The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-08-04
AMERICAN LEGION NOTES.

&, AMERICAN LEGION NOTES. g
j, . 8 g o o . 8 @ Q o 9 9 @
D.igadier General Charles E.
Sawyer, the presidents personal
physician, who WAS a civilian and &
Marion, Ohio, physician unit. Nj.
Harding became president, is bsgin-
ming 10 smart under the accusation
cy 4 A. Sprague, chairman OF the
national rehabilitation committee OF
the American legion, that he has
been ore CT the definite and iWpor-
INT obstacles to real progress IN the
construction cf hospitals for disabled
war Veterans.
The 1921 appropriation provided
for the building Of s:x new hospitals.
Unfortunately when Dr.. Sawyer first
c.me to Washington he evolv> !! and
declared his theory that there were
10000 empty beds availa 5le for ve1.-
Grams in hospitals already owned by
the government. When haste WIS
needed, he counseled delay, and
pleaded for economy while veterans
suffered. AS a matter of fact there
were no such number availa BILE beds.
If the beds existed they were in To-
c:.lities unsuitcd for the purposes
needed or were beng held for other
emergencies. If they existed they
have not been filled by veterans
eighteen months later, and while
new construction was delayed some
10000 veterans remained in con-
tract institutions, almshouses, insane
asylums, and the like. Our govern
ment long ago out-lawed the practice
of farming out" convicted crlmln-
ais. It would :eem that the poor fel-
low whose nervous system was shot
to pieces while facing the Hun" in
"No Mans Land" would deserve as
much consideration.
-. During the period Of reconstruc-
ton we are all for economy, bat not
| believe at the expense of the dis
aoled veterans.
Some while ago Marquis James of
the Legion News service, was given
the special task of invest eating and
reporting on the United States veter-
ans bureau. After painstaking per-
sonal investigation of the bureau
Mr.. James has given his findings in a
series of articles that have been run
ming in the Legion Weekly. These
articles tell Of the long fight to bring
the bureau into being, and outlines
some of the causes which have so far
defeated the hopes entertained for
the bureau at it's birth.
wish that these articles could
have been given more publicity. They
certainly show up the American Le-
gion to advantage The legion has
been doing something besides pull
ing for the bonus" Truly the le-
gion has proven to be the disabled
veterans best bet. One, wonders
what would have been the disabled
veterans lot today had it not been
for the fact that the legion was con-
tinually on the job fighting for them.
Knowing that the people Of this
community are interested in the bu-
reau l have prepared some excerpts
from these articles for our legion
notes.
In the beginning the government
had set up or delegated TO three
separate and distinct federal agen-
cies the matter of physical care, in
dustrial training and financial ass!s-
tance to the disabled veterans. Med
ical care was in the hands Of the
United States public health service.
The industrial end of the question
fell to the federal board for voca-
t:onal training. The bureau of war
risk Insurance was charged with the
compensation Of all disabled not ac-
tually in training under the board
of vocational training. These agen-
cies, each independent Of the other
two, each jealous of its own prerog-
atives and each incompetent in ways
of it's own, juggled and jostled the
poor soldier from one to the other.
This was the state of affairs in
1919 when the legion launched It's
long fight. Under this system it was
absolutely impossible to fix respon-
sibility. The ultimate goal Of the
legion, then, was to establish CEN
tral authority which should be re-
spons;ble for every phase of d.3-
able mans reha oilitati and to