Evening star., 1922-04-06
SICK VETERANSPUT
UPON POOR FARMS,
CHARGE Of LEGION
Official Scores Hospital Con-
tract System in Reply to
Veterans Bureau.
INTIMATION OF CHARITY
BRINGS FORTH ATTACK
Statement Points Out Just Debt
Is Due Men Who Paid for
q. S. Insurance.
By the Associated Press.

| By the Associated Press
CHICAGO, April 6.-Declaring that
the American Legion was not satisfied
with the facilities for disqualification
of disabled war veterans and that
| the success of the whole system OF
| vocational training still is in the bal
apce," A. A. Sprague, chairman of the
legion's rehabilitation committee. to-
day asserted that a recent statement
| by the United States Veterans Bu-
reau of the work it was doing "con-
veys impressions that might be mis-
| interpreted or misused"
Mr.. Sprague said the bureaus state
ment of the work done, signed by
| c. r. Forbes, director, was true, but
he declared that mo statement should
be given out by the Veterans Bureau
| to the general public which would
give the impression that the bureau
or the government is a 'benefactor to
| the sick and disabled eX-service men"
Takes Exception to Statement.
The Statement of the Veterans Bu-
| reau to which Mr.. Sprague took ex-
ception said in reference to hospital
| ization, that the bureau was ''provid-
ing without cost hospital care and
treatment to 10000 veterans, which
represents an expenditure by the gov
| ernment of s60.000,0oo per annum."
The bureau, according to the Forbes
statement, also was declared to be
paying out more than S1,000,000 daily
directly to former service men or
| their dependents, giving vocational
| training without cost to more than
! 100000 disabled service men at
yearly cost of S30,000.000: conducting
! an insurance business for more than
100000 veterans without administra-
| tion cost to them and giving outside
treatment in cases where hoSpltaliza-
| ton was not required to 10000 men
| every month.
Paid Own Insurance.
Expenditures for 1922 were estimat-
clared that the United States was
| already doing more for its disabled
| veterans than any other country.
Mr.. Sprague's reply declared that
| paid to disabled service men, the
general public must realize that the
enlisted personnel of both Army and
| Navy insured themselves against
death and accident. In many cases
men subtracted one-fourth of their
pay for this purpose.
"Whatever money the government
may spend over that which came from
the pockets of the men who wore the
khaki and blue is a clear debt on
attempt to take credit for paying ii
will be resented, not only by all eX-
service men, but by all fair-minded
| citizens.
$4,000 In Hospital.
THE statement with reference to
! disqualification is restricted to num-
ber of patients and cost. 1t is fair to
| tell the general public that neither
| the Veterans Bureau nor the Amer
[ lean Legion has been satisfied with
| the facilities for disqualification of
, these men.
! .'Of the 10000 ex-service men now
in hospitals nearly third are still
| in contract institutions. Thousands
of mentally disabled men who have
| been cured. or partially SO, with prop
er care. are still kept in state insti-
! tutionS under conditions which are
distressing to all those who believe
| that they can be cured.
Thousands of tubercular men have
| been held back by unsatisfactory
| treatm Some, within the last few
| ty poor farms, instead of government
hospitals.
Success Still I'm Balance.
"In addition, the success of the
| whole system of vocational training
| is still in the balance, in spite of
| immense sums paid out, because OF
| lack of proper supervision and CO.
! ordination.
1.-THE statement that the United States
| is already doing more for its disabled
| veterans than any country in the
/ world is not borne out by our treat
\ ment of our insane eX-service men.
( "The majority of our United States
! mental cases of eX-Service men are,
sent to or 'farmed out to contract'
hospitals, these being chiefly state
| insane asylums.
An Honest Debt, He Says.
| 'No other country has done anything
/, like this. But in this country.
with our wealth, we are the ones
| among the civilized nations of the
| world who have seen fit to farm out
| the care of the insane ex-service men.
| "If we can prevent 1t no one is
| going to put the complete payment of
| the debt which this country owes its
! sick into any other light than that
| of an honest debt on the part of the
| government a debt which this coun-
| try will never be able to pay with
real money and which can only be
paid by honest appreciation, fair op-
portunity and real gratitude"
L.. ~..~> @@raanr HAN