Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-12-24
SOLDIERS HOME
Continued from 1st page.)

AOA tAoO moOOCI. captain IldCO Va
Spear1sh, a splendid soldier with as
kind a heart as beats In the breast Of
man, A. B. Nelson Of Pierre and Col.
Tom Orr Of Brookings, both splendid
Soldiers, kind hearted and men who
would do anything in their power to
aid a deserving veteran or any man
for that matter, and there is p. v.
Fitzpatrick of Rapid City, a genial
warm hearted son Of Erin a man who
has made many trips to the home to
investigate complaints, and a man
who would never vote to discharge
any man unless he deserved it, these
are the men along with the writer
who are responsible for all discharges,
Col. Geddis obeys the orders OF the
board and that Is all.
The self-willed with disappointed
ambition believe that they can run
the home better than anybody else
and are never satisfied, but fortunate
~ there are not many of this class in
the home. Half a dozen kickers a
manufacture lies very fast when as
sisted by such characters as Jones.
The kickers are never satisfied with
anything and fancy that four dollar a.
day grub is what they ought to have.
Then some fellow will sit down and
write the governor a plausible letter
filed with absolute faisehood and
when that man is brought before the
board to answer to the charges he
makes, 81 heard so and l thought so"
is all the satisfaction the board gets
for it's trouble. Then there are a few
who want the home run to suit them,
and if the cook makes a missque once
in awhile the administration is
damned and declared tyranical and
the men are being starved.
This man Jones will not make any
political capital out OF his soldier
home lies. His whole story bears n
imprint of cunning demagogue with
out character to lose. Let any fair
minded man 90 through the soldiers
home and interview every man in the
institution and he will answer Jones
and the other liars just as we are do
ing.
Some of the men recently dis
charged had so disgraced the home
that a majority Of the men were
ashamed to wear their uniforms IN
the town. Others we're fired for
things that would not be fit to pub
lish and Jones fails to tell why his
gambling saloon keeping companion
of Rapid City was fired from the
home.
We say with a full knowledge OF
the conditions that the membership
Of the home, nearly 250. will compare
with a like number Of men In any
walk Of life for manhood and charac-
I&er, but you will find black sheep IN
civil life and you will find black sheep
among the old soldiers. Man is not
perfect, nor need we look for perfec-
ton any more in a soldiers home than
we do among civilians. II half we
hear about Jones aud the editor Of
the Argus Leader is true, both OF
them would get a dishonorable dis
charge If they were In the home.
Governor Vessey has done more to
see that no old soldier has been un-
Justly treated than any governor In
the history Of the state, and the
board OF commissioners have been un-
usually careful in seeking every
mean possible to avoid the necessity
for discharging any man, because the
board has no desire or reason for sum
mary action, but when men wilfully
disobey rules and regulations and de-
fy the home government then they
invite the consequences Of their folly.
There are men in the home now
who have lived there in peace and
comfort since the home was opened
eighteen years ago, and every man
who wants to live in that home can
do so as long as he lives and nev
have u for complaint, and it Is
lust as good a home as any mar In
the state has.
We had trouble breeders In the
army and we have a few in the home,
and expect to have a few up to the
end, and the South Dakota home Is
n of the best managed homes in the
nation. 1 won't say it IS the best but
Twill say there is no better, and there
are less discharged from the home,
numbers compared, than from any
other state home in the country, and
the printed records prove it,.
All veterans are admitted Into n
home with a full knowledge of n
penalties that drunkenness and viola
tions of the rules call for, and when
these rules are wilfully disregarded
there is only one course left for the
board. There is no guard house at
the home as may be found at nearly
all state homes and at all national
homes, hence there is no other means
Of enforcing discipline that Of CAS-
charge or confinement to the home
grounds. Discharge follows repeated
violation OF some rules, while other
violations call for immediate suspen-
sion and discharge II the board huds
the susnansiOn justified. It would be