The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-08-17
HELP FOR DISABLED
AUXILIARY OFLEGIONHAS
. ITS STATE PLAN
Plea Made For Medical Com.
mission Put Up To
Minnesota

Faribault, Mimi, August 14.-Ap-
pointmnt of commission of the
! foremost medical men of Minnesota
TO make a state wide investigation
| and draw UP an adequate plan of
disqualification, colonization and re-
Mobilization for the disabled, in or
| der that legislative action may be
procured by 1925, Is expected to be
asked by the American Legion
vention here, as a result Of recon-
mendations made by DR.. Helen
Hughes Hielscher of Mankato,
state chairman Of disqualification,
and Archie Vernon OF Little Falls,
post commander of the American
Legion.
| Declaring that difficulty in fed.
eral care OF the disabled lay in poll
tics, red tape and delay in Wash
! ington, Mr.. Vernon urged that the
scheme originally advised by DR..
Hielscher be furthered and that
! immediate steps be taken by Min
nesota to care for its own disabled.
The medical profession, he said,
should be looked to in pointing out
the best way.
DR.. Hielscher advocated that af.
ter the state had assumed thee care
OF it's sick and disabled that:
County sanitariums having a
its patients be utilized to the ex-
tent of their capacity, for all pa
tients not yet advanced to the stage
of rehabilitation.
That a system Of workshops,
where few carefully selected
trades are taught, be established as
part OF the rehabilitation centers.
That patients equipped and de-
sirous of taking up literary or pro-
fessional pursuits should not enter
upon such combining and exhaustive
study courses until completely hos
pitalized and that then they should
be permitted to choose their own
school. r-...
, That the plan now under trial Of
allowing men to take up the study
of dairy or chicken farming as a
means of livelihood, be fostered.
! That the whole educational system
be placed under the university ex-
tension, and the medical care, in
Guiding the prescription of how much
work man be allowed to do and the
nature of the work, be under med
ical commission appointed by the
governor for the state, and answer
able to the people through him. DR..
Hielscher explained that such q
scheme would not in any way inter
fere with the Veterans Bureau only
inasmuch as it has to do with act
ual care and rehabilitation of the
sick and disabled DR.. Hielscher's
report contains the meat of what is
really needed In the state, Mr.. Yer
non said. But we must haye defin-
= lite figures, plans for the necessary
institutions and know ectualfy the
amount of money needed to carry 1t
out No state in the Union has done
more for their exservice men than
Minnesota. With such plan, with
added facts from medical COM
mittee and we could get what we
wanted from the legislature. The
public will demand that care be
given the men but 1t is up to us to
point the way"
1t was pointed out that the
! buildings erected, after all the dis
abled ex- service men had been
cared for, could be used to care for
unfortunates and delinquents in the
state.
Action by the delegates is expect
ed at the final session of the three
days convention.
Mr.. Vernon commended the aux
iliary women for their accomplish
ments of the past year, declaring
that the fondest hopes of the Amer
lean Legion for the organization had
been exceeded.
1.-The Minnesota auxiliary was the
first organized in the United States"
he said. For some time it was first
in membership and it has always
been first in unit activities and ideals
and now it is doing much to point
the way to the Legion itself"
Mrs. Sidel B. Swenson of Mime
apolis, secretary of the Hennepin
county American Legion committee.
was elected as the delegate from
the Fifth district, to attend the ma
tionaI convention at San Francisco,
and Mrs. Alexis Caswell Of the
Theodor Peterson Post auxiliary, the
alternate. Mrs. Robert Saxton. vice
chairman of the Hennepin county
auxiliary committee and president OF
the William Peck Post, was chosen
the representative from the district
on the state executive board.