The New York herald., 1922-02-17
Demand Priority for Con-
g.ress Action in Behalf
of Disabled.
FEAR INSURANCE LOSS
Request Relief Be Extended to
All Men HOspitaliZed for
One Year.

Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington. ID. c., Feb. 16.
Wounded and crippled world war
veterans from Walter Reed Hospital
to-day asked President Harding to use
his influence against the enactment of
q general soldier bonus bill while their
condition remains unremedied. They
said the American Legion, which is
now urging the enactment of a gen.
eral bonus bill on Congress, had voted
at its last three national conventions
to give priority to legislation for the
disabled, but those votes had been up
20 the present time ignored by the
Legion's legislative committee.
In statement presented to the
President of the action taken by a
mass meeting of the Walter Reed pa
tents last night, George L. Walters,
secretary said:
"a general bonus at this time will
materially prevent these patients who
are suffering only second to the su-
preme sacrifice from receiving benefits
under their insurance contracts
The plea of the disabled soldiers was
taken to the White House in the form
of a memorial by a delegation repre-
senting the Walter Reed patients.
Members of the delegation We're all
badly manned. most OF them being
minus a leg or an arm. They called
while the President was putting finish
ing touches to his letter to Chairman
Fordney Of the House Ways and Means
Committee recommending a sales tax to
pay the general bonus or. as an alterna-
tive, that the whole bonus scheme be
abandoned for the present.
Full Text of Statement.
The following is the statement in
Guiding their memorial to the Presi-
dent:
THE patients at Walter Reed general
! hospital have decided 10 take the mat
ter of securing the adjustment of their
| ir surance differences in their own
/ hands. At a mass meeting last night
! in the Red Cross auditorium they vo ed
unanimously to appeal direct to the
| President.
| Inc COnultlOnS NJ NHt iOspibdi 90
the result of the Inconsistent and dis
eliminating action of the Veterans
| Bureau were declared by the patients
to be we'll nigh intolerable The di-
rector of the Veterans Bureau says
his hands are tied because of the ruling
OF the Comptroller General of the
United States.
Repeated overtures have been made
| TO the leading eX-service mems organi-
cations to assist in securing legislation
which will alleviate these conditions.
These efforts have been in vain. The
American Legion az its last three ma
tional conventions has voted to give
LEGISLATION for the disabled priority
right over all legislation for ex-service
men, but at the present time these
resolutions are ignored by the leglsla-
tive committee OF the legion.
These men are the last of the most
seriously injured and disabled OF the
war, some having two dozen or more
operations TO their credit and have been
/ continuously receiving treatment for
over three years. They are the residue
left in the bottom of the crucible Of
war: and TO use the words of their
secretary. A general bonus at this time
/ will materially prevent the patients who
are suffering only second 70 the supreme
sacrifice from receiving benefits under
their insurance contracts
"For these patients. there call has
never sounded. the war Is still on, the
-