The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-04-19

Vpea Letter 10 CsoWtefd
Col. Thomas Fitch, of MilbAnk, who
was recently removed from the Sol
diers' home board by Governor Craw-
ford has written the governor the fol-
open letter, asking the COVER
nor TO explain ~ the old soldiers OF
the state the cause for the removal.
The letter follows:
Milbank, s. d., April 18th, 1907.
Governor Coe l. Crawford, Pierre, S.
ID. Dear Sir:-Under date OF March
4th, 1907, you wrote me that, ION
account OF what appears TO be for the
best interest Of the Soldiers home,
bv having . majority of the commits
sioners free from partisanship con
corning complaints which have been
filed in regard to the management of
the home l have decided to termin ate
your appointment, which / have this
day done and will name as your sue
cessor, MIR. A. B. Nelson, OF Pierre,
S. D." | replied to the above letter
asking you for more specific reasons
for my removal, which letter you
answered on March 14th, stating fur
Their as follows: "My only object in
making the change in the majority Of
this board was to have new men on the
board without any previous bias or
influence to pass upon serious com
plants which have been lodged with
me in relation to the management,
particularly in relation to the con-
duct of the hospital" You further
stated in this same letter: Sin making
the charge it was no. my purpose to
reflect unkindly upon you or upon Mr..
DeJean." | had intended to let the
matter rest upon receiving assurance
from you that You did not intend to
reflect unkindly upon Mr.. DeJean and
myself, and understood you to mean
thereby that there was nc cause for
complaint against us as members of
the board, but In view of the fact that
l have received numerous letters and
inquiries from my comrades from all
parts OF the state as to the cause of
my removal, two years before the ex-
pirstion of my term, without notice
and without being given q chance to
be heard, which understand also to
be the cas with Mr.. DeJean, I on
cluded that it vas due to u COM
rades to know the reason you haye
given for, as it appears to me, your
hasty and unprecedented action in so
removing US, and that they may Judge
IOr LuCu00lV0S 10 W WucuLcC OE uOb
you were justified In SO doing.
I have lived in South Dakota twen-
ty-six years and have at all times
| ole soldiers in every legitimate way.
building of the organization of the
G.. A. R., and in all other matters
which would give the old soldiers
that which is due them for the service
they rendered their country and give
them comfort in their declining years.
l am also proud of my army record of
three and One-half years of service In
which my company was engaged In
twelve battles and l will always carry
scars from the wounds that I received
at Chattanooga. There are hundreds
| of others in this state who have done
their country like service. care but
| tile what the politicians may say, but
l do care for the good opinion of my
comrades and it is with them that l
desire TO be set right in this matter.
The appointment vas given me in the
first place without solicitation. There
has been but little in IL IN q financial
way. l have felt, however. that my
services rs q member of the board
have been fairly satisfactory to all
concerned, especially to my comrades,
which to my own knowledge is true in
the case of Mr.. DeJean, and | had
thought that we we're entitled to fair
treatment from those having authority
over the institution maintained for the
old soldiers by this state. 1t certain
ly seems to me that your premises are
false and your conclusions wrong
when you summarily removed Mr.. De-
Jean and my self and based your q
son Tor such removal upon the pre-
sumption that we would not have been
entirely free from partisanship in the
Investigation OF charges against the
management Of the home, without first
laying such charges before the board
and giving it q chance to act upon
them. Of course you also state that
you will not intimate to any member
of the board as to how such charges,
which you kept entirely to yourself,
shall be passed upon, but from my
standpoint it certainly appears that il
must have been your intention to have
any matters that you had in mind
when you removed us, passed In &C.
cordance with your own desires unless
you knew'of some p~artisnship exercised
by u. while members of the board
which you have charged indirectly by
your action and explanation. In
Justice to the old soldiers of this state
and to Mr.. DeJesn and myself l would
ask you to kindly make q public ex'
planation as to what time or times the
Soldiers home board, while we were
members, has ever4 cted in q partisan
way? The old soldiers of the state
who are vitality interested have . RICH,
to know If we have betrayed their COZ
fidence by acting in y partisan way
and If it is not shown to their salts
faction that we have done so, then the
inference may be fairly drawn that
it was p~artisanship on your part, and
for the advancement of your own pol
iticsl interests that prompted you te
take the action you did.