Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-05
Nebraska
AFFAIRS At SOLDIERS HOME
Veterans Complain Of Management Of
the Grand Island Institution.
GOVERNORS INVESTIGATION NIL
Many Specific Instances OF Neglect,
Abuse and MismAnagement cited
to support Charge of
Inefficiency.

Editor Of The Bee: The undersigned be-
lieve that the people OF the state, and par
ticularly the old soldiers OF Nebraska.
should know Of the conditions at the Sol
dlcrs' Home as we. who are here, know
them TO be. II had been hoped that after
Governor ShallenberRer had come and IN
vestigatcd' a more businessllke manage
ment would be Installed. But the investi-
cation was a farce. While two OF US were
active supporters OF Governor Shallen-
berger as against Governor sheldon. and
cannot therefore be said to be politically
prejudicod, we want to say here and noU
that the investigation accomplished nbou.
az much as did the army OF France
marched up the hill and down again. Gov
ernor shailenberger received 10 votes a.
the ~home-forty- eight inorc than W.. ..
Bryan got. and yet Mr.. Shallenberge f
never called the boys together TO thank
them for the support given him Various
complaints were made TO the governor.
lie was requested 70 come here and shut
off the graft going on hero, but he never
mentioned such a thing, despite the fact
that democracy and decency' are said to
have Joined hands under this administra-
ton.
There Is n class Of people which seems
to be very much Interested In circulating
the report that the old. soldiers at the
home are "f lot Of cranks, "-"old, crazy
cranks,' some Of them put lt--and that we
find fault with everybody and everything.
We claim that II is the parties Interested
In klipshOd methods that are responsible
for the circulation Of such reports, In order
to have any OF our complaints discredl(ed
even before they are made. We know that
the state desires to provide the member
OF the home with the best; we know that
the state pays for the best, and when we
get something inferior, contracted to be
the best and paid for as the best, we him
we have n right TO kick. We have that
right not only In our own interest, but
also. In the interest Of the taxpayers Of
the state. We know tina when we get
$50 or SIS worth OF stuff from a wholesale
house and It is billed at 800 We, are not
getting what the taxpayers Of the state
are paying for and that the shortage af-
fects us also.
Appeals to state hoard.
II the governor has no interest In cor
recting the methods at present employed
we viii appeal to the state board in the
interest Of the taxpayers and ou~rselves.
w 49, 1ANN VI NAlA dVpAlNSu IoT u
benefit Of others. That Is the kind Of
crank" we are. The democratic slogan
last fall was: Business Run on Business
Principles We are finding out what the
governor thinks business principles are.
We did not write to the governor to come
and tell US who the commandment was-we
knew that. But we did want him to come
and hear what we had to say about the
/ las mn nauaunapN a apA M. ssH.aa s..za Af.A-
any opportunity. He utterly ignored the
very things that we asked for and refused
TO have any conversation with us. What
reason can he possibly give for such a
course? Was he afraid to stir Il up?
Complaint had been made to him as 20
the auditing Of some Of the bills. Bills
have been sent for goods never received.
One Of these. 31s0, the payment Of which
-Commandant Barnes insisted upon, Is now
being held UP in the auditors office. A
Lincoln firm contracted to furnish us with
Imported macaronl in ten-pound packages.
Delivery was made in seventy-fiye pound
lots In barrels. very inferior, leaving un-
used goods exposed. The home doctor has
ordered seven five-sallon casks, OF whisky
since he has taken his position. more
than used In any quarter in five years
~ ta1e9 gOAAbulTlHk phNlGnNN III
the hospital. the conclusion is reached that
not one-fourth this amount Is used for
the patients.
Home Garden nnd Hogs.
Usually the home garden supplies the In
stitution with vegetables early in the sea-
son. This year we have a garden the size
Of that at the ordinary farm home. Cab
bages were always set out and the krout
for the winter put up at the home. This
year there are no cabbages to speak OF.
The farm has always had from 100 to iBC
swine, furnishing fresh pork for the Ia
bIes. Under the more modern and less an
tiquated rules of the home we read Abou,
there are only four or five head and the
crumbs and slops are hauled Aome distance
away from the home ana dumped an the
prairie. a disease breeder. The farm boss.
Mr.. Chappell, sells q blooded bull. for
which his predecessor paid 500 or mote,
for $40, and pays the freight, ti5,bO, "a, the
destination, leaving for the state t97.bO
Under antiqSated rules this would have
made at least some fresh beef for the
oOmmIssary department. This was done
without the consent or knowledge OF the
adJutant, Mrs. Chappell is on the payroll
at SIS per month for the houseke spins OF
bne Eoomn occuptcu W INC Aohhiys AnA-
was never done before. Whereas DR.. Dun
gan and wife occupied ono room in the
main building and ate with the other OF.
ficers. the present surgeon, with the con.
sent Of ~commandant Barnes. Is permitted
to pre-empt and occupy, together with the
farm boss and family. eight or nine rooms
In the hospital annex. and gid men and old
women are sent to the main building, A
private table IL maintained for the doctor
farm boss and their families. severa
pounds OF the choicest beef are supplied
tri-wsekly to this table and dozens oi
eggs per week. whereas the patients re
ceiVs eggs only on Sunday. All Of the eggI
must be purchased as the home has nj
poultry yards. II Is supposed that thes'
eggs are used principally for eggnog, from
the amount OF nutmeg furnished.
The rules as TO drunkenness are alsS
more lax. only one man. named Coffee
has been given a sixty-dsy furlouEh foi
violation Of the rules IN this respect i
Is needless 10 say. with the brand Of de
moeraey and decency that is in the saddle
at the home, that the unfortunate was I
republican. Again. the Anticipated rules Of
the home declare that quiet shall prevail
Under the modern rules. though the sur
geon's rooms are over the heads OF som'
OF the patients, dances and other socia