Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1908-10-29

Board Of the Elk. Confederate Home
at Higgiusville. They are intend.
ed to call attention to abuses 10
the Home. It appears to us like
mighty interesting reading and
will concern old Confederate
in every section of the State;
Dear Sir:-
You will pardon me
for intruding upon your time and
patience, but there is to every old
Confederate a subject of much in
terest, aud one too long neglected.
Last December( 1901 L visited the
Home at Higginsvile and made
application for the position of sur.
geon of the home. | knew little a.
bout the home aud applied at the
suggestion Of Hon. w. II. Kennan
who was one of the board aud
knew all about my service in the
confederate army from the battle
Of Fort Sumpter to the surrender
of Gen Lee, and bear four wounds
from federal shot and shell. l ap.
peared before the board with the
necessary credentials, and endorse
ments from fifteen of the leading
physicians of Mexico, Mo-, with
bankers. merchants, ministers, and
proposed to go to the home with
my wife, who would have been
much help and comfort TO those
poor helpless old fellows. but
through the influence of some one
| was Disseminated against in the
interest of DR.. Webb whose appoint.
ment is in violation both of the
spirit aud letter of the constitution
Which says that the surgeon sh all
reside at the home. Besides he is
young man born since the war,
aud lives two miles from the home,
and spends at least % hours Of each
day attending to his private prac-
tice in'the city and country from two
ten miles away from the old fellows
in the home. There are less than 20
or 80 of the inmates of the home
that are afflicted with diseases that
give them constant pain aud need
the attention of physician every
hour.
These old soldiers should have
the very best of attention for whom
the home was built and provisions
made, are much neglected, because
of the inability of this young DR..
to attend them under the present
arrangement. This young DR.. is
we'll qualified to attend to all their
needs when present but you know
from the very nature OF the case
that he can not give proper atten.
ton and spend % hours away from
the home every day; that is impos'
sible. There have been seYers
applications by old soldiers (phy'
sicians) all have been rejected and
this young physician holds place
the and has for years through some
political pull or undue personal
favor with the board.
They made .be excuse year agt
that there was no house for a ply
sician TO live in but we know tha
there is a Ave room house built for
the purpose, and is now occupied
by the woman stenogrspher who
has two rooms aud the superintend
ent one for his paivate Office.
raised this question at the meeting
at Nevada, No., two weeks ago an,
the defence made was that the sal
AIRY 100000 per annum or $500
month would not justify a iirs
class physician to accept the place
Graf it, but who has the fixing c
the salaryi The board of director
Of course, and we claim If the salar
is not sufficient make it so. Thos
old fellows are entitled TO all tha
is coming to them and the man o
men who would pervert.or misaI
propriaie one penny that is intent
ed for the help, aid or succorsof thei