The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-03-05
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REPORT IS SUBMITTED ON Old
SOLDIERS home.
CONDEMNS CONDITIONS

Legislative Committee Declares Prac
ticaIly All Charges Broush,
Against Management Of Conreder
ate Infirmary at Colu1nbia Have
Been Sustained by the Testimony
The legislative committee appoint
ed to investigate the Confederate ~
frmary, or home, made its report
Thursday to the general assembly
The report reviews the testimony
taken at several SESSIONS Of the com
mittee and calls attention Ia i num-
Der Of changes it thinks should be
made in the administrator of Its az
fairs. The committee thinks there
is lack Of discipline at, the instltu-
ton and condemns the practice os
rembers Of the commission electins
themselves to sallaried positions
stating that this was never the in
tention of the act. The committee
making the report consisted Vt Sena-
tors Hough, Epps and Crouch and
Representatives James, Nelson and
Greer. The report is given below:
Your committee, appointed under
a concurrent resolution to investigate
certain reports concerning the man
agement Of the Confederate Vercr-
ans infrmary," and to report "the
results of its Investigation st this
session Of the general assembly,
begs leave to submit the following:
Three afternoons were spent in eN-
amining witnesses. A stenoGraphcr
was found to be necessary and A. D..
Deal was employed to take the testi-
mony, which is herewith submitted,
consisting Of about 225 pages OF type
written matter, and the same Is made
a part Of this report.
Among the witnesses examined
were Mai. H..W. Rissar !son, Capt.
;. P. Caldwell and Dr.. Butler. We
likewise took the testimony OF a
number of the inmates Of the sol
iers' home, as well as the testomony
of others.
Among the complaints Of charges
alleged were:
(a) That there was drunkenness
and profanity allowed on the part OF
a few of the inmates to the dlscom-
fort Of others.
Cb) Partially in some respects In
the treatment of the inmates.
(c) Lack Of proper discipline.
sick.
(e) Bad bread furnished, or bread
made from musty meal, for snort
time last summer.
(f) That the home, or some OF the
rooms, are allowed at times to get IN
very filthy condition.
Aside from these charges there
were others of a petty nature and
testimony was taken along the lines
The results reached by your COM
mittee are as follows:
(a) That the charge Of drunken
ness on the part Of some Of the in
mates and unbecoming conduct re-
sulting therefrom seems to be sus-
taiued by testimony. It appears that
the pension money received by many
of the inmates goes for whiskey (see
testimony of Maj. H. W. Richardson,
page 31). It also appears from his
testimony (page 30 that the inmates
..haye no use for it (the pension
money! except for what they consi-
der luxuries," and that the "luxur-
les" alluded to are s'whiskey and a
little tobacco"
(b) AS to the charge Of partiallty
the testimony is conflicting, but Capt.
J. P. Caldwell, on pages 81. 90, 93,
testifes that during last summer he
saw what he regarded as partiality
used.
(c) The testimony convinces the
committee that there is great room
for Improvement in the matter Of dis
cipline, as well as in other matters,
Mai. Richardson in his testimony
(see page 80 says: "I will admit
that we all have been too lax in dis
cipline. I have been" The conclu-
sion forces itself on the committee
that if the Offices Of treasurer and
commandant were bestowed upon
one mana man Of executive abil-
ity and a strict disciplinarian-con-
ditions generally would be improved
and the saving Of several hundred
dollars per annum to the State would
be effected. Capt. Caldwell in his
testimony states that the s100
month now paid to Maj. Richardson
is thrown away. (Page 81 OF
testimony. He also says that Capt
Startling performed all the duties now
supposed to be performed by himself
and Maj. Richardson. The inference
is that two men are being employed
to do what one could do, and if, as
stated, a man Of good executive abil'
ity were chosen, matters could be
improved and money saved 10 tns
State. At present, judging from the
testimony, there does not seem to be
head to the institution-sucf
employee is rather a law unto him
self.
And in this connection we wish tt
out the stamp Of our disapproVal up
on the practice of members OF tn
commission electing themselves to o.
holding salaried positions. We ar
compelled to believe that this prac
tice is not only contrary to the &C
creating the home, but is responsible
in some measure for the troubles re
ferred to in this report. 1t is not
good thing for an employer and EN-
ployee to be the same perso2 when h
has the right to fix both salary an