Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-08-02
SOLDIERS HOME CORPS SENDS
COMMUNICATION OF AP.
PROVAL TO BOARD.
MANY HOME MEMBERS
DISAPPROvE COMMITTEES
State Department Comm ittees invit-
ed to Attend Hearing as Judges
Give Voluntary Testimony as Bias
ed Witnesses--WhitehiII Not Civil
War Veteran Cause Of Trouble.

AS an expression Of their approval
OF tho management OF the soldiers
home and the administration of Com
mandant d. G. Whitehill members OF
the w. Il. c., Of the home, have I'D :
dressed to tho state board of control
communication setting forth their
approval and communication. The
statement, signed by forty-one men,
bers. was sent to the board Satur-
day night. Many members of the
home are loud in their denunciation
OF Witnesses and the testimony given
by them before tho hearing, held by
home late Friday.
1t was said at the home by w. r. C.
members that there Is reason to be-
lieve that the w. r. G. OF the horne
Will withdraw from the state depart
ment BECAUSE of the voluntary testi-
mony given by members of the G.. A.
Il. committee and tho w. II. c. at
tho hearing. Without having author
itauVe admissions for the statement,
it is nevertheless understood that the
board of control brought the hearing
to close, Disguised with the action
Of two state department committees.
Committees Show Prejudice.
It has been pointed out that the
board of control invited tho commit
tees from tho state departments of
the G. A. r. and the w. r. C. to come
to the homo and sit with the board
as impartial and unbiased bodies to
henr the testimony as Judge Willett
had suggested in his order. Members
of these committees. however. 1t is
said. took 1t upon themselves not
only to sit as judges but to become
prejudiced witnesses In controver-
sly in which they were supposedly i'm
partial.
Evidence OF this prejudice Is said
to be seen in the Quoted statement
| OF n member Of the G. A. r. com
| mittee who is said to have stated
while here that the committee would
see to 1T that n civil war veteran was
appointed commandant OF the home
IL 1t was necessary even to take the
question to tho legislature.
CausoS or Controversary.
There does not appear to be much
question but that back OF the whole
eontroVarsary ig the fact that Com
mandant b. C. Whitehll is not a civil
war veteran. For that reason his ap-
pointnent was not popular with at
least a part of the members of the
state G. A. r. department, which has
sought to exercise n supervising ca
pacity over home affairs,
| Commandant Whitehill was ap-
| pointed not only because he was cap
able but because the board Of control
recognized that the institution needed
younger man to run it. and also
recognized that because Of the age
of all civil war veterans there was
no hope longer Of being able to Sc
cure a veteran of that war who was
physically and mentally able to
handle the work. For the same rea-
son Carl Shaffncr, for years a cap
able employe of the home, was pro-
NOTED to be quartermaster by the
commandant, and the appointment
was approved by the board. This APP
pointment has been another cause of
dissatisfaction to some G. A. r. menu
| bers.
1t probably is true that large ma
jority of the members of the home
approve of Commandant Whitehill
and his administration and the fact
that he was reappointed by the board
which did not consider any other
candidate is proof that his admins
tration has been satisfactory 70 the
board. There has always been q mi
nority Of disconnected members Of
the home and 1t is such as these who
have from time to time stirred
trouble at the institution.