| inst. and Is contains so much that is
| false, and Omits so much directly peril
nent to the matter in hand that is true.
that for one who took part in the pro-
! ceedingS so unfairly stated, and in the
| interest Of the soldiers. | do not propose
| to let them go unchallenged. or appear
| TO consent to their truth and fairness by
maintaining a modest silence" even
| though may by this be considered as
| hostile to the future political ambitions
| of his eXcellency, and so cranky and
needless of my, own interests as to re-
| fuse to SneeZe when he takes snuff.
In the first place the facts are that if
| the governor, through his organ, or the
| governors organ for him, or any other
| hot-footed friend of his eXcellency. has
| any cause to complain, it is not of seer
tain members of the Grand Army" but
| it is of the almost if not entirely unan-
imous adoption of certain resolutions
by the recent encampment of the
G. A. r. of the State of Minnesota with
| nearly 500 old vets in attendance.
1t is also due the old veterans to say
| that, except as his name appears or he
is referred to i'll the resolutions that
passed the encampment, they did not
honor the governor by mentioning his
name or direct attention to him directly
or Indirectly but once or twice.
The st. Paul Pioneer Press of the
second day OF the encam pment was so
thin skinned, so sensitive of the GOV
| ernor's interests, and so swift to cham
plon his much-undid cause as to state
that in the encampment by certain
members the governor had been cen
Sured." and the offending soldier re-
sponded to this in the second day of the
encampment by stating that the only
attack he had made upon the governor
was to state facts relating to the Min
nesOta Soldiers home and the governors
position relative to those facts. So much
at present for the source and severity of
The" "unreaSoning criticisms"
The censure consisted in statements
of facts relative to the present condition
and needs of the soldiers home of Min
nesota, state institution, and instead
of certain members" itwa the almost
upon resolutions embodying these facts
But the weakest and unkindest cut OF
all is in the statement in the Dispatch
article that the ''cenSure" and ''unrea-
sonlng criticism was on account of
his (the governors unwillingness to
recommend the granting of the full
measure OF their (the certain members
of the G. A. r. demands in the way of
appropriations for the benefit Of the old
soldiers
In view OF the facts i'll the premises
am surprised and sorry that any one
could be found who would hazard his
own or his papers reputation even in
politics, and in these times, on so trans
parent falsehood as that.
| am sorry for the fellow who thinks
his champion is in such distress as to
need such desperate remedy. The bot
tom facts in all this matter as fully set
forth in the thir I'd annual report for the
past year, of the board of trustees of
the Minnesota Soldiers home. of
whom Capt. Ii. A. Castle is
the action of the encampment which
seems to be so grievous an offending by
the governors friends is simply this:
After calling upon the trustees of the
soldiers home for statements of condi-
ton and its needs, which were promptly
furnished him by Capt. Castle, which
showed pitiable necessity for more
accommodations for the sick and dying,
homeless and friendless soldiers, the
governor, by some strange and unac-
.eoDntable lapse or treachery of mem
DRY. failed and refused, in his message
to the present legislature, to recon-
mend single dollar for the soldiers
home, or even mention this greatly
needy and greatly deserving state in
stltution in his message-but did rec
ommend the expenditure of every dollar
of state funds in sight for the other
state institutions. And this is but a
little of what one of the old soldiers,
some 10000 strong in Minnesota. have
to say about ''unreasoning criticism"
ETC.. ETC., etc.
The series of whereases and reSolu-
tions introduced by Capt. Caul was
passed without remark or any opposing
votes.
Upon those introduced by myself l
made but one or two remarks. The
pertinent one. the most offensive, if YOU
please, was substantially this: ~
mink it approximately true that many
field hospitals, within three days after
Il battle, were, Judging from the officially