The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-08-27
Veterans Home Directors
Are WhiteWashed.
QUEER VOTE OF CONFIDENCE.
The Association Regrets It's COM
lnittee's Report and Thanks the
Directors for Their Honesty.

nave D660 NlUulcdIGu. AL
other way of stating it would be that they
vindicated themselves. At the meeting of
the Veterans Home Association yester-
day nine members of the association who
are at the same time directors of the home
voted to reject the report of the iIvesti-
eating committee, and to thus completely
exculpate themselves from the serious
charges made against them.
The association met yesterday, but the
usual fight did not occur. In fact the
white-winged bird of peace seemed to have
spread its wings above the heads of the
erstwhile belligerent members, and the
serenity of the meeting was scarcely dis
tuTbed by remarks which indicated that
some of the veterans had a rather dimiD u
tive opinion of other comrades bravery,
while intimat tons that certain statements
were not exactly in accordance with the
facts have become so common at the meet
ings of the association that no notice is
taken of them.
When the meeting Of the association was
called to consider the defalcatiOn of Treas
urer G.. Z. K. Royce some months ago, it
was decided TO hold general investigation
OF the affairs of The home. and for that pur-
pose committee WAS appointed. with in
oli W Ille dU-
ner In which the home had been con Quoted.
and this included the action of the direc-
tors along with the other officials.
AT nesting held four weeks ago the in
vestigatlng committee made Its report to
the association. 1t had collected a mass
OF testimony, about 1850 pages of type
written matter. The committee M ade num-
Der of recommendations which while not
at that time accepted have since been en-
bodied in a revised set of bylaws adopted
yesterday, but among other things the in
vestlgatOrs severely criticized the method
of purchasing the supplies for the home,
charging that actions which would be very
much minlmzed if called Irregularities had
been committed. The evidence showed
that fair price had been paid for tea and
coffee that was of an off grade. while a
good quality of sand had been obtained at
the price of sugar. The committee did not
Intimate that the supply committee were
not good judges of provisions. but it did
recommend that the method of purchasing
supplies should be changed.
A number OF things were specified which
reflected more or less on the directors. and
al meeting of the association held two
weeks ago the members of the board pre-
sented reply to the rep3rt OF the COM
mittee. That is, the gentlemen of the
board presented an address to themselves
as members of the association, defending
their action as directors, and the farce was
finished yesterday oy the members of the
association passing vote of con fdence in
themselves as directors.
w. L.. Duncan spTaDg the following res
olntion on the association before The call
for order was hardly out of the presidents
mouth:
WHEREAS. The committee heretofore APP
pointed TO investigate the affairs and manage
ment of The Veterans Home at YOuntville mas
submitted its report, In which fault is found
with certain acts of the board of directors IN
the management of said home, To all of which
the board has made reply completely vindicaI-
ing the management, showing that the home
has been conducted with success aud with
greater economy than the average of other sim
liar institutions. having afforded relief and sup
port 10 more than 1900 worthy veterans giving
them shelter, abundant food aud clothing aud
having otherwise fully discharged their trust;
now therefore be 1t
RESOLVED. By the Veterans Home Associa-
ton of California that we hereby express our
thanks 10 our board of directors for the able
anc successful manner In which they have per-
formed their duties; that we hereby deela
our entire confidence in their integrity and
their fidelity TO the trust conflded 10 them, and
that the report of the investigating committee
be not adopted and that the committee be dis
charged.
Here was whitewash in abundance, hut
Jerome Deasey, who had been a member
of the Investigating committee. and had
signed its report, entered vigorous pro-
test against this wholesale cleansing
process, aud he also wondered If il would
not look just little queer that a resolu-
ton directly affecting the directors shonld
be carried in a meeting where there were
more directors than anybody else.
This brought General Hart to his feet
and he waXed eloquent over the integrity
of the members of the board, not one OF
whom, be was sure, would vote for that
resolution if he had been guilty of any
misconduct. for they were men of such
tender consciences that their peace of
mind would be completely destroyed by
such an act.
Be that as il may, the vote was as fol-
lows:
Ruddick, Hobart, Currier. Herrick, Waymire,
Duncan. Waltz and Engleberg-13.
Noes-Deasev. Smith. TAFT and HanSen-4.
Not yotlng-LouD and Arbuckle.
or the thirteen votes cast in favor of the
resolution. the irst nine are those of direc-
tors, Director Arbuckle alone refusing 20
vote, While OF the noes not enc OF them
held any official position in the association.
Pm done mixing lime." exclaimed
Deasey, as he jumped excitedly to his
feet. The investigation be -" but
just then President Burnett's gavel fell,
and what shocking thing Deasey was going
to say the association will never know.
General Hart then introduced the fol-
lowing resolution. which received the
unanimous vote Of the members:
u. n.
late treasurer OF The association, is a violation
OF trust reposed In him of The most cuipable
character, and we urge that he should be
prosecuted for the offense committed by him.
And thus ends the much-talk ed-of in
vestigatlon of the Yountville Home. 1t
cost the association over S1100 20 get the
report, and then by O simple resolution it
did what it had hoped TO do by means of
the report, and when that did not suit the
board 1t did not hesitate to turn it down
and make a substitute for it.
The revised bylaws were also adopted
yesterday. The new provisions are that
all officers must be under bonds, that no
spirituous liquors can be sold in the eau
teen and that the pensions of veterans in
the home shall be paid TO the association
in trust for the pensioner. and it will be
transferred to him when he Is discharged
from the home. In case he has any de-
pendents the pension will be paid to them
directly.
Beyond the routine work of allowing
bills very little work of Importance was
transacted during the evening session. a
resolution was adopted at the last meeting
of the board relating to the disposition and
control of the pensions ot members, and
last night this resolution was ordered
printed for distribution among the men,
bers. The measure provides that each
l.