The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-26
THEY need THE CASH
PLEA OF THE CIVIL WAR UNION
VETERANS FOR SPENDING
MONEY
CAPT. CASTLES EXPLANATION
1t shows That the Repeal of the
$4,000 Annual Appropriation
for the Relief Fund Was Only for
Should BE Re-enacted-A Sop to
a TreaAurY Cerherus.

Should BE Re-enacted-A Sop to
Treasury Cerberus.
The action of the G. A. r. encamp-
ment. which closed it's annual meeting
in st. Paul last Thursday afternoon,
in passing a resolution requesting the
legislature to re-enact the law APP
propriating $4,000 for the support of
the soldiers home seems to have
stirred up a hornets nest of goodly
proportions both in Grand Army and
legislative circles The appropriation
was repealed at the last session of the
legislature and now certain members
of the present legislature who were
members two years ago and who were
in part responsible for the repeal, re-
aliZing that it was an unpopular move,
are trying to throw the blame upon
the board Of managers of the home In
general, and Capt. Castle, who until
few days ago had meen president of
the board for twelve years, sin par
ticular. IS -
A review of the facts leading up to
present unpleasantness, may show a
few things in a different light and re-
veal some things that are not general
ly known. A friend of Capt. Castle,
and an old soldier, said yesterday:
AtI1USl Slice Tie SclttIilG lOl d IOiHC
was first projected there have been
kicks of all sizes and descriptions lev
cled at its management from legislative
and other sources. The burden of the
wall has been extravaganza, and to
only the superficial observer it was
possible to see it in that way. For in
stance, each year after the taxes have
been paid, say in June or July, from
$40,0 900 to 100000 has been placed with
the state treasurer to the credit Of the
soldiers home, to cover current ex-
renseS Of the year, but it has always
appeared upon the books of the state
treasurer as a reserve fund and when
the money was used in legitimate cur
rent expenses, certain people threw up
their hands and cried aloud in their
ignorance: Reserve fund dissipated. ;"
Horrible extravaganza" Then again
The cost of all Improvements and extra
labor about the grounds at M1nnehaha
was figured in the per capita cost Of
keeping the inmates of the home and
in that way 1t appeared to those who
would sooner cavil at things than in
vestigate them, that the cost of keep
ing old soldiers was far too high, and
1t did appear higher than at similar
institutions in other states when in
point of fact 1t was not. But the out
ward appearance was ample excuse for
another howl and the howl has been
pretty continuous.
such was the condition two years
ago when a Republican legislature In
stigated and urged on by S. A. Stock
we'll, Of Minneapolis, demanded an in
Vestigation of the conduct of the home
and the board Of trustees, and 1t was
at that point that Capt. Castle was
brought into the present controversy.
He was president of the board and
many times had been called upon to
IAfA fhn hno ard 1,ct oil
appointed inquisitors who imagined,
not once but several times, that they
could see an African continent In a
handful of kindling wood. He grew
tired of it. and when it was proposed
by the legislature to cut off the ap
preparation he wilted That legislature
tried to make a record for economy
and its spasms We're directed against
the soldiers home and no one could
stem the current of reform that flow
ed torrentially toward the ocean of
economy"
Capt Mcmillan, of the Soldiers home.
was seen yesterday. He said:
Il am not in position to eontrovert
anything said either at this last en-
campment, or by members of the legis-
lature, but l am in a position to say
this. Two years ago Capt. Castle came
to me and said, I do not propose to
make fight against this reduction
l feel that we can get along without
the $4,000 until the next legislature
meets, especially as the board has the
power to transfer sums Of money from
the relief fund to the maintenance
fund Now, continued Capt. Mcmillan
When the cut was made we notified the
county agents of the state, whose office
1t is to approve applications for relief
outside the home. that we could not
furnish further relief and we have been
using that fund in the maintenance of
the home
But this highly moral and economical
Republican legislature of two wears
ago had to curtail appropriations. The
members had to draw their pay wheth-
er they worked, whether they adjourned
Two or three days at time or whether
they went on junketirg tours at the
expense of the state, and they had to
draw mileage, too, even though they
travelled on passes. But no one would
notice little things like that, if they
did but save the state $4,000 a wear
which was being squandered by a lot
of extravagant Grand Army boys In
riotous and unholy living. So the
S20,O0O appropriation was Topped off,
and nowhere are many members of
the house who are sorely grieved that
representatives of the G. A. r. should
be SO indiscreet and so basely sense
ieSss VI Sldllluue lHdL Iney should de-
made that the veterans relief appro-
priation should be restored. SO strong
was this grief that, while the pro-
gramme was under way at the capitol
Tuesday, some of the older members
went to Mr.. Staples and asked him
to interrupt the G. A. r. speakers in
order that a correction might take
place. 1t seemed to some of the mem
bers, whose nicer feelings were being
so grievously lacerated, that the
spokesman of the Grand Army labored
under a serious miSappreciation of
acts. One member said: Capt. Castle
president of the board of trustees of
the soldiers home, not only admitted
to the appropriation COMMITTEES two
years ago that there was no necessity
for the $4,000 appropriation. but. in
his official capacity, gave his consent
to the bill and formally approved 1t.
TN the name Of all that is great and
good, when before did a legislature
consider it necessary to have the of
fetal approval of any board or its
president before it could pass a bill?"
If the board of trustees ever con-
scented to that reduction, it was such
a consent that knew that before two
years had passed away there would
come a demand from all over the state
for a restoration of the appropriation.
If Capt. Castle ever consented to that
reduction, 1t was the passive acqui-
essence Of a man who saw the wis
dom Of making virtue Of necessity
and the members of the legislature will
find 1t hard to square themselves with
the Grand Army by trying to shift the