The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-05-17
COMMANDER Hills
VISITS HOOD RIVER

L. Il. Hills, department commander
of the Oregon q. A. r., was visitor
in Hood River last weekgand attended
the regular meeting of Candy Post
Saturday afternoon. Mr.. Hills home
is in Grants Pass, where he state en-.
campment of the q. A. X. will be held,
June 20, of this year.
A reception was rendered Comman-
der Hills in the hall of the W. r. g.
at 3 o'clock, at which the president
of the corps, Mrs. j. L.HBlount, pre-
81 led. The commander in his speech
gave an interesting account of his
visits to the soldiers home at Rose
burg and brought out some facts not
hitherto generally known. He has
visited the home three times during
the past year, and each time found
everything in good shape and the in
mates we'll cared for. His last visit
was made without notifying the com
mandant of his coming, when he found
things just the same. The home
grounds, bought by the state, embrace
40 acres, within a quarter Of mile of
the depot at Roseburg. There are 1853
inmates. The cottages, built by the
state and furnished by the W. Il. c.,
number s, three only being occupied
by soldiers and their wives. Each
cottage of two rooms has a plot of
ground for vegetable and flower gar.
den. Water is piped to the cottages
and grounds. The soldiers wives in
the cottages are not fed at the home
table. The government at Washington
puts up 500 for each soldier in the
home but makes no provision for his
wife. When the meal call is sounded
the old soldier marches off to the din.
Ing room to eat his government ra-
tions with the common herd of in
mates, while his old wife is left to
prepare and eat her meal alone, pur
chased by the seant pension of her
husband
There Is no assembly room at the
home, no place where the soldiers can
hold post meetings or church services.
There is no music, no park for wild
animals that might be domesticated,
no amusement to detraot from the
monotony Of eating and sleeping, sit
ting out on the benches on the porch
es or going to the hunks in the sleep
AhB iuhAbClos lhb hlouOuOuyy bho
commander said, is something terri
BILE, enough TO make a sane an crazy.
The speaker complimented Com
mandant Elder and his wife for the
good care they are taking of the in
mates. The inmates, in hospital or
out, had nothing but kind words for
the management.
The post took action in regard to
Memorial day by appointing "a COM
mittee Of arrangements to act with
like committee from the W. Il. O.
The committee for the post is 9. A.
Buck, s. +. Blythe, NJ. p. Isenburg,
I. j. Cunning, o. L.EStranahan and
W. II. Perry. The general committee
will meet at Judge Prathel's office
next Saturday at o'clock. Comrade
j. W. Rigby, OF Candy post, Is invited
to deliver the Memorial sermon on
the Sunday preceding Memorial day.
BY vote of the post, Mayor Blowers
was asked to issue proclamation call
ing upon the business men of Hood |
River to close their stores and work |
shops from | o'clock until in the
afternoon of Memorial day. This is |
the 40th anniversary of the founding |
of Memorial day, and it is the pur-
pose of the Grand Army posts every.
where to make the services impressive.
According to the report of Comman-
der-in-chief Tanner, the Grand Army |
is melting away at the rate of 60,OO0 |
a year.