The Alaska daily empire., 1920-03-20
THE PIONEERS HOME

THE pIONEERS' HOME
 There has been going the rounds or the he"sp"- ners of Alaska "a complaint that conditions are oe- nlorpble at the Pioneers Home, based on the state ment of one who went there and said that the ao- contradictions were such that he could not reha Two or three papers have said that the nome Was being football of politics, and that men are nut in charge account Of thelf poHucai a0Ci'i ties We quote from paper:
 ''The Home has been political foot
 ball too long With each change of ad-
 mnistration under the present system some
 favorite son will be given the management
 of the institution as a reward for ms poll
 tical sagacity and activities and with no
 regard as to his sympathy and understand
 ing of the needs of the men making thelr
 home there
 Another paper says the Pioneers should demand that the Home be taken out of politics
 To start with the Home is not, and as Tar as ln- yestigaton discoses it has never been Tn pontics' except as those who have searched for something to criticise the administration for have made pontcs of it. There have been but two Superintendents ot the, Home-Arthur C. Shoup and Harry F. Morton Both of them were appointed because of the confi- dence of the appointing power in their ability pa- riotism and interest ill the institution Both of them are worthy citizens of Alaska. The men who reside a. the Home practically unanimous in their praise of and affection for MT Morton, and not less so for Mrs Norton both of whom do all within their power to make the place a real Home. In fact the complainant who was responsible for the deplorable condition story said that no tauit attacheS to the management. Mir Morton has served the people of Alaska in several positions Twice he was selected as Assistant Chief Clerk of the Senate and once Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives none of the times for political reasons and each time his services invaluable He has served in the Mar shals office jaior and as a Deputy Marshal and efficiency the chief characteristic of his tenure of office He has been in position that he has not made good, and left an enviable record behind The trustees of the Home, the residents there and people of sika are all agreed that MT. Morton is making the fine record at the Pion- eers Home he has made in all the other branch of the public service with which he has been connected a
 EGoing back to the complaint which started it all we find that conditions misrepresented or mis- understood. The Ketchikan Times article, the basis for the discussion, said
 There are seventy aged inmates in the
 home and many of them bedridden and
 helpless One nurse must for all of
 the ewants of these men with the assistance
 one man who acts cook and general
 z roustabout
 There from 16 to IS in a small
 and the rooms not kept clean"
 The who made this statement. it is admit ted said:
 "The manager of the Home was in no
 way to blame for the conditions there but
 that sufficient money for the proper main
 tenance of the Home was not placed at this
 disposal of the management.
 Commenting upon this, from the editorial first quoted, take this:
 Tn the Home intended as
 an amshouse where paupers could be cared
 for, but it was intended a home, in ev-
 cry of the word where these noble
 Argonauts could spend their declining years
 in peace and comfort
 An investigation discloses that the man referred to vas at the Home for just two hours. He sat in one chair and talked to three inmates of the place From that came. all this hullabaloo. The investi- gation also shows that he demanded a private room and bath for himself and a for an attendant whom he was paying s155 month from private funds The demands could not be complied with
 Contrary to the plain intimation of the Times and other papers. the Home designed as a place where any one, reaching certain age and who had resided in the Territory a given number of personal attendants. Ii intended to serve as a comfortable home for those aged ones who had lived in the Territory and worked and upon whom fortune had not smiled. place where they could get medical attention, medicines comfortable sleep- ing quarters and necessary attention It was for has been appropriatng money The money is not being squandered The attendants are not more than necessary, for the that the money is needed to purchase food and clothing for those who live there-the Superintendent only gets $2OO a month. If it Is desired to have Home where all pioneers, regardless of their circumstances may live md where each of the residents may have private oom and bath and personal attendants. the Legisa-