The forum. [volume] (Springfield, Ill.) 1904-192?, 1908-08-15
CARES FOR WIVES AND
ORPHANS.
Interests Of Soldiers at Qui1l, I
and Normal are Protected
by Governor Deneen.

We have had a soldiers orph"' ;
homes ever since the war. Soon a. IL
the war soldiers homes were foundel
in all sections of the north. Later
on soldiers widows homes were
founded in the several states. These
homes fer the widow and the father
less have given many comfort which
otherwise could not have, and in the
home for the helpless defenders of the
country, thousands of old and worthy
veterans have spent their declining
years in comfort.
While all this has been a comfort
to, and been approved by the loyal
people of our land, there have been
many instances where an element of
profound sorrow has been mixed with
it. 1t was those instances where, in
entering the soldiers home, the wife
of the soldier who was compelled to
seek shelter in the home, could not
enter with him. They were not only
separated, but the wife was left to
shift for herself. Nothing could be
more sad than such separation. The
woman, now DID, was the wife of the
soldier when he was at the front. AS
such, perhaps, she spent many night
importuning the God of battles to
spare him to her and when, perhaps,
he lay wounded in the hospital, she
could find no consolation until she
knew he was recovering. They had
lived together ever since NE war. He
was proud of her. She was proud of
him. They had both made sacrifices
for the country and the flag They
met with financial misfortune or were
unable to lay up sufficient to keep
them in their old age. Old age came
at last and the poorhouse doomed ur
like a spectre before them. At last
they were on the platform of the rail-
way station. The old soldier was on
his way to the soldiers home. They
babe each other farewell as the train
came In. The train departed and that
dear old wife, who endured all the APP
prehensions of the wife whose hus-
band was on the fighting line, had no
place to go except to the poorhouse,
but she was willing even to endure
this that her soldier husband might
have a home.
Such scenes as this caused Grand
Army men and other sympathetic peo-
pie to advocate the providing of a
home where the soldier and his wife
might both receive the comforts of a
home. Appeals we're made to govern
ors and the legislatures, but nothing
was done until Governor Charles S.
Deneen, whose father was a soldier,
was elected. A committee of the G.. A.
r. put the matter up to him and he re-
sponded promptly and recommended
in his message that such a home be
built at Quincy. The legislature passed
a bill appropriating $132,500 for that
purpose and the buildings are now
nearing completion. In doing this,
Governor Deneen has earned the good
WI of every soldier and his wife as
a man who does things. Not only this,
but when it was recommended that
the soldiers orphans at Normal be
moved to Quincy, Governor Deneen
heard the plea of the men of the G.
A. r. that the home be maintained
where 1t is and that compensation
for the falling off of inmates be made
by admitting other than soldiers
orphans where they could be educated
and trained and given a start in the
battle of life. These are things which.
in themselves, were sufficient to insure
Governor Deneen a warm place in the
affections of all loyal men and women.