Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-01-30

that they render In disbursing the
fund of these veterans. It ought to be
a labor Of love, and every man engag-
ed in 1t ought to see that every dollar
that Is appropriated by your body
should go direct to the old soldier, and
have no middle or stopping point un-
til 1t reaches there. At the home I
think the commandant and his wife
should be sufficient to manage 1t and
take care Of it unless possibly it be
necessary for them to have one or
two assistant helpers. I do not think
too many should be employed at the
soldiers home who are to receive SAL
aries thereby eating up the appropria-
tion before 1t reaches the veterans for
whom 1t Is intended.
gentlemen by way Of criticism Of any
body. and this message is not intended
to criticise anybody but only to call
your attention to these matters as I
have been requested to do by this
committee and as called these mat
ters to their attention. Take for in
stance the number Of inmates in this
home and then take the amount ap-
propriated by your body and divide
this amount by the number of inmates
and see what the pro rata share per
man would be II he were at his own
home; then take your pension law and
see what the pro rata share Is which
the veteran at home Is now getting,
and, in my opinion you will see an in
equality which should not exist. Ger
tainly the man at home who Is strug-
Cling and trying to make a living by
work Is entitled to as much as the
man who absolutely gives up and is
willing to go to the home, sit down in
idleness and do absolutely nothing and
let the state support him.
I think have made myself clear. !
do not propose to go on and pay any
great eulogy to the Confederate vet
eran. That Is unnecessary. He built
his own monument by his deeds, and
1t is q monument more glorious than
all the brass and granite which can be
erected until Gabriel blows his horn
and when the buglers Of the Confed-
crate army shall take up the sound
and call the soldiers to meet once
again.
One more thing, gentlemen, and
am through. AS you know. speak
plainly. do not think any woman
ought to have a pension on the ground
that she is a widow Of Confederate
veteran, who has married that Con-
federate veteran for the purpose OF
sharing in his little pension, and Of
having her name placed on the pen
sion rolls after he Is gone. The good
woman who was his wife during the
war, and suffered the hardships and
trials, and who displayed the greatest
heroism that the world has ever
known, deserves everything at your
hands that her husband deserves. But
the young woman who married the old
man after he had come back from the
war, or the young woman who has
since married some old soldier to get
his property, and has helped him
waste It, or who has married him, as
have just stated, merely to help
share his pension and get her name
put on the pension roll when he is
dead, is not entitled to a cent, and
should not have It, but the amount
which she is drawing should be taken
from her and given to the Confederate
soldier or his widow who needs 1t.
OF course do not know what effect
this message will have. Some Of you
may laugh at 1t. Others Of you may
pay absolutely no attention to 1t. But
It sets forth my position and carries
out a request made Of me by these
gentlemen who came here as a COM
mittee sent by the Confederate Vet
erans' association, under resolution
adopted at their Aiken meeting. re-
peat: Make a sufficient appropriation
to give every Confederate veteran q
pension sufficient to take care Of him.
to make him comfortable, and to make
his last days on earth pleasant; but
strike off Of your pension rolls the un-
worthy; strike off Of your salary lists
those whom you can do without, and
let the money go direct from the state
treasurer into the hands Of the deserv-
ing Confederate veteran. II 1t be nec-
essary to put an extra tax on to do
this, do not believe there is man In
South Carolina who will complain. But
If you put on this extra tax, and con-
tinue to give 1t to unworthy people,
and deprive those who are entitled to
it of it, you will continue to have dis
satisfaction and complaint.
Whatever effect this message may
have, have done what conceived to
be my duty to the Confederate veter-
ans, and to obey the request Of their
committee. II there Is anything else
that can do for the Confederate vet
erans, as the son of Confederate vet
eran myself I stand ready in my in
dividual or official capacity to answer
any call that he may make upon me.
Very respectfully,
(Signed) Cole L. Blease,
Governor.
Columbia. s. c.. Jan. 23, 1914.