Evening star., 1923-04-03

There is no one in the American
Legion who will take any satisfac-
tion in the "Itold- -you-so" attitude,
although the investig cation is more
than confirming the worst charges OF
neglect and waste ever made by the
friends of the veterans.
Gen. Hines has set about correcting
the Observation-Disclosures of affairs as
Gently stopped is the practice Of so
called guardians" OF the mental de
fectives who have been gouging their
charges for collecting their monthly
allowances. Millions Of dollars have
been reaped from the insane or the
shell-shocked just as was the abuse
OF pensioners which grew UP after
the, the civil ytanHa1 war by pension agents
Organ proposes to organize an in
vestigation committee in each state
to go to the bottom of the entire
scandal. In this he will have the Co
operation not only of the Legion, but
OF many attorneys who are in the
Army service and are natural cham
pions of justice to their buddies.
Gen. Hines, director Of the Vet
erans' Bureau, has found solution
for the great bugaboo affecting the
White committee on hospital build
| ing. The committee hesitated and
delayed the carrying out Of the man
date of Congress to erect hospitals
as eKpeditiously as possible because
the members feared that after some
years, when the peak Of hospital
needs will have passed. there would
| be too many hospitals in the country
| and no way to use them. The peak
would pass more rapidly IL the sick
| and wounded were not properly
] housed. But that was not what the
committee had in mind. All that the
committee worried about was what
! to do with the surplus hospitals when
the soldiers now needing them would
pass on.
Gen. Hines says that by that time
! there will be need for soldiers homes,
for the middle-aged veterans Of toda:
will be growing old. their infirmities
| naturally will begin to tell upon
| them, and out of 100000 men in
] the Army there will be many needing
| the benefit OF a retreat in old ase
| and feebleness.
| Hines which is not always prominent
/ in public servants-he is human.
He's regular buddy, too.
| The most discreet order ever given
by Col. Sheriff. was that one he pro
mulgated last Friday when the ther-
1
shade. He took that occasion TO de
nounce the one-piece bathing suit.
Everybody had TO agree with him,
then, that at least two pieces We're
preferable, especially If they Were
| ''all wool and a yard wide" How We
hate fans in winter!
* K x
! Reciprocity Of automobile tags be-
tween Maryland and the District or
Columbia during the week OF the
| Shriners' convention in Washington
lis denied by Maryland. The law
| enforcing officials are willing. bur
lpowerless to suspend the law. Never
ltheless, the District of Columbia will
1 welcome the automobiles from aH
states, including Maryland, without
requiring a local tag.
| Preparations are making for
least 100000 Shriners in this city or
450,000. There have been predictions
that it will be Impossible to ration
that many guests, but the prophets
of evil forget that this is the city
| which rationed over 100000 in the
A. L. +. 1000 miles from the base.
What are 100000 guests?
! 1t is all very well 10 follow the
slogan. Park your camel with Uncle
! Sam1.' but where, are we going 10
park the automobiles after the roofs
| are all filled? Every camel will he
comfortable. for he can march across
a desert a week on what he drank
| before he started and this is the
! dryest Sahara any camel ever did
cross. Why, the police even arrested
| stead last week because she inter
| fered with a horse getting to
watering trough. She parked her car
in front of the drink. That shows
how dry it is. But camels won't
| Copyright 1928. by +. Y. Collins0