Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-09-15
MANAGERS INDICATED.
Investigators Of Homes fer Disabled
Volunteer Soldiers Report.

0olGicTS hCPUTts
National Tribune)
The country has teen resoundjng
with charges Of mismanagement of the
Pacific Branch of the Soldiers Home
and of the ill-treatment of it's inmates
The matter came before the last Ma
tional Encamptnent for consideration.
Promptly upon the first publication of
the charges Commander Daubenspeck,
of the Department of California and
Nevada, appointed committee to in
vestigate the conditions at the Home,
and the following is the full report
made by the committee to him:
Special Report of the Department
Committee to Investigate Complaints
on the Conduct and Management of
the Pacific Branch, National Military
Home.
Los Angeles, Cal, Aug. 4, 1909
wv. S. Daubenspeck, Commander
Department of California and Nevada
"Comrade: In response to your re-
quest of June Il, as Chairman of the
above committee, / Immediately took
steps to have the committee make a
thorough investigation of the various
matters complained of. Your Assistant
Adjutant- General has from time to
time forwarded to this committee the
various communications and newspa-
per clippings which have come to the
Department Headquarters that per-
tain to the Soldiers Home matter
I'VE beg to call your attention to
the report of this committee submitted
to the Department lIncampment at
Pasadena on April ID, which was unan-
imously approved, and the Encamp-
ment seemed SO well pleased with the
work Of the committee that on motion
speciaK vote of thanks was rendered
the committee for their services. This
motion was amended to continue the
committee for the coming Encamp,
ment year, and was adopted without a
dissenting voice. In this report your
committee took occasion to compliment
the improved condition and manage
ment of the affairs of the Home.
'On April II, Oh the occasion of the
visit of the Chief, the
Chairman and Secretary of this COM
| mittee, in company with the Depart
| ment Commander and members of his
staff, visited the Soldiers Home Dur
ing the visit a meeting of the officers
and members of the several Posts at
the Home was held in the Post Room
in Memorial Hail. and was addressed
| by the COmmander-in-Chief Depart
ment Commander, the Chairman and
Secretary OF this committee and 9TH
crS. On that occasion the Command
er-in-C Chief told the members of the
Home that if they had any complaints
| to make to reduce them to writing, and
file the same with the Department
Committee, who would make the in
vestisation ard report through the
Department Commander to the Com
| mander-in-Chief. and if wrongs were
being perpctrated upon the members
If the Home that he would use the en-
! tire prestige and strength of the Ma
| tlonal organization to right the
wrongs.
Your committee begs to report to
| you that there has not been a COM
plant filed with this committee up to
date. However, on account of the
| many harsh and cruel statements rel
ative to the management of the Home
and the treatment OF its members pub
lished in the Los Angeles Herald, and
given out to the Associated Press, and
further fomcnted by verbal stories cir
cuated by two or three comrades ana
Rosecrans Camp of the Sons OF Vet
Grams i'll Los Angeles and three or fou,
comrades OF the Home we have made
as thorough investigation as posSbie
UP to this time, and we are still at
work in an effort to verify or produce
tangible evidence to refute these state
ments.
"We beg to call your attention to
the fact that there are five daily news
papers Published in Los Angeles. and
only one, the Herald, has been able to
discover sufficient wrong-doing in the
management of the National Home to
make any unfavorable comment upon
it. We quote few of the newspaper
charges:
" 1t is a fact that in the last two
months eight new restaurants have
been opened in Sawtelle, and the pro-
prietors of these eating places admit,
ted that they depended upon the pa
tronaGe of The veterans for their sup
port. u
"'That the 1900 soldiers will haM to
go without meat for the next Is days
was the statement of the Governor, be-
cause the allotment to Sawtelle had
been expended. - tsHX
An order which aroused all the fire
of the old fighters was when they were
instructed that they could not wear the
Grand Army buttons.
1T is a burning shame that the old
soldiers are compelled to live on char
ity on food solicited by the Woman's
Relief Corps of Los Angeles
The several members of the COM
mittee have individually visited the
Home from time to time and investi-
gated certain cases assigned them, and
on July IA, a meeting of the full COM
mittee was held at Commander
Daubenspecks office. All of the MEM
bers of the committee We're present
Major Walker. of Los Angeles, who Is
not a member of the Grand Army, but
who has been especially busy seeking
out and exposing alleged wrongs at the
Home, also Past Commander Case. of
Stanton Post, who has reported that
hn hoI ,hpr of CT n nd