The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-02-05
He is in Trouble Already at
Santa Monica.
Similar to That While Govern
or at LeavenWOrth.
TYRANNIES CHARGED
BY the Press and Inmates of
the Home.
Gen. Franklin Gets a Share of
the Blame.

Los Angeles, Feb. 5.-The Record pub
fishes some severe criticism of the man
agement of Gov. A J. Smith of the Sol
diers' home at Santa Monica, where he
was transferred recently from LeaVen-
worth, Kan. Extracts from the Rec
ord's columns follow:
The grizzled veteran of the civil war,
the old soldier, who in the service OF ms
country gave his health as well as ms
future prospects, and who, now in ms
declining years hopes to rest in peace
and quietneSs in one of the homes eS-
tablished by the federal government
in its wisdom will do well to steer clear
of the Santa Monica home in parucu-
lar or any other place where Col An An
drew J. Smith may happen to be in au-
thority.
Well founded reports are coming to
the surface in regard to the hlShly IN
teresting manner in which Col Smith
a new Importation in these parts, is
causing the old soldiers to understand
that he is the entire show ana wants II
so known. The developments nave all
occurred during the past week and were
first noted in the Record
The particular action of the colonel
which caused the resignation OF a cor
poraI from the home" and Whlch
threatens to cause further internecine
trouble was his autOcratic order per-
emptorily forbidding more than one
newspaper or periodical BENG taken by
one soldier and decreeing that even a
daily newspaper should not be retained
bv its owner more than "a hours after
its receipt Other little regulations
went with his newspaper order, all
showing the caliber of the colonel
STYLED governor" of the home.
Other developments have now taken
place and men who in their youngest
such deprivation of personal liberty,
are in their old age compelled to sub
nit to cross indignities in the way OF
orders which do not appear to nave
cd f0T-h circumstances.
Last Thursday Colonel Smith ordered
that all private towels, which had mere
tofore hung neatly by the wall at the
head of the cots, should be done away
with; practically thrown away. Also
the private combs and brushes We're
outlaWed and the IS men, whether they
owned a brush or not, were given 10 IN
derstand that the gOVernor-colOnel-cz
of the home thought the old combs ana
brushes provided were good enough.
The prohibited articles disappeared, but
it is said that the men who can stlIl
use them surreptitiously-
But even this was not all. Many men
had neat little looking glasses hung on
the wall. When the morning gun Is
fired at $50 it is hard for So men to
make quick toilets with the aid OF TWO
dirty towels, one glass and one orush
and comb But that is what the col
onel seems to want, and after the morn
ing wash a dry spot on the towel is at
a premium.
The colonel is a protege of President
Franklin OF the nallonal pOdIu anu I
hence has a pull" 1t is said that while
General Vim. B. Franklin is on earth,
politically, Col. Smith will not be out of
a job. But there are many men in the
ranks of the veterans in general and at
Santa Monica in particular, who would
not grieve to be relieved of an odious
presence Col. Smith may be the right
man in the right place, but that place is
not at the head of the Soldiers home.
If arrogance and petty tyranny were
cause for removal Col. Smith would now
be en- route to oblivion
What will he do next to annoy the
old soldiers, who after their many bat
ties want only peace?
The article concludes with two letters
from veterans telling of maltreatnent
on the part of Governor Smith.