Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-14

/ \ i IL i ~ ~ IL
for The HERALD. "Do We have to eat
'raargArineS Yes, We do. and there are
zoo hundred Witnesses 70 back up my
statement It is used daily. and though
a. irst it was hard TO make IL 60 down.
ave become so used TO il now that
tae taste 10 not bad as il might be. We
have had il 10 my certain knowledge
Tor three or four years. We are pray
ing the Lord to bring back the better
times" A veteran of the Fourteenth
Michigan Infantry said. "Yes, mar
garine is used at our table now, we had
II at supper in fact. don't want To
give any name, for / know they would
kick me out. The other day we had .
little butter at our table, but IL snelt 80
that one of the men took it to the COM
mandant. We have had butter two or
three times within the last two weeks,
out II Is generally 50 strong we can't
eat IL"
A veteran of the Twenty seventh
Michigan said, "When We have butter
II tastes and locks ike cheap Job lot
that had been pissed up down town.
Tne margarine hssles taste and don't
get so bad as the butter"
Statements of the Cook.
One of the cooks At the hospital re-
fused to talk at first. but finally said
There Is lots of oieomargarine used
here. Ii ia an improvement on the
butter, though. for that Is positively
rank. get good butter myself, for /
am a cook and am not going to eat bad
stun when l can get the good. The
a faan fh. s<.lA N 10 A,
ful for them and l think IT ls. The
only good butter we get here ut the
hospital Is for the doctors family.
Speaking of the other food supplies
.he cook said: "They are nothing ex-
ira. Not half so good as they were
last year. The fish Is frequently SO
meat equally bad. / am constantly
figure and scrape all the time to make
both ends meet.
Fed Like Paupers.
eve are supplied more like poor
house than soldiers home. Those in
the hospital who can't eat meat get
eggs and milk. but the milk supply has
been cut down from fifteen to ten gall
Ions, aud for sixty SICK men we get
only three dozen eggs per day. The
patients frequeatly ought not to eat
meat, but they have 10 do that
or go without. Even when the doctor
orders eggs for the sick there IS kick
ing from the q1artermaster. The home
is run on a cheap John principle all tn e
way through. The sick are not cared
for as they would be in good hospital.
! should never remain here a minute If
| we're SEX. If q man Is not SO sick
bat that he can move around he gets
along vNry we'll, but If he is bedrldden
he has hard time. DIR. Spauiding is
a nice old gentleman. but he doesn't
know MS business. He stands in NOR
ISL fear of ft5ecommandaut and daren't
say his soul is bis ogn."
The cook IS a veteran of Michigan
regiment but is not an inmate of the
home.
had Food Provided.
One of the nurses in the hospital
sasa. "rhe men recs.ve only fair food"
A veteran OF q New York regiment
sai 4: "Ye es, We had 'oieo' st our table
:onignt. Toe food is tolerao.y fair"
Another New York veteran, enc
armed, said: "what call margarine
is ascd here. The food in general is
OF only fair qualify"
"O!eomargarine? Well, l should say
we did have IL"
al can't eat The stuT at al. however.
| would sooner 90 without than rut II
no my stomach, go never have any
;hlng on my bread. / have lived on a
fasm and know what butter is. and
r. ho tl,o h,-
bread issnot batter; wnat it Is / don't
1t might be good to grease boots with.
-.he other food is pretty good"
A veteran OF Massachusetts, regi-
ment said: "Oleomargariue? Well, /
don't know about that, bGt do know
that there are dozens of the boys who
WON'T eat the mixture which is given
Us to put on our bread"
Ii surely Ia Not Butter.
A veteran of the Twenty Fifth Michi-
gan said: 81 know that oleomargarine
has been used at the home. The other
food is pretty fair"
A civilian who does work around the
home said: al have had two of tue
cooks In the nam kitchens tell me that
oleomargarine was used on the tables.
/ know it isn't butter by the taste, and
/ live on farm. IL don't taste like
butter and 1 don't like it. Then
/ know by the way the rolls
are wrapped up when they come that
Il isn't regular butter. They get some
good butter at the home, but It all goes
To the high toned folks" THE
HERkTD's informants were chosen at
random on trip through the grounds
and corridors OF the home. They
gave their names and regiments to the
reporter. but for ovious reasons these
are withheld.
Mr.. shank's Denial.
Quartermsster Shank said: 'This is
the first have heard of this thing"
Here the quartermaster attempted 10
gain time and said: eyes. | know
there ~ law against the use of
oleomargsrine. but there are also laws
against other things, which if we did
we would be punished for"
But" continued the quartermaster,
"there is no oleomargarine used IN this
home that know OF and am certain
ly in q position to know IL anybody is"
"Whst about tho statements that
have been made TO THE HERaLD's''
asked the reporter.
"They are not true: your informa-
non 10 false IN every particular. I do
all the huylng for this home. &c. my
butter from certain merchants In the
city, from Lansing, Watkins and other
towns and some from farmers. We
use 1000 pounds per month";"
What proportion OF this amount he
frnrra e tho ana