Investigation Clears Orting Soldiers' Home
Legislators find that the 25 percent pension deduction at the state home was used to provide for the veterans' own care, not for drink.
General McIlwain, President Cole and Mr. Boardman, of the board in control of the residents at Orting, were before the military committee of the house today to explain why 25 per cent of the old soldiers' pensions was taken for the expenses of the home. An investigation was ordered some days ago by the house on a resolution presented by J. C. Taylor, based on a petition from about twenty of the inmates. It was shown that the petitioners were largely men who liked to drink, and that the 25 per cent taken by the home was used in paying nurses for deceased veterans. After a full hearing, the committee recommended that the management of the home be sustained and the action of the board was approved.
“It was shown that the petitioners were largely men who liked to drink, and that the 25 per cent taken by the home was used in paying nurses for deceased veterans.”
The Orting Soldiers' Home, established in 1891, remains a site of care for Washington's veterans. This story reflects the era's moralizing approach to public assistance, where the 'worthiness' of recipients was frequently debated in the press and legislature.
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