Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-19

live In our large cities are equally holden
to help support these old ana dependent
soldiers who have no homes. 80 FAR as
petitions are concerned.f am satisfied that
II this matter had been started three
weeks ago and every post IN the state
had been consulted, we should nave sucn
a flood of petitions In here that 1t would
take half q day to look them over--l have
had various letters urging the passage o.
this resolve. 1t may be sald tnat II Is
not the financial policy OF the state 10
establish Soldiers Home. In other
states that have Soldiers Homes tney
pay state pension and II am not ms
informed. the state of Massachusetts pays
out 600 a year. Twenty-six states In
this union at the present time have state
Homes. And l think that II all the old
soldiers were here today, and vote were
taken. nine out of ten of them would vote
in favor of this home. | hope that this
resolve will receive n passage.
Mr.. Reynolds of Cumberland: l am moi
going to trouble the Senate with speech
but I wish simply to present a remon-
STRANGE which l received last night from
my city. 1.-THE eX-soldiers and sailors OF
the late war. living In Portland and vicin-
ity. fully believing that the measure or
| resolve now before the Legislature. ask
ing for an appropriation of $4,000 for the
purpose or erecting building AZ New
port. Maine, for the purpose of founding
what Is to be known as the Newport
Soldiers Home. is uncalled for ana not
desired by the ma jority of the veterans
of Maine. And fully believing that our
beneiicient State pension law allowing
specific pensions to the needy applicant,
works better for the veteran and his
family and allows him to live and die
| among his kindred and friends at home,
We do therefore most earnestly protest
against such movement and most earnest
~ hope that the above mentioned meas
ure or resolve may be indefinitely post
poned.' 1t is headed by Ex-Governor
Robie. Gen; Francis Fessenden, Gen,
Fl. Libby, and about IS others-men who
represent all walks of life and all shades
of political belief. And think they are
| most of them members of the Grand
Army.
Mr.. Billings of Waldo: Mr.. President.
In reply to the remonstrance which
| comes to us from Portland. | have this
| to say In explanation. l have no axe to
grind in this matter and what / say
comes from the heart that beats in sym
pathy with the men who were my com
| rades from 1867 to 1864 in the war of the
Rebellion. When this idea of establishing
| a Home for a certain class of veterans
was started. there were at that time two
| Relief Corps in this State--one National
| and one State. The State Corps had its
| origin in Portland. and it Is fact that
wherever these corps are established the
posts, most of them. entertain the same
State Corps to have Home located at
| Deering. YOU can see from that point
where the hostility to this measure COM
menced. 1t was carried into our State
Corps and was lost at Skowhegan. From
| that very post comes remonstrance of
some IA or more. but at the same time
| there is petition coming from there of
more than three to one. asking for the
appropriation for this Home. We have
| here presented petitions from almost ev-
| cry section of the State. The committee
| on pensions advertised their hearing in
| the State paper and other papers all over
| the State, in order that the people from
other vicinities might know what was
going on here. Yet from Portland they
are coming in. today, saying that they
| never knew of such a movement going on
here. If there is such movement that is
going to draw from the State treasury.
why have they not investigated this mat
| ter before this late hour? Previous 10
| this there has not been a remonstrance.
not a word I have full faith and conf
dence in the members of this Senate to
vote their convictions. whether for the
| Home or against it. The matter was in
such condition when IL came before the
committee that the committee said: I'VE
will not recommend an appropriation for
| 1t. unless 1t Is lifted out and above this
quarrel" They went 10 work to do it.
They lifted it out and placed it in the
hands of the Governor and Council, and
| If We vote an appropriation. the Governor
and Council are the ones who will have Il
under control in conjunction with the
other parties who are interested in the
| Home. | am not advocating a place
| where loafers and idlers can go and get
| a living. We ask this appropriation for
| the support of IA Home that is intended
| to benefit those who need it, those who
ought to have it, those men whom | have
seen stand between treason and loyalty
! before the bullet and the cannon,-for
| what? For your homes and for your ma
| ton. When the State of Maine appropri-
| ates 81 for that institution. then every
| male member will have 800 appropriated
| by the general government. and when a
| man goes there for home, a certain
proportion of his pension shall go for his
| support. When the general government
| accepts it as a proper shelter for these
| men who are poor and cold and needy and
ready to die. then We can get this appro-
| priation which l speak of. When the
| Home is once established we shall have
but very little expense to look after. and
in 20 years these men will pass away and
this whole property. farm and all, will
revert to the State. The argument comes
up that the majority of the Grand Army
| men are not in favor of this measure.
| Well, sir there are sporadic cases over
the State where they are not in SYM
| pathy. But in nine cases out of 10 ii is
because they 60 not understand the prin-
ciple upon which it is founded. And
| when they come to understand the prin-
ciple they become in favor of it. The
| Grand Army does not represent all the
veterans in the State There are only 1905
| to 5000 Grand Army men in the State
while there are nearly 5000 veterans. and
| these latter are the men for whom we
| stand and plead. today. They are too
| poor in many cases to belong to the G
A. r.: they are unable to pay their dues
| Is it possible that there is any man here
| in this Senate who desires that Il man
who stood true and honored the flag and
| who fought for the integrity of this coun-
| try, should end his days in the poorhouse
| or something that is equivalent to il?
| Two years ago. there were 2l5S Grand
Army men who petitioned for this Home
| There We're citizens at that time that
petitiOned the Legislature to the number
of 3546, then there was the Relief Corps
| making the number of all the petitioners
| here. 6313. and this interest is not con-
fined to any one section of the State, but
| Is broad and deep. i am sorry that some
| of the Grand Army men of this Senate
| men who are true as steel, men who
marched to the front and whom respect
from the bottom of my heart. are not in
sympathy with this movement. but they
vote their convictions and stand and
plead for mine. / am pleading for those
who are not capable of standing before
you and presenting their own case, for
the men who went upon the field of bat.
tie and made the shackles fall from 1000.
600 slaves as IL touched with the breath
of the Almighty. for those men who made
the rebel states honor and respect the
Hn 49, Il l. l~lx H. MI