Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-11-20
PATCHED UP NOTES Defer ALLIED BREAK 1
OVER COURSE To TAKE AGAINST GERMANY
NO more FORBES
WITNESSES IN PROBE
OF VETERANS BUREAU

Washington. Nov. ia disclosure
by Senator Walsh. Democrat Mas
sachusetts, that there is a special
service section in the Veterans Bur-
eau which handles the cases in which
| members of congress are interested
| and charge by Representative
johnson, Republican, Washington,
that the Bureau had kidnapped a
veteran from an insane asylum in
his state, marked the hearings today
! before the senate veterans commit
tee
Other developments included q de-
| clslon not to hear further witnesses
| in defense of former Director Charles
IL. Forbes because of Il lack of time
| and the Substantiation hy William
Z. ipScomb, of Washington. of that
| port III of the affidavit of Frank X.
Chambmers, Jr, of san Diego. Calf,
| that graft proposals had been made
| i'll connection with n proposition to
! lease Chambers Virginia farm to
| the Veterans Bureau.
Representative johnson told the
committee that in removing Charles
| kaSaVage from his state to a Penn
| sylvania hospital for treatment, the
bureau had cited in defiance of a res
| training order issued by the state
| courts. Doctor S. q. Smith. one of
tho committee investigators. testi-
| fled concerning Kasagave's case on
| November five, and Mr.. Johnson said
| he appeared to protest against the.
testimony and also against what he
| characterized as the manufacturing
| of evidence" before the commission
| apparently to be used in court ac-
ton at Wilkesbarre, Pa, in the vet
| Grams case.
Senator Walsh. Democratic. Mas
( sachusetts, brought out that the
Especial congressional section" still
is maintained in the bureau. Char
| les F. Mulhearn, assistant director in
| charge of claims, was explaining to
| the committee the workings of his
| division and the efforts in progress
| to speed up consideration of claims
| of veterans for compensation.
Chairman Reed wanted to know
| whether it really did any good for
! Senators and representatives TO
| write to the bureau about indlViduai
| cases. Mulhearn indicated that II
| did and described the special service
! section as a very active" one. HIS
| opinion is that special consideration
| for congressional" cases does not
| operate to delay other cases and ne
l added that the case of every veteran
= should be "gtven due consideration
on its merits.
That no other witnesses are to be
heard on behalf of Forbes was mace
known with the announcement by
| James S. EasbySmith, counsel Tor
the former director. that he regret
ted that the committee has so nm
| tied his time that it was Impossible
| n
ouac defense of Forbes. He asked
| that he be permitted to present later
/ 4 memorandum on what he had
! hoped to prove by witnesses ana the
! list of the witnesses that he c0uld
have called. He requested also that
he be allowed to present additional
+; documentary evidence dealing with
! the much discussed PerryVille. Md,
. sales of supplies.
Asserting that he had tried Tor
two months.to keep Forbes name out
! OF the investigations John +. ORyan,
general counsel for the committee,
! said he was obliged to bring it in be-
| cause of information turned up by
committee investigators. He added
that additional evidence regarding
| Forbes is Coming in daily" and that
it is for the committee to decide just
how far it desires to go into 1t.
| Lipscomb, who acted as agent Tor
| Chambers Virginia farm, testlheo
that Chambers would have accepted
willingly a rental of $4,000 year for
the place, but that n man named
Raege, who came to his office, SAID
| the price shout be boosted" as there
were several people ito be taken
| care of. Chambers said Lipscomb
had reported to him that the rental
! was to be increased to 100000 u year
| and that $4,000 to 100000 of this
was to be passed on.
| Lipscomb testified that he dis
cussed the rental with a man named
| Kahn in the Veterans Bureau and
that Kahn had told him the matter
was "in the directors office.
Besides it's inquiry into the claims
division of the bureau the commit
tee took up the subject of rehabilita-
ton with o. w. Clark. assistant di-
rector in charge Of the rehabilitation
division. who submitted a number Of
recommendations for improving the
work of his division. He suggested
that committee, of three in the sub
! district offices pass upon the question
| of the feasibility of a veteran for
training instead of leaving the de-
cision with, the examining medical
officer as at present
| Clark disclosed that of the 75,117
veterans placed in training, 42,733
| have remained in their original OBJ
| jective or study: 22,942 have made
| one change; 6,021 two changes. and
! 2,OG1 three changes. Three veterans
| have changed their objective nine