The Colorado statesman., 1923-02-24

tees OF the house and senate take
charge of legislation affecting the vet
erans, the assignment Of a subject TO
this committee or to that committee
depending upon the nature Of the mat
ter presented. There Is opposition In
both house and senate to the plan, but
lnasmuch as the former service men
seem to be back of the proposition 1t
Is thought that the legislators may
yield.
Why Unification Is Opposed.
One reason for opposition to the
resolution is that some of the legisla-
ton affecting the veterans Is economic
in character, some of 1t agricultural,
some of 1t disqualification, and some
of 1t something else. There are reg
ularly established committees of con-
gress to deal with matters touching
these questions and it is felt that II
one great committee shall be given
charge of everything, 1t may not haye
I'm its membership men qualified to dis
cuss every case with knowledge of the
basic things which underlle the sub
ject.
II is said that there are today about
100000 claims in the veterans bureau
for compensation because Of disease
or injury incurred as result of war
time conditions. 1t would seem, there
fore, that about one man out of every
five who served has, or thinks he has,
some trouble arising from that serv-
ice for which he should be compen-
sated The task of passing on these
claims is heavy one and a large force
of men and women is necessary In
order that the work may be given
proper care.
There has been a great deal of COM
plant in one place or another because
! of the slowness of the bureau in ar
irving at decisions in cases which have
been presented, but 1t ought to be said
and an ex-service man says it-that,
taking everything into consideration.
the wonder probably should be not
that progress has been so slow, but
that 1t has been as rapid as is the case.
Ex-Servce Men Throng Capital.
Washington is the capital of the
country and because the main veter-
ans bureau is located here and be-
cause here are all the records in the
cases, there are hundreds of ex-
service men coming to Washington
monthly, thinking that, being on the
ground, they more easily can press
their cases to hearing and to salts
factory conclusion.
The result of this Is that the ex-
service men living here are put to 1t
! at times to find means to care for the
veterans who come here seeking relief,
many of whom come without the nee
essary money to keep them in food and
lodging for even brief periods. Some of
the cases are pathetic. The men of the
| American Legion re doing all they
can to help men who come here and
| find themselves stranded. They call
official attention to individual cases in
the hope that matters can quickly be
Strengthened out and the men seeking
relief can get it from the bureau if it
is proved that they deserve it. 1t is
not in all cases that affairs can be ex-
pedited and therefore there is at times
a real problem l,ere to find means to
provide properly for the incoming
seekers after relief.
Recently there have been number
of changes in the personnel of the
veterans bureau. Sometimes charges
have been made that politics has had
something to do with the changes but
in the main 1t could be said that most
| of the discharges and most of the ap-
pointments have concerned themselves
with replacing employees who did not
see war service by men who did see it.