The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-09
AGAINST THE SOLDIERS HOME.
The Hennepin Representative Submits to House
Committee Eleven Points for Inquiry.
Ore Refers to Drunkenness at the HOme and
Castle Says That Is Cow
ardy S1ander.

Representative S. A. Stockwell, the
| member of the Thirty-third legislative
district, Hennepin county, seems to
have been hoisted with his own petard
Some two or three weeks ago Mr.
Stockwell, whose district embraces the
| soldiers home at Minnehaha, handed
to each member Of the house commit
tee on soldiers home a copy Of a little
pamphlet which contained no less than
twelve charges or suggestions of the
improper expenditure of funds and an
unWise administration of the affairs of
the home. After looking over these
| charges, the members Of the committee
| deemed them too general and not suf-
| t1ciently specific in their character and
so advised Mr.. StockweIl, with the re-
| quest that he cite witnesses and bring
more specific and detailed charges. Up
! to last night Mr. StOckWell had not
! done this, SO the committee will, in the
regular way, in a short time make the
customary visit to the soldiers home,
| not to investigate any charges, but to
| inspect the place.
1 Inc COIHunIll66 d week ago called
on Capt. Henry A. Castle, president Of
the board Of trustees of the home, for
a statement relative to the sensational
charges made by the MinneapOlitan,
and it is likely that Mr.. StOckwell has
| had an inkling Of it's nature, for in an
| attack made on the home last night
by a Minneapolis evening paper there
were but two instead Of twelve charges
! given, both Of which are fatty refuted
! by the statement made by Capt. Cas-
tie. Speaking of the Stockwell pro-
nunciamento, Capt. Castle says:
THE gentleman who has formulated
and presented these suggestions for
investigation has had & thankless and
probably an unwelcome task. They are
not charges; they are simply inslnua-
TONS They are the gathered echoes
Of the erumblings of discomfort and
the inventions Of malice from dis
charged inmates and employees OF the
institution for many years. How trivial
and inconsequent they are can be
brought out by a careful perusal, with
out any explanation whatever. Inc
home has been in existence nearly ten
wears 1t has sheltered, for shorter
or longer time, more than 1000 dlftereht
| inmates. The total disbursements OF
| the board of trustees, incluulng the
relief fund, aggregate nearly Sl'OVo'Voo'
That close unfriendly scrutiny can
discover no more important SUBJECTS OF
! criticism than those set forth IN the
paper submitted is to my mind very
| high compliment to the management.
| Nevertheless we welcome the most
thorough and rigid investigation. Item
lied vouchers for every dollar OF our
| expenditures, food, clothing, fuel medi-
cine. salaries, building materials and
| outside relief are on file in the office of
the state auditor. These show what
every dollar was expended for and who
received it. Every other detail of adj
ministration and management is equal
ly open for public inspection and criti-
cism. If any wrong has been done,
there will be no attempt to cover it.
If any improved methods can be sug-
gested. we will be only too happy to
adopt them"
The members of the house committee
on soldiers home are Messrs. Hall,
Hicks, Johnson, Kelley, Kendall, Ma
hood. Larson, Mansfield, McElhaney,
Mclean and Parker Appended is the
llSI VI ClOChN Gil SuSSoCSNlOiiS anu
Capt Castles reply to each:
% Inquire into the occasion for the cost
Of building what is known as the, pavilion"
on the grounds of the Minnesota Soldiers
! home.
This building was built at a cost Of some
thing like $1,000 a price that is considered
to be exceedingly high, and it is Of no use
whatever except for brief period in sum-
mer. Inmates of the soldiers home are not
| allowed to use the building except on occa-
sion Of entertainments. 1t is claimed that
this building was constructed from funds
! taken from the soldiers relief fund. 1t is
believed by many that this was very poor
use to make of these funds considering the
great amount of suffering during these hard
times.
The pavilion was badly needed and
did not cost over 81 600. It is for the
use of the inmates of the home at
all times, in suitable weather, and
there is no other room on the grounds
where One-third of them can be as
sembled for any purpose. Only the la
Dor was paid for out of the relief fund
and that to old soldiers Of Minneapolis
who were already recipients Of relief
They were thus required to work for
tn sums given, instead Of receiving
| the help gratis. 1t was in every way
a judiciOuS expenditure and the board
of trustees are proud of it,
~ Investigate the occasion for and the
| cost of procuring three smoke consumers
for the Minnesota Soldiers home, after smoke
consumers had been condemned by the CHIEF
| engineer.
1t is claimed that these smoke consumers
were sold to the state of Minnesota at a cost
l of $175 apiece, and that they being sold
to private parties low $55; that the
usual price was from SIS to $S5. 1t is
claimed that these smoke consumers necessi-
} tated the consumption Of one and three
quarters tons coal per day, and that
a after they were used for short time, they
We're condemned and pulled out that put
ting in and removing of these smoke con
sumers so weakened the brick work abou
the boilers that it was necessary TO rebricl
them during the past summer at an expense
= of about $500 per boiler. 1t is claimed thai
+ this proceeding resulted in a net loss to the
state of Minnesota of about 81 900. 1t is
suggested that the committee call in thi:
connection Jambes Burns, formerly chief en-
i, gineer of the soldiers home.
The smoke consumers were pur.
chased, after full investigation, on the
e recommendation of many leading Min.
neapOlis manufacturers. The market
price at the time Cthree or more year:
ago. was paid, and they were sup.
! posed to save fuel as well as prevent
the smoke nuisance. Our engineers
could not or would not make then
operate properly, and they were taker
out last summer. The removal of brick
UnOrk under tia h0i1orS ha ,,othipor fr