The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-07
THE OLD SOLDIER.
HOW GOV. NELSON lows THE
VETERANS.
Something for the Mex. Le,isla,
ture To Do.

To the Editor.
The legislature of 1887 passed law
creating soldiers home and also a
fund for Temporary relief for the
| use or unfortunate or INDECENT SOL
| dlers, who having families were unable
10 avail themselves of the provision
maze for them at the home. agents
were appointed in the several counties
with instructions to see to it that no
soioler became a pauper or public
charge in the county or town where he
| llVed. In order to make sure that the
fund was used for the use of his family
no money was paid to the applicants.
put goods and groceries were furnished
from the stores, the merchants being
PAID from the state treasury. This
lund amounted to about 500. 600 an
| nually, and the numbe of soldiers so
relieved to about 1000 outside of the
nome, each year. This stipend proved
great blessing to those old veterans,
VINO were unable by reason of the red
tape surrounding the pension bureau,
to secure pensions from the general
government The letters written dur
ing these years, if collected, would
make the most pathetic volume i'm
Minnesota Instrumentation telling
OF misery and want: "NO clothes to
send the children to school," mo wood
or groceries" Family sick and can't
get doctor or buy incidence" "Crops
destroyed by hail or drought" 1t
would seem that no class of men are
SO poor today as the men who served
in the war of the rebellion. Shrinkagc
in values through contraction has
made his every venture losing one to
him, and now in his old age he finds
himself burdened with debts and q
paupcr in the midst of abundance of
all that ought to make land rich and
prosperous. This law was doinga vast
amount of good and no complaints
were being made until the legislature
of 1893, when Gov. Nelson in his mes
sage recommended that this law be
changed and in accordance with his
advice bill was introduced and
passed directing the state auditor at
the end Of each fiscal year to turn any
surplus remaining in the state treas
ury as Il result Of this tax into the
general revenue fund. There was
turned over in accordance with this
act on the 1st day of August, 1894,
10000, leaving the pltlful sum of s 100
in the state treasury to meet the ne
ccSsitics of the old veterans, and
widows and orphans, 1900 in number,
who had come to look eagerly for their
quarterly allowance. This sum went
into the vaults Of the banks, where al
ready lay Cor supposed toy, ST. 100000.
This is not all. This pension board
has made new set of rules and now
requires that every soldier, before get
ting relief. must send in his discharge
from the United States service and
show how long he served and the ma
ture Of service rendered, and set them
selves up in judgment as to his service
rendered 80 years agO-thuS pcryert-
ing and changing the original purpose
Of the act, which was to relieve dis
tress, wherever found and without re-
gard to length or nature of service
performed gene alton ago. Much
more could be said as to the policy Of
this same minlstration to force the
old veterans into the "home" separat-
ing him from his family, but enough
has been shown to remove any fears
that the old veterans could receive
worse treatment from any Populst
legislature or governor.
AN OLD SOLDIER.