Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-04
Showdown
On Sweet
Bill Near
Present Week Will Show At
titude of Senate on Meas.
ure to Aid Disabled
Soldiers.
Early Action Promised

Chicago Tribune Omaha Bee LEASED Wire
Washington. July 3.-Events this
week will indicate whether the SEN
ate is disposed to expedite or delay
passage of the Sweet bill to establish
a veterans bureau, designed to end
the scandal of mishandling OF care
and relief for ex-service men.
Senator Smoot, chairman Of the
subcommittee to which the bill was
referred, has promised to call a meet
ing ION short notice" and has stated
that he "hopes to hold hearings" on
the measure this week. The former
soldiers, who are victims of the pres
ent haphazard system of unco-ordi-
mated relief agencies. rely on Senator
Smoot to make good his promise OF
immediate action.
John Thomas Taylor, vice chair
man of the American Legion's exc
cutive committee, pronounced the
public health service largely respon-
sible for the failure Of the govern
ment to provide adequate care for
disabled soldiers.
Raps Health Service.
"The greatest weakness in the gov
ernments problem of caring prompt
ly and adequately for the disabled" !"
Mr.. Taylor told the senate investi-
eating committee, lies in the serv-
ice rendered by the United States
public health service. 1t may be that
without restriction and with suffi-
cient sums, the United States public
health service could have thrown its
organization into high and provided
for the disabled in proper manner
"This service, however, preferred
to consider this disqualification prob
lem as a temporary problem. 1t has
regarded this hospital care and treat
ment for the disabled as an emer-
gency-has struggled along with it
but it has never whole-heartcdly set
out with a definite program to
promptly care for these MANNED de-
tenders Of our country. The person
mel of this organization is composed,
for the most part, of doctors who
have been in the service for years.
They are not administrators. The
service is over 100 years old and
they are just installing a cost ac-
counting system"
"An examination into their plans
and specifications indicates that they
do not know how to estimate the
cost of hospital. Take, for in
stance, the Speedway hospital in
Chicago. Repeatedly they returned 10
congress for more money to COM
plete this project. Witness the Daw-
son Springs hospital in Kentucky.
After the foundation was prepared,
it was found necessary to change all
the plans and subsequently they have
been changed again and congress has
appropriated an additional $780, 600 to
complete this project.
Committee Still Working.
"It is also quite evident that the
secretary of the treasury, Mr.. Mel
Ion, did not consider the public
health service as competent to han
die the appropriation made by the
previous congress of $l8600,000 for
the building Of new hospitals. as he
appointed committee of doctors,
eminent in their profession. to make
recommendations on how this ap-
preparation was to be utilized. 1t
is we'll to note here that this COM
mittee appointed by Mr.. Mellon. has
been working for 90 days and SO
far as can be ascertained today, has
only recommended total expendi-
ture of $7,000,000 Of the $lS,D0,000
appropriated.
considering the urgency of pro-
viding promptly sufficient hospital
space, it would be expedient to con-
fer with the White committee, ap-
pointed by Mr.. Mellon, and to ascer-
tain when and how the $lS,600,900
appropriation will be utilized. An
additional appropriation for the
building of more suitable hospitals
should also be considered by the
committee, as the need is great and
each days delay makes it more diff
cult to salvage the lives OF those
men disabled while serving the re-