The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1921-05-05
THE STATUS OF THE
DISABLED VETERANS
Some Actual Cases.

| Figures and statistics have lit
tie meaning for most of us. They
have no feeling. They are dry
and uninteresting. But if I car
impress upon you the importance
of the fact that every digit tha1
goes to the making of those fig
ures / have heretofore given rep
resents a living man, at one tins
as hale and hearty as yourself
who is now dragging out the Ions
days in suffering and pain, ther
perhaps those figures will NEAR
more to you. In order to so sub
stantiate my previous statements
| give herewith the following ac
Etual cases:
Perhaps the most notable Of
them, because of its dramatic
ending, was that of John Claude
Keller, of Olean, New York. One
fine morning, some three years
ago, Keller took his pack and
marched aboard transport and
put to sea, as did many thou.
sands of others. France, rest
trenches, gas, influenza and the
Armistice. That was the war di-
ary of Keller.
s Finally he came home. He was
discharged and went to work,
but soon found out that his lungs
were going back on him. He
stopped work and went to hos
pital. He put in a claim for CON-
pensation from the Government.
He was granted about one-half
Of what he thought he was enti-
tied to. He protested in person
to the government agents he
could see. He protested in writ
ing to the Bureau Of War Risk
Insurance. Weeks and. months
passed, and he was transferred to
a hospital in Washington. Fin
ally his claim was allowed in
full. The Government in effect
admitted its error, after a year
and half. The day after the
claim was granted, but before he
heard Of it, he walked into the
ten story building of the Bureau
of War Risk Insurance to make a
last appeal. Before he could
voice his claim, he was seized
with a pulmonary hemorrhage
and died.
Many thousands of disabled
are getting fair deal, in hospit-
alization, nj compensation and in
training. But Keller is dead, and
there are many Kellers dying
day by day, the victims of the
combination Of bad laws, made
quate facilities, technicalities,
red tape, lack of coordination
and inefficiency that mark the
government s care Of its charges.
There are Kellers too weak to
drag themselves to Washington,
dying wherever their miserable
lot happens to be. There are Kel-
Iers sick in bed, who have ap-
compensation who are receiving
twenty-five, or ten, or five dol
lars a month. There were Kel-
Iers with grants Of eighty dollars
a month whose allowance was
cut without warning or explana-
ton to twenty or ten dollars.
There are Kellers who have ap-
pealed to the Government who
have waited a month three
a year and have received
40 answer at all. Two hundred
Kellers whose claim for
was disallowed en-
tirely when they made applica-
lion.
Clarence Gleahon, of Kentucky
lnsuccessifully appealed for as
sistance. He received no answer
10 his letter. The departmental
headquarters of the Legion took
I'D his case, but he died before
recognition could be gained for
lin.
James A. Day applied TO the
Bureau of War Risk Insurance.
or compensation. He died eight
nonths later. His claim was still
Antallah Mohamed, Columbus, Il
)hio, developed tuberculosis
hree months after discharge.
lis claim was substantiated by
hree competent physicians. He
now county charge in the
rankin County Hospital. In
it was just another
case. = In Ohio it was a broken
own man, who had gone thru I
be war and is now dying inch 4
V inch charity patient.
In u. S. P. H. S. hospital No.
1, New Haven, Conn, fourteen (
isabled ex-service men, nearly
Il Of them tubercular, died whilel j
ne government debated the
echnicality Of whether or not !
ley should be granted the max j
mum allowance for total disabil- Z