The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-01-25
MESSAGE TO THE LEGISLATURE
Blease Comments ON Soldiers Home
and Asks for Adequate Pensions
A Message on Negro Schools

inmates IOr some OF Cnem TO come on
the streets Of Columbia drunk and
having to be carried-or are carried
to police headquarters, and the man
agement of the home notified that
they are there and are asked please to
send for them. Yet when anything
of this kind happens, or any serious
breach of discipline takes place at
the home and the management at
tempts to correct it, they are dragged
into the court by some one for polit-
ical spite, or in order to try to injure
some one politically, and made go
through proceedings which cost
lawyers fees and other expenses
which come out of the appropriation
made for the home, thus depriving
the old soldiers, the inmates, of that
much of their money.
Now, another thing: / think there
are too many people between the old
soldier and his appropriation; that
is, do not think any County Board
ought to receive. any pay, or that any
State Board ought to receive any pay,
or that any county or State official
ought to receive any pay for the SER
vices that they render in distributing
the fund for these Veterans. It
cry man engaged in it ought to see
that every dollar that is appropria-
ted by your body should 90 direct
to the old soldier, and have no mid
die or stopping point until it reach
nc thara At the home I think the
Commsndant and his wife should be
sufficient TO manage it and take care
of it, unless possibly it is necessary
for them to have one or two assist
an thelpers. 1 do not think too ma
ny should be employed at the Sol
diers' Home who are to receive sala-
ries, thereby eating UP the appropri-
alton before it reaches the Veterans
for whom It is intended.
Now. ] am not saving these things,
gentlemen, by way of criticism of
anybody, and this message is not in
tended to criticise anybody, but only
to call your attention to these mat
tsrs, as have been requested to do
by the committee, and as called
these matters to their attention.
Take, for instancet the number Of
inmates in this. home, and then take.
the amount appropriated by your
body, and divide this amount by the
number OF inmates, and see what the
pro rata share per man would be IL
he were at his own home; then take
your pension law and see what the
pro rata share IN which the veteran
at home is now getting and, in my
opinion you will see an inequality
the man at home who is struggling
and trying to make living by Tor!l
IL entitled to as much as tie mas
who absolutely gives up and is WI.
ling to go to the Home, sit down i.
iilenes5 and do. absolutely nothinF
and let the State support him.
I think / have made myself ciasr.
do net propose 10 go on and paT
grest s0logy to the Confederate Vet.
Gran. That is unnecessary. Ttc
built his own monument by his deeds
snd it Is q monument more glorious
than all the brass and granite which
csn be erected From now until Ga
Eriel blows his horn snd whom they
sh6ll take up the sound and call the
soldiers to meet once again.
One moro thing, gcntiemen, and Il
am through. AS you know, / speak
plainly. do uotSthink any woman
ought to have a pension on tho
ground that she Is q widow of Con-
federate Veteran, who has married
that Confederate Veteran for the
pnrpoSe OF sharing in his little pen
3ion and Of having her name placed
on the pension rolls after he is gone.
tfha good woman who was his wife
during tia war, aiid suffered the
ard 81 :5;i, t.iiyi 2ait1 Ia5-
played the greatest hatoism that tho
world hiss ever known, deserves
eYeryt ything at your hands that her
huEbahd deserves. But the voting
woman WIG married the old man
after he had come back from the
war, or the young woman who has
since married some old soldier 20 pet
his properly, and has helped him
waste IT, or who has married him, as
i have just stated, merely 60 heip
shsie his pension snd get her name
put on the pension roll when he is
dead, IS not entitled tc. q cent, and
should not have it, bns this amount
which she is drawing should be taken
from her and given TO the Confoder-
ate aoldier or his widow who needs it
OF course ITO not know what cf.
feet this message VIII have. So.sie
of yon may iSnga st il. Others OF
'you may pay absolutely NO attention
TO it Bpt It sets forth my position
ana Carries oIst . request made Of ma
s2g these cetlernen who came here
s. 8 a com1iittes sent by the Cotfei-
ereta V;steynn's Association, under 4
sresoltsioit & Goptcd at their Aikei,
gicctirk. repeat Make j sufsieient
appropriation 70 give every Coafea-
sEate Veteran a pension tifsieient Go
take care OF him, 70 make him COM
1ortable, and 20 make HIS last daVs
on earth pieasants but stffke OF cf
your selagy IiSts those whom
you can do without, ard let
the money go direct fsoIh Che State
Tfeaanrer into the hahda IL tina de-
setVSag Confederate Veteran. If It
be necessary to put an extra fax on
to Dc this, do not helicvo there Is 4
man in South Carolina who rliIl a,,,i.