Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-24
SOLDIERS HOME
Now Contains 40 Veterans OF
the War.
lis ADMIRABLY LOCATED
What is Particularly Needed Just
Now is Hospital AccOmO-
dati0ns For the Men.

Governor Smith Yesterday received a
check for $3.50 from the federal govern
ment for the state soldiers home at Co
lumbia Falls, says the Helena Independ-
emit. The government makes a quarterly
! contribution to all the state soldiers'
homes in the country, the amount dis
tributed being apportioncd to the several
institutions in proportion to the humble
enrolled. Nominally $500 a year is al
lowed the institution for each old soldier
! cared for, but there are always certain
| deductions made which materially re-
/; duces the allotted sum-.
The Montana soldiers home now has
about 40 inmates, gathered in from all
! parts of the state. Rev. H. S. Taft. chap
lain of the home and pastor of the Meth
| odist church at Columbia Falls. who has
been in the city several days visiting his
family, said yesterday that the Montana
institution could easily be made one OF
| the best in the country, although one of
1.-THE smallest in point of numbers cared
for.
II nave yet to hear he said yester-
day, "of any old soldier who has been
at the Columbia Falls home and gone
away VINO WOulu IlOC HNc " IeluIu. "A
number Of veterans who left the Mon
! tana home for the California institution
have written back to their old comrades
| saying that they would like to be back
in Montana again. One old soldier, | re-
member, wrote that he had jumped from
F.! the frying pan into the fire
mo, the old soldiers cannot be said to
be contented. They never are. and it
would be expecting too much of them
to think they should be. In the first
| place, these men, as a usual thing, once
had good homes, and no amount of care
can make a public institution such as
is there compare with their homes of
long ago. The fact is there can be no
home without a woman in IT., and these
old men realize that as we'll as anyone
can They are getting old-are old IN
fact, and all of them are in Door health.
Very few Of the 40 men at the home are
able to do ar ordinary days work. Old
men and sick men are generally grum-
blers, and it is as natural for a soldier
to complain as it is for him to eat. 1t
takes more than something to eat and
a place to sleep to make a home In its
true sense. Besides, they cannot accom-
modate themselves to each other. You
should remember that they are old men,
and the fact that they complain a great
deal is not to be wondered at. Not all
Of the men are grumblers, however.
Some of them realize that they have
nothing better in prospect, and are max
ing the best of things. These old soldiers
are enjoying life pretty we'll. Somehow
or other the impression prevails in some
quarters that an old soldier is an alto
gether undesirable person. Some people
look upon him as a man who has neg
lected all his opportunities and who is,
as some one said, the architect of his
own m~isfortunes. The fact is that most
of the old soldiers are indeed worthy, but
unfortunate, men. A certain class of
thoro arc drinking mon and all Of Thorn
will Jake a glass of liquor when the OPP
p~ortunity offers, but most of them do not
become intoxicated.
1.-The surroundings Of the old soldiers
are most pleasant. The HON is admiral
bly, located from a local point of view.
I have always maintained that it should
have been located at some. central por-
ton of the state. where it could be
; easily reached by railroad from all other
parts, but after once arriving there, a
place better adapted to a home could not
we'll be found. 1t is a charming spot.
where all nature seems to have COM
bined to make a scene beautiful to look
upon. The old soldiers are well provided
with food and clothing, and they have as
good beds as money could buy. The COM
mandant. Captain Hillman. treats his
men with the utmost kindness-almost
too kind at times. In every respect it is
a model institutions, so far as the facil-
tiles at hand can make it so, but for all
mat l QOn | NINA saying that l would
not go to any soldiers home for pure
enjoyment's sake.
"The board of managers has a happy
faculty of making a little money go a
long ways. They are forced to be econ
omical, and certainly no one can say that
they have ever spent money at the home
needlessly. They need more money, for
they are obliged to carry economy to ex-
tremes. What is particularly needed is
a hospital, but there seems to be little
chance of getting one this year. The APP
preparation for that purpose was alto
gether insufficient and no contractor can
be found who will attempt to build it
for the money available. So many of the
old soldiers are sick a part of the time,
and a few of them all OF the time, that
a hospital is absolutely necessary. To
show you how feeble the old soldiers
are. as a rule. | need only say that there
have been four deaths at the home since
July 4. All the sick now have to be
cared for in the sleeping quarters. and
that is not as it should be.
Taking all things into consideration
the Montana soldiers nome is a credit
to the state, and when it secures its
hospital and other less needed improve
ments it will be one of the best i'm the
country"