The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-03-13
BLAME CONGRESS FOR FAILURE TO
 CARE FOR VETS
President Asked For Large Appropriation To Care
 For Wounded.

Washington, D. C.,-t'If the criti- cism that is going around that dis albled soldiers are not being properly cared for is merited it must be laid at the door of Congress and not the President" said Representative John M. Evans of Montana, member of the House Appropriations Committee, in a recent statement discussing cer- tain press articles and editorials charging that the government was not keeping faith with the wounded and disabled veterans of the World War.
 "It will be recalled that both the President and the Secretary of the Treasury asked for much larger ap- propriations for this purpose than have been granted" continued MT. Evans, 'the Republicans are in con- trol of Congress; they have a major ity on all committees in both House 1 and Senate. Last July, the Repub- | 1icans on the House Appropriations | committee and in Congress, over the | unanimo mouS protest of the Democrats, | cut in two the estimate submitted for | this service. The cut was so mani fest1y unjust that the President ve- toed one of the great supply bills, in which this appropriation was carried, i and on a fight led by the Democrats i the veto was sustained and the ap- l propriation was doubled. So if the | treatment of these men is niggardly, a Republican Congress and not the President is to blame.'
 The supply bill vetoed by the Pres 1 ident, to which MT. Evans referred, was the sundry civil bill pasped last July. It was vetoed because the Re publican majority in the House, over
 
 ority, passed it with an appropriation of but s6,000, 900 for rehabilitation | work and vocational training among the soldiers. The Presidents veto and the subsequent efforts of Dem 1 ocrats in Congress resulted in the amount being increased to $14O0O,-
 900.
 As for the work of the Federal
 Board for Vocational Training, the
 total number of service men who have
 registered with this board is 1S5,000
 according to information furnished by
 James P. Munroe, Vice-Chairman O1
 this number, a total of 55,0OO have
 been approved for training and SC
 notified. Of these, approximately
 30,000 have taken or are taking
 training. In addition, 22,oo0 me1
 have been awarded what is termed
 Section training," that is they have
 been given free tuition, but no training pay, while 4S, ,0G0 cases have been closed because the men were not interested in training, or wer, ineligible under the law which Con
 gress passed. The American Legior
 is joining the board in urging tn, 25,0oG men awarded training, bu
 not taking it, to do so, MT. Muro,
 said.
 This 1eaves SD onn oaSes ,a,531a On these cases medical evidence. O
 evidence as to honorable diseharg
 or of relation of disability is yet lack
 ing. This is being obtained wit
 the greatest possible dispatch, declare
 MT. Monroe, and it is believed all tn
 pending cases will be cleared up with \ in sixty days.
 MT. Monroe contends that the fac ? that only 213 men have thus ia
 entered employment after training i
 to the credit of the board, showin that the disabled men are being give thorough training before being sen y out to fend for themselves. Mean l. while, the board has found employ $ ment for tens of thousands of dis $ charged soldiers who did not care t take training, or who were not e1ig e ible for it. The average length C U a training course, with such exter ,t sions as will be necessary, will prot ably be over eighteen months, tn S board estimates, and as it has bee
 only about fifteen months since tn y armistice was signed, there has nc $ been time for the average course @ training to be completed, which ar e swers the charge that but few me '- have been found employment afte Il training.