The New York herald., 1922-09-17
of Shameful De-
lays and Political Inter-
ference With Hospitaliza-
ton Are Met With the
Broad Statement That the
Government Can Care for
All Who Apply

l. -
most vital part OF the whois program
Were they published within Ssw
days.? They were not
Three minor allotments were pub
lished in August, but the six most
important ones. involving an outlay Of
S10.000.000 for five new and one con-
verted hospital furnishing $3.50 prec-
ious beds. were not authorized until
November 1s. except in one case where
partial authorization was made Sep
tember 80.
when the White body had agreed
on a project they would so state
briefly In a letter to the Secretary Of
the Treasury. This letter would go
to Edward Clifford, assistant secretary
In charge OF the medical division. Mr..
Clifford's role was purely perfunctory.
He passed the letters on to his chief.
Mr.. Mellon in every instance O.K-d
the letters with his signature and
transmitted them speedily to the Presi-
dent While in the precincts Of the
White House they came within tho
purview OF Gen. Sawyer. the Presi-
dents personal adviser. on questions
of disqualification. Gen. Sawyer In
credited with welding a considerable
influence with the Executive on all
questions of the care of disabled veto
rams.
There is a wide divergence between
the views entertained by the American
Legion and some OF the country's best
known medical authorities and the
views of Gen. Sawyer on certain perti-
nent phases OF the veteran hospitali-
Zation question. Gen. Sawyer and the
members and associated specialists
OF the White Committee not always
were in complete agreement Hence
and while this Is only surmise II Is
the surmise of experts who have fol-
lowed minutely every detail OF the
program-a great deal of the delay
Propaganda Began
to Deny Any Shortage
THE brakes on the construction
program were hard down by the time
the White committee had the first
part of its recommendations out OF
the way In June. On July p ma
tionally renowned specialist working
with DR.. White. wrote to Mr.. Abel
Davis, then chairman Of the Legion's
disqualification committee:
1.-The hospital situation is more SER
ious than at any time. Gen. Sawyer
has requested ten days delay In do
Gliding any more hospital projects until
his own plans are completed. Dr.
White Is fighting hard for his program
and has his work cut out for him.
In the meantime very active propa-
ganda Is being carried on 10 indicate
that there Is no shortage Of hospital
beds
While Gen. Sawyer was too busy
with his own plans to decide any
more hospital projects, the insidious
propaganda referred to, which aimed
at stultifying the building program.
was very smoothly under way The ca
pable young men who are employed by
the various Government departments
10 communicate official versions Of the
news 10 the press were plying their
typewriters In efforts to show that an
actual condition Of over hnspfalizs-
tion existed-and here we were about
10 spend those millions for more hos
pitals
"The Sutherland Committee OF the
Senate. appointed to investigate Cow
ernment bureaus extending relief TO
incapacitated veterans mentions
specifically this propaganda. deplorins
the wide currency given the fiction OF
alleged over disqualification which
has tended 10 create the belief that
additional hospital facilities are not re-
quired al the present time The
Sutherland report quoted authorizes to
refute such statements and urged as
strongly as possible the completion of
the s1s.soo.O0o program without ref
erence to insistent but iil-advised
local demands. political interferences
aggraudizement Of existing Govern
ment agencies or agitation Of local
groups OF any kind whatsoever
More Complications Arise
TO Retard Construction
This excellent advice was ignored
and further complications ensued n
retard the construction OF the muco
needed hospitals. Two OF them-the
activities Of the newly created Federal
Board OF disqualification. headed by
Gen. Sawyer, and the sluggishness Of
the supervising architect OF the Treas
ury--can only be mentioned here. In
the early spring OF 1922 another form
OF obstructionlst tactics originating
entirely outside OF Government circles
became suddenly effective
"In the populous areas OF western
Pennsylvania and the metropolitan dis
trict OF New York. where the suffering
among veterans because OF a lack of
hospital facilities is more severe. the
White committee for long time was
defeated absolutely in Its efforts to ac-
quire sites In New York this opposi-
tion was unspeakably vicious and
selfish IN character. The first loca-
tlons chosen, one on Staten Island
and one on Long Island, were dis
carded when Government officials and
experts were unable TO agree. Time
passed and a third site was found in
westchester county, which adioins
New York city on the north
There, as in other cases, the Legion
committee report says, objection by
paarbv r,rnDartv rnaidents and pron-