The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-04-16
A, B, ALLEN :
SPEAKS PLAINLY
Expresses Disgust at Attack on
r. G. Dunn for Attitude To-
ward Soldiers Home.

A. B. Allen in the Morton, (Minnesota) |
Enterprises:
The Grower knows that much has |
been said about a statement Mr.. Dunn |
is alleged to have made concerning the |
rights of the old soldier to spend his |
money for drink or not as he saw fit. !
The statement was circulated to hurt |
Mr.. Dunn and we will drop it, Mr. |
Collins says that he is in favor of the
old soldier having his own money to
spend under certain conditions. So is
the present administration and man
agement and they arrange the condi-
lions and the conditions are a dis
grace to the state. Many a brave old
man is, by misfortune, obliged to leave
his aged wife to the tender mercies of
relatives or friends and take temporary
refuge in the home God save the
name) and if allowed the pittance the
government pays him for giving health,
strength and almost life for the pur-
pose Of saving this country SO a lot of
brainy men can hold office and dictate
to him how he shall spend his money,
he might send few dollars to the old
wife each month or might accumu-
late enough to establish himself again
so as to make living. but these Won
| derful men in control are so anxious
that he shall not get drunk that they
insult every inmate of the home by
| taking his money away from him.
One would think that the whole fabric
rested on lot Of cheap guys and that
| 1t was out Of their pockets that the
support of the old boys came, and if
Bob Dunn said, LET them have it, it
Is theirs and If occasionally one among
! the hundreds gets drunk whose bust
ness is it? They earned the right on
many a blody battle field, and in many
a forlorn hope, in making it possible
for few men to make rules and regu-
lations to humble and make paupers of
every soldier who has to seek refuge
there
1t makes us hot this soldiers home
| business and from Bob Dunn's re-
marks and acts for the last ten years
every old soldier in the state should
get out and work for him. 1t is a
| dirty outrage that because there may
! be one man among the inmates that
gets drunk, the whole outfit must be
branded as imbeciles incapable of
handling two or three dollars a month
and when we think of the old First at
Gettysburg, the old Second at Chickamau-
ga, the Fourth at Altoona, then to
think that lot of fellows that never
saw a gun fired should pen these old
| fellows up and feed them but you
must not have any money paid you for
wounds in battles
| Do you know what they did at AL
toona? Well Hoods whole army started
back from Atlanta for Nashville out of
grub. At Altoona about hundred miles
from where Hood started, was stationed
ESherman's supplies with a small force to
lI9guard them, Among them was the Fourth
+ Minneso ta, asatns Them came $1,000 men:
/ The first thing was d request to surren-
tder but Sherman from the top Of Kensaw
signaled, Hold the fort for am coming
and old Billy Sherman's orders were law
while man lived. The assault began. A
| dozen times the rebels were within fifty
feet of the works only to be driven back.
More dead men lay around the works than
there were live ones inside. A dozen at
tempts were made to fire the supplies and
every man who tried it was killed. After
two days and nights Sherman came in
sight only to find a remnant of the men,
dirty. bloody. tired but holding the fort,
, | and some of these men are at the soldiers
home while a lot Of damned asses say
they are paupers and shall not have a
dollar to spend. Well, we hope Bob Dunn
will be governor for the reason of stop
ping these damnable outrages against
old soldiers if for no other, while the men
,, responsible for it wear the finest raiment
;; and drink the best wines: Let the boys
Of Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Altoona
; Pass, Franklin, and hundred other
!, places get drunk occasionally If they want
to-. They earned the money and If any
of the old boys happen to strike this town
come in and see us and, while we never
, drink, we would consider it an honor tc
get drunk with First Minnesota mar
or any other old crank who served foul
years.