The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-08-07
LEGION DISPUTES
SAWYER'S CLAIMS
Declares Vacant Hospital Beds Are Not
Available for Disabled-Asks Board
to Decide Hospital Care.

CHICAGO, Aug. Col. A. 4
Sprague chairman of the American Lee
glon national rehabilitation committee
has suggested to Brighten. Charles b.
Sawyer, President Harding's physician
that the President be asked to appoint
a committee OF physicians to decide the
controversy between the general and
the legion over the hospital care given
wounded soldiers.
Col. Spragne last night made public
his letter to Gen. Sawyer, who is chief
co-ordinator OF the disqualification board.
The letter takes issue with statements
made by General Sawyer in reply to
previous communications from the legion
official as printed in the Congressional
Record.
The letter in part follows:
The American public should know
the situation as it really exists. You
write, and then 90 on to state that
there are 90 government hospitals with
a total bed capacity of 2S,4l2 beds, TO-,
1871 of which are unoccupied. This lat
ter assertion has been given wide ma
tional publicity as a denial that fur
Their hospital construction is necessary.
THE impression is gained from your
statement that these beds are available
for sick and disabled service men. On
the face of the report which the yeter-
ans bureau publishes bi-weeklY, con-
tanning this information. it states in
capital letters this report is to be alsed
for administrative purposes only. Total
unoceupied beds cannot be interpreted
to mean that all are available on ac
count of character of hospitals and geo
graphic location This is Just what the
American legion says. and what your
statement denies.
You have absolutely ignored, and not
mentioned IN any way. the TACT clearly
stated in the same report that there
were SCH patients in contract hospitals,
4. 5lT of whom are mental and nervous
cases and 27T4 OF whom ssEe ttlbsrcuiar-
IL is for these men that we demand the
best the country can give. The TACT that
YOU have omitted these men from your
statement to congress again conNinces
US that YOU fail to comprehend the ma
ure of this problem and the tremendous
changes that have been effected IN
medical science during and since the
war.
THE situation that really exists Is
that many Of the g9i hospitals listed as
government hospitals are only emergency
leased from year to year,
which the government abandons as soon
az proper disqualification can be secured
in government owned hospitals.
1T is not on statistics that the le-
Tious plea for proper Decentralization Is
based. bur on constant daily Observation
af conditions and personal contact WITT
he situation in every one OF the u
districts
"0n visit to a nearby hospital
~,,rd tho following situation: Three
men were hospitalized in one room. on.
of them mental case, another genera
surgical case and the third suffering
from tuberculosis. The mental ease
scared one night and was recantured,
WANDERING about the vicinity in his pa
iarses He was mt hack in the room
and the next niqht killed the tubercIrlarr
patient with chair. while the snrgica
natieut looked on HELPLESS.
Col Sprapue suggests that the nhvs1-
rians' committee he selected. preferably
from the executive committee OF the
Amcr;can Medical association. who have
no connection with the government serv-
ice.