The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-06-26
Concerning the Soldiers Home.


To THE EDITOR OF THE REGISTER:
I saw in your issue of last week an
article headed whats the matter
with the Soldiers Home at Leaven.
WORTH" and giving your reasons for
asking the question. AS it refers to
me i'm one sense-as was at the Home
nearly three months last summer-I
will give you some of the reasons why
a quiet, sober and law-abiding man
doesn't like the place. First, I will
say 1 left there because I was not
ready to have the old war horse that
Geu. Grant rode at the battle of Shiloh
which is there and attends all funerals
together with the drum corps and fir
ing squad, to follow me to the hill
where lie over five hundred of the de-
tenders of our country that have been
members of the Home. When went
to the Home 1 weighed AS pounds;
when I returned 1 weighed 12S pounds.
The steam cooking does not agree with
me and it does not agree with many
others.
The management of the home is as
good and liberal as it perhaps can be
under the circumstances, there being
about 1000 members there all told,
made up of all classes of men. A
large majority of the members are
foreigners that had no homes when
they went into the army and never
had since. They became dissipated
while in the army and have never re-
formed, although they were good and
brave soldiers and are entitled to COM
pensation for their services, and a
home provided for them by the gov
eminent of u country they defended
just the same as any other soldier. A
large majority of the members were
"bums," deadbeats, ETC., who are void
of pride or principle and their only
ambition is place to sleep and enough
to eat and something to drink and
they don't care how they get it.
There is another class also that are
deserving, /. e., the MANNED and Grip
pied and diseased. There are those
there that are crippled in every imag-
Unable manner, also all diseases that
mankind is afflicted with. The ma
jority of the above are pensioners, re-
ceiving from 81 to "a per month, and
the most of them spend their money
for beer aud whiskey soon after they
get it. There are very few straight
forward, clever fellows there, and
strict discipline must be enforced in
order to keep the institution in rum
ming order.
This makes a person who has al
ways lived in a civilized community
and among law-abiding citizens, used
to the privileges of refined society, feel
as though he were a criminal instead
Of being honored for his services in
defending his country. An inmate of
the Home. is looked upon as vaga-
bond and treated as such in the city of
Leavenworth. And that, too, is the
home of Congressman Morrill,. The
people of Leavenworth seem to despise
a Union soldier if he doesn't happen
to have plenty of money.
All of the above, together with the
domineering and overbearing ways of
some of the understrappers makes the
Soldiers Home at Leavenworth any
thing but agreeable and pleasant for
a man that doesn't need the iron rule
of discipline to keep him straight.
Col. Smith. the governor, is kind,
genial fellow with u big heart. He
will do anything. he can to make an
old soldier comfortable, but he can't
do otherwise than enforce the strictest
discipline. The man that would not
do any wrong must comply with the