Pueblo chieftain., 1921-08-23
BY Frederic J, Haskin.

bN - iiheNAAis
Washington. d. c. Aug. I.-This
city is beinr made a Mecca by an in
crensing number of veterans OF the
World War, who fnd dealing with the
government by mail too slow for thar
taste.
The other day. an en-soldier with
three medals for Valor and achieve
ment In the war. dropped into Wash
ington from distant city via an eS-
press train. He felt that compensation
WAS due him because he had served
thruout the war and had been wound
ed. He claimed she'll shock. but an eS-
animation showed that II he had been
affected, he was now in excellent
health So he set out for the long
journey home with the same answer
that would have been given him in
less time had he gone to his American
Legion post back home and asked II to
help him.
dition is that fifteen or twenty-five OK
service men have been coming In to
Washington each day. to see about
compensation which they claim is due
them. Now that the Sweet Bill is a
law. arrivals are increasing to about
thirty day. all hoping that the new
law will favor them.
Sooner or later, these men are inter
viewed by Commander w r franklin.
Of tho Costello Post Of tho American
Legion. Costello Post takes care Of
them and helps them to get their cases
considered Investigation shows that
only 10 per cent OF these men have
any legitimate grounds for asking
compensation. Tho other 50 per cent
are men who either misunderstood
the government laws on compensation.
ar ms Commando Franklin puts II
have acquired chronic dislike for
work" and think tho government
owes them n living
TO take a typical case" Commander
Franklin explained. "A man was draft
cd and sent TO training camp. He took
the nu and pneumonia set In He has
never fully recovered his health So he
4, discharged and gets some COM
pensation.
Another man in the same town
volunteers and goes 20 France. He is
wounded and spends Eevera' months
/ in the hospital He gets well and comes
home Now. he sees this other man
who never went to France drawing So
month. and feels that here Is an in
Justice. He himself was wounded. he
argues. and surely he is entitled to
compensa ton II this other fellow is
The more he thinks about his case.
the surer he is that the government
owes him something. He does not rem
son that tho country can no more pay
him n monthly salary than any other
wounded man who has been restored
~ n'dlIna III 'NF1 AERfre OF nina some
men do not look favorably on offo-. of
work They want Justice They simply
do not understand tho situation.
seeks Omen Door to Treasury
so he sets out for Washington. gen.
orally beating his way on the trains.
and tramping. and working here and
there for meal lie is convinced that
once he tells his story to his congress
man. that disnitary will say the magic
word and the doors OF the treasury
will be flung open for him"
How to deal with these men-many
OF them war heroes-has been prob
lom for Washington. and especially for
the Costello Post. This post of the
American Legion Ia composed of vet
erans employed in the municipal gov
ornment offices OF Washington. When
policemen began picking up jobl.ss OK
soldiers on the streets. and bringing
them to the municipal building mem
bcrs OF the Costello Post at work there
heard about the cases, and so the post
began to help these msn out.
Now. Commander Franklin sees
them. listens to their troubles. helps
them out financial yif necessary. He
cannot find work for tnom, for there
are few unoccupicd jobs In Washing
ton. But II man arrives here broke
and with any chance of legitimate
claim on the government which has
not been settled. tho post puts him up
in dormitory for the time being. and
gives him meals. and sometimes even a
dollar for cigarettes to keep him con-
tented Then his case Is brought to tho
attention OF the proper official. and he
is sent off-settled-in MS few days as
possible
II obviously he has no clnim.-nnd
Commander Franklin ia an experienced
judse-he is assisted to leave the city