The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-05

there was room. The number of pupils
ty-nine were discharged. The number of
pupils In the literary school Is $50: the num-
tcbrs ber OF employees 9ty eighty-seven number OF
thirteen; graduates past year, seventeen.
Boys are learning trades as follows: Print
ter. twelve; shoe making, twelve; florist,
twelve; engineer. eight; painter, three;
GARY twelve; garden, six; farm; two ana
other trades, making a total Of 109 In addi-
and cooking.
The report made by General Carnahan,
chairman of the committee Soldiers State
Home, was read during the afternoon ses-
sion. Ii Is as follows:
GENERAL CARNAHAN'S REPORT.
Your committee on the Indiana State Sol
diers Home begs leave to submit its re-
port covering the period since your last
department encampment In so far as ac- +.
tive work for collecting funds during the
past year is concerned, your committee has
done nothing. The reason for this inactiv-
fty is doubtless we'll known to all without
your committee going into any extended
explanation. The serious financial and bus
iness depression that has existed during
the past year has fallen heavily on all
classes, and none has been more affected
than our comrades in the Grand Army. 1t
is from the Grand Army that we must ex-
pect the work and the first contributions in
tnis work. We deemed ii unwise during
the past year to apply to them for money.
The citizens of all the larger towns and
cities of the State have in most noble
against the hunger % and want that was
confronting so many thousands. In the
matter ma ter. of appeals to the general public.
10 our cause If we pressed Ii on the at
tention of the individual citizens when
they were doing so much in the way of
charity. After full consultation and corre-
spondence by the committee, we deemed Ii
best to husband the resources we had al
ready in hand, and lay our plans for pre-
senting the constantly-increasing necessity
for suitable home for our destitute COM
rades and their widows to the next ses-
sion of the Legislature. We have felt conf
dent. and do now feel confident, that the
Legislature of Indiana will join hands with
the United States in caring for those who
IN the past gave their services and their
health for maintaining the government. The
fact that the House of Representatives in
the last Legislature passed the bill that
your committee prepared and submitted
has led each of us to believe that the next
session of the Legislature. will assuredly
enact into law the bill when 1t shall be
again presented One of the steps we have
taken was to gather, if possible, definite
Of our comrades and their widows who to-
day are in need of just such a home as
II is proposed by this encampment shall be
we sent a circular letter to the post COM
mander In each county seat. CThe circular
calls for the number of soldiers and widows
In county poorhouSeS; the number of each
trustees; If the number of such is increas-
ing; the average cost per person in poor
or soldiers in poorhouses for five years)
I'VE sent these circular letters TO the
only, because we felt that they could have
easy access to the records Of the county
and could with less trouble than others
secure the desired information. We have
received answers to these communications
from only sixty counties. Why the post
commanders at the counties from which we
nave received no response did not answer
they only know the reason. The informa-
ton certainly could have been obtained
had the effort been made. We most earn
estly pray these delinquent post command
ers that they will gather the desired in
f0rmatlon fT1n and SCI send 1t In SO that we may
session OF the Legislature.
IN THE POORHOUSE.
From statistics we learn that in the sixty
counties reported there are to-day in the
county poorhouses and being supported by
township trustees 499 ex-Union soldiers and
ia widows of soldiers. This number in it
self, If it applied to the entire State, would
be enough to set every comrade of this de-
partment to work with festGul earnestness
to secure a suitable home for our destitute
comrades. But if the same ratio can be
applied to the remaining counties of the
State. from which we have not received any
report, we would have total for the en-
dependent on the worst form of public
charity. You should however bear in mind
that these numbers do not embrace all the
ex-Union soldiers who are in our poor
houses or are supported by the public char
ity doled out by the township trustees.
The superintendents of a number of poor
houses report they have never kept any
record of the different classes cared for,
and do not know from their records who
are soldiers and who are not. In some of
the counties that have reported no soldiers
in the poorhouse and none supported by
the trustees. we find that the posts of the
have sought out all of these needy ones
and supported them out of thir funds
and by Individual contributions The posts
of one county have during the past year
supported ten ex-soldiers. Other posts have
supported from two to six. The cost for
supporting these soldiers in our poorhouses
and by township trustees has been from $50
to $3.50 year. This sum, of course, only
includes the actual cash outlay for cloth
ing, shelter and food. The number of these
needy end destitute comrades is growing
''Your committee has tried to gather
these statistics for the information of the
comrades of this department, that each one
might be fully aware of the destitution of
our comrades and t1T1neP fnr tis TO snoT the
tematic work to secure the passage of
bill by. the next Legislature for the cree,
ton of a suitable home on the beautiful
grounds donated by Tippecanoe county the
city of Lafayette and her citizens for that
purpose. Comrades, it is in your power to
tute comrades. and the widows that have
been left to your care. See to it that the
men who are to represent you in the Leg
islature are soemnly pledged to the sup
port of this measure before they receive
the nomination, and again before your
votes are cast for them at the polls. In
your county conventions, Democrats Re
publicans or other political party, see 10 it
that your county instructs for this before
the nominations are made. Let there be no
halfway measure. Let the skirmshers be
reinforced by one unbroken line of battle,
and make a charge along the whole line
across the State, and sweeping it from one
end to the other. For once in our history
say to parties and politicians, we in
this matter of n State soldiers home not
for party, but for our needy and destitute
comrades
The report is signed by J. r. Carnahan,
chairman; w. II. Tucker, secretary; ID. n.
Foster, treasurer; c. j. Murphy d. T.
Cole. II. o. Marsh, c. NJ. Travis, W. S.
Haggard, d. S. Mcconnell, j. ]. Todd,
Jasper +. Lewis.