The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-29
Frederic Haskin's Letter
The Siege of Washington.

help them out financially If neces.
sary. He cannot find work fo,
them, for>there are few unoccn.
pied jobs in Washington. But If a
man arrives here broke and win
any chance of a legitimate claim
on the government which has not
been settled, the post puts him m
in a dormitory for the time being
and gives him meals, and some
times even dollar for cigarets IN
keep him contented. Then his case
is brought to the attention of the
proper official, and he is sent of
Settled-in as few days as possihIe
If obviously he has no claim
and Commander Franklin is an ex-
perienced judge-he is assisted IN
leave the city at once, so that he
can get home or find work for
himself elsewhere.
Merely to take care of each man
some of whom stay only a few
hours in the city, costs the post S.
To raise a fund for this purpose
moving picture show was given.
GNU q "CCh VI % eSO Il CIRCUS.
Both together netted the post
$500, an altogether insufficient
sum when so many demands are
being made on its constantly.
Various Problems Presented.
The variety of problems which
the Costello post has to meet may
be imagined from two instances. In
one, a young veteran and his wife
came to Washington, and he had
completed his business with the
veterans bureau when his wife fell
i'll. They were stranded with no
funds for hospital or doctors. The
Costello post learned of the case,
and had the wife sent to a hospital
and the post surgeon attended her
until she was well enough to return
to New York.
A different type of assistance was
given by the post in another il
stance when a veteran, a stranger
in this city, committed suicide. Ills
mind had been affected by some in-
jury in the war, and he had been
very much depressed. Nothing
was ever known of him, save his
name, Charles Ammon, Of Rhode
Island, and his service record. Po-
lice throughout the country tried
to find his relatives but with no
success. Costello post heard that
his body was lying unclaimed at
the morgue, and took charge of it,
paying to have him buried at ArI-
ingtOn with full military honors.
The government has no fund for
burying ex-soldiars at Arlington,
and in the circumstances the man
would have been sent to the pot
ter's field. For the future the
morgue was instructed that if the
remains of any other eX-soldier
was left. there unclaimed, the post
was to be notified.
Costello post is cheerfully TAX
ing care of veteran pilgrims to
President Harding
said to Commander franklin
Some one must do this work in
Washington, and I am glad to see
that it is your post. The boys are
best satisfied, l believe, with help
given by their fellow veterans.
Costello post, however, has 3
message which it would like to
make clear TO veterans in very cor
ner of the country. And that is, if
you are thinking of pilgrimage to
to see about compea-
Sation-don't
THE best thing to do, il q claim
is unduly long in being settled"
said Commander Franklin, lis 70
AXE it up with a local American
legion post 1 have recently had
IN interview with Director Forbes
If the veterans bureau, and he as
3ured the legion that he wished to
with it in clearing up
difficulties. Colonel Forbes said
hat every man is going to get ac-
ion on his case in a short time. Il
/ veteran goes to his local legion
post it will take up his case with
he bureau just the same as our
post is doing, and with the same
,esuIfs."