The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-05-06
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
Mr.. fowler Says Things to Mr. Lind.
To the Editor Of The Journal.
Mr.. Linds communication in your pa
per Of April 27, continues some and
| makes other erroneous statements,
which, it seems to me ought to be cor
rected, so that the public may have a
true knowledge Of the facts in relation to
Minnesota, it's attitude on the question
OF pensions and the work it has done for
i the dependent old soldier and his family
To that end I ask your Indulgence.
4 Mr.. Lind says sit was not the plan Of
congress to aid the states in running old
i soldiers boarding houses" The facts
4 are these: During the first -four years
i or Grover thousands Of pensions were
cut off, held up and reduced The ma
4 tlonal homes We're full to overlooking,
i and men could not obtain admittance to
1 them, except after long period of wait
4 ing. In every state there, We're large
numbers of veterans of the civil war in
4 the county poornouses Their comrades
i took the matter UP and as result dur
i ing the years from 1886 to 1889 state homes
4 We're built.
I In Minnesota the agitation for state.
home and for the support of dependents,
Z was begun at the department encamp-
ment of the Grand Army of the Republic
i held at Faribault, Feb. 10 and II, 1885.
4 The action there begun was crystallized
! into law In 1887, and the state soldiers
I relief fund.- together with state SOL
4 diers' home, was created.
i As soon as practicable after the pass
age of the law, the home was established
& and the first members of that home were
all taken out Of the county poorhouses.
In 1888, congress in view Of the fact
that national homes could not accommo-
date these men, passed a law granting to
state and territorial homes an allowance
of 800 year per capita for the men
maintained in such homes. This was
done because the government felt its
duty to share in the cost of maintaining
7 these men when it was not provided with
I facilities to do the work it had originally
set out to do. There are twenty seven
state homes and the expenditure in this
direction, by the government, has in
Z creased from $250,000 to $3.50, 900 per an
mum, but if the government were to as
sumo the entire cost Of these men, the
g annual expenditure would approximate
81 So 1000, 600. So far, the government Is
driving: good bargain with the states.
The Grand Army Of the Republic OF
! Minnesota has from the very first, in
sisted that the worthy dependent COM
rade, his family, his wife and children,
dependent parents or widow, shall have
relief, far as possible, extended to
them, as to the men in the home. The
department encampment would not sane
ton the founding of home until those
outside Of the home needing aid, were
also to be provided for. Those outside
4 of the home must not only use all of
: their pensions, but do what work they
can, in addition to the meager sum
which is allowed them thru the state re-
lief fund. And with this thought in
mind, it was determined in 1889 that the
! soldiers in the home should be placed
upon the level, as near as practicable,
with those outside of the home. This is
not altogether possible, because those out
side of the home must of necessity live il,
a most meager way, while those inside OF
5 the home have everything that the heart
can wish for their real comfort.
! The question of requiring members OF
: the home to contribute portion of their
! pensions for the support of the home, has
been before the department encampment
s of the Grand Army of the Republic very
$ many times. No one undertakes to deny
that some of the men in the nome, to-
gether with few friends on the outside
f have complained bitterly of the pension
' rule. They undertook to secure its re-
n versal thru the legislature in 1898, with
the result that the legislature, containing
r many old soldiers, authorized the contin.
q uance Of the rule, instead of abrogating it
: and the law was approved by a soldier
d governor, Knute Nelson. The agitation
s however. was continued, but each timt
s when brought before the state encamp-
. ment, the rule was sustained by over.
( whelming majorities and all attempts t.
!, reverse it in the legislature have failed
: because no good reason can be alleged
: why one dependent soldier shall have
I steam heated quarters, baths, barber
!. laundry, clothing, medical attendance
: oculist, full supply of edibles, tobacco
Sta Sta nd ho al
lowed his entire pension for his persona
use, free Of any charge, when his com
{ rade, equally dependent, is striving to thu
d best of his ability and living in the mos
y meager way, without any hope Of llavin.
4. a surplus for purely personal gratificatio
II I would like to cite few cases of thi
n latter class, but space, fear, will no
e. permit. One told me within two week
q that he had not had any money to buy
sr pound of meat since last Christmas. Thi
20 man is a respected citizen of this city an
a good soldier of a Minnesota regiment
p He must take care of a dependent daugh
. ter. He does his duty and lives In pov
n, erty. ! could cite very many such cases.
L Mr.. Lind reiterates In his article til
s, statement which he made on the floor c
m the house Of representatives, that TIL
2 money taken from the members Of tn
~ home is distributed among those on TIL
" outside I called Mr.. Lind's attention
ne what then thought to be an error |
az hHOWleQSe on MS pdrt.s puC& having re
es tterated it, after being correctly informed
IN the statement passes into another cias
e, Not cent of the pension money retaine
oy from members of the home is used for til
benefit of other persons outside of til
30 home, except their wives and children
Mt and never has been. Mr.. Lind's solicitud
s. about this matter has had very secre
or growth. During his two years as governt
pc he never attended a meeting of the boar
OF trustees or made a recommendatio
in his official papers Of any sort or kin,
and the record of his statements in tt
debate, leads one to think that he nev,
IS read a single report concering the HON
or the relief fund, He says that "Rhoe
Island is the only other state that take
all in excess Of ST. In this he is mi.
taken. as usual He says that "Masss
chusetts requires inmates to contribute a
20 over 80 to dependent relatives but |
x fails to state that Massachusetts, ais
where they have no dependent relative
requires the members of It's soldiers hon
ng / to contribute all above 81 to the suppo
5S OF the home.
It. AS have already stated, out of tWent,