Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-15

{. that officials sell fruit raised at the g
@ home ard make financial returns. e
9 Inmates will bring their grievances g
g before recently elected cOmmander-in- &,
&. chief of the Grand Army Van SAINT. Sc
@ Old soldiers insist that fight shall be g
6. kept up until Governor COehrane and &.
% Treasurer Moore are removed from s.
% office. e
o Bitter feeling prevalent against the g
% "whitewashing" of charges AS stated &:
% by Commander NeVius at salt Lake. g
% Men await with interest the visit g
&. of President Taft, when veterans COM G
@ mittee will place the true conditions 6.
G. at the home before chief executive. :
.::s:, ,:S:SsS: 900 .$1<.. ..:S2t>%%e:S:>:S.E
Deep in the hearts of the veterans al
the Soldiers home, near Sawtelle, ran
kles the remarks made by Henry NJ
Nevius, former ommander-in-chief OF
the Grand Army of the Republic at
Salt Lake last week during the annual
encampment.
The inmates~o of the home. while not
bitter against Nevius, are of the opin-
ion that the same brand of politics
which, landed #. j. Cochrane i'm the
home at ISawtelle was used to white
wash the report that was given at the
encampment meeting.
That the real facts were not brought
to light or even given consideration is
NIT that, as a result of Nevius' re-
marks. their fight for emancipation has
been given a setback.
The words used by Nevius in his ad-
dress are: MY attention has been
called two or three times to letters
from inmates of the Soldiers home
anonymous letters complaining of i'll
treatment and Irregularities in the
home. All of these matters have been
loot ted
plants found to be without founda-
tion.
Veterans Are Indignant
at received anonymous comunica-
tions in regard to the home in Cali
fornia and / visited the home in COM
pany with the officers of the depart
ment of California and investigated ii
very closely. l found in this home
that aIl~the officials were Grand Army
men and in addition to their regular
pensions were receiving compensation
for such labor as they could perform
that the surgeons and some of the
nurses were not Grand Army men, for
the reason that the Grand Army men
In the home would not or could not
perform the duties required of them"
The veterans who faced the shot and
shell and for nearly five years offered
their lives that the country might be
preserved are indignant at the report
They maintain that no investigation
was ever held and that Nevius either
purposely, or acting by information
that was not just made the report
The veterans claim that the letters
sent to Nevius were not anonymous
and that the only true part of the as
sertion is that the investigation was
made by officers of the California de-
partment.
The veterans declare that IL per-
, sonal investigation had been made
Nevius never would have made the
statement that all the officials were
Grand Army men and that other nurses
and officials were hired because "the
men in the home would not or could
not perform the duties required of
them
Point to Moore as Example
1t is a well-known fact, and one that
the veterans have complained of for
many months, that outsiders are en-
ployed to do the work that should be
apportioned to the inmates. They de-
clare also that these outsiders never
were military men and never saw a
battle. and point to the office of Treas
urer Moore as a striking example.
The old warriors are disheartened at
the report and realize more than ever
Jnat tney are HBnllHB d SlIol'S Po-
litica1 organization, and 1t was sug-
gested at the home yesterday that the
only way to obtain redress was by open
revolt.
"Wc are glad that the term of Nevius
has expired" said veteran yesterday
"But I do not believe that he knew
the actual conditions when he made
his report. | believe that the political
influence that landed Cochrane in lis
tan 1aTne
whom Nevius was making his report
We look forward for help to the new
ccmmander, Samuel r. Van SAINT, and
al; we desire is that he make personal
irsrection to see the conditions as they
exist. We are tired of this white
washing business.
Demand cochrane's Recall
said one veteran: 1.-THE Herald was
successful in having Harper recalled
as mayor, and we only hope that the
investiea ton will be kept up until
Coehrane is recalled as governor. We
believe that graver charges than car
be substantiated can be brought against
Cochrane. We will not be satisfied un-
til Cochrane and Treasurer Moore are
removed We have submitted to theil
insults long enough and now that we
realize they have influence enough tC
SWAY other leaders in their favor 1t is
up to us to take the matter in our own
hands"
One question that is puzzling the
veterans is the disposition of the fruit
which is abundantly raised on the lane
adjoining and belonging to the home
1t is said that enough fruit is raised
each wear to furnish one meal daily
for the veterans yet no fruit l. served
Veterans declare that the fruit is solo
to outside marketers and ask for ac-
counting of the proceeds.
There is in vogue, at Governor Coch-
rane's bequest, a strict order that any
inmate of the home caught taking
fruit from the home orchard be ar
rested and placed in the guard house
Such a proceeding generally results in
the person arrested getting the gate,
or. in other words, discharged from
the home.
Governor in Happy Mood
Governor Cochrane was in a happy
frame of mind yesterday when inter
viewed by a reporter and he conde-
scended to talk to a representative OF
THE Herald He expressed himself as
nleased with the report of Nevius, ir
which the charges against the home
were treated with liberal coat OF
Whitewash.
"I have been with this home for ter
years; have always maintained that
knew my business and believe now that
have been vindicated, | have tc
nut I'D with lot of talk from ig-
norant persons, but despite the news