Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-11-29
INDICTMENTS MAY
FOLLOW INQUIRY
RESULTS OF VETERANS BUREAU
INVESTIGATION LIKELY TO
GO TO GRAND JURY.
SHOCKING CHARGES ARE MADE
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

BY EDWARD 5. CLARK
Washington. is said that imme-
diately following the close of the in
vestigation into conditions which some
months ago existed in the veterans
bureau, a grand jury will be convened
and indictments Of persons alleged to
be guilty of malfeasance In office will
be asked.
Nobody can say, of course, at this
writing against whom charges will be
preferred, but Washington has pretty
well made up its mind as to the
identity Of some of those who are to
be charged with things worse than
ordinary misdemean0rs because the ac-
cusations include charges of deeds
which not only robbed the taxpayers
but worked hardship on disabled vet
Grams.
Some of the things which have been
brought out by the investigating COM
mittee are almost unspeakable. Ii
some of the charges are true,
there was a complete disregard in
many Instances of the rights Of the
government and Of the dictates of hui
manity. Drunkenness and irregulari-
ties of personal conduct of various
kinds also have been charged. Per-
haps these offenses, if they were COM
mitted, are not punishable at this
time, but it is known that other acts
for the committal of which mems con-
sciences may have been hardened are
punishable, and it is believed the. gov
eminent intends to attempt to infict
the punishment.
May Escape on TechnicaIities.
What the veterans are afraid of is
/ that guilty men will go free because
Of technicalities. There always are
means of obtaining the release of men,
not because the evidence fails to point
to their guilt, but because some one
failed to dot an 81" or to insert a
hyphen in some word that usage de-
termines shall be compounded.
Not long ago many people were
killed in a distressing accident in the
city of Washington which probably
would not have occurred if the duty
Of certain men toward the public had
Technicalities in the case have pre-
vented the punishment of persons
who, the belief is, were guilty.
Technicalities may work trouble for
the government in the veterans bureau
cases which now seem likely to be
taken into the courts, but Of course
things possibly may happen other
wise, because public opinion has been
aroused not so much because the
treasury seemingly has been looted,
but because disabled veterans appear
to have been made to suffer.
Now Washington realizes that there
are other dangers than legal techni-
calities in the way of carrying through
to the end the prosecution of men
charged today with abusing their pow
er in Office in the veterans bureau.
A good many appointments were made
to positions in the bureau not because
the men for whom places were sought
were fit for them, but because they
were the pets of this politician or that
politician who wanted to get jobs for
them. Therefore, there is a danger
that political influence may intervene
to prevent the proper passing of the
cases against men who are charged
with guilt.
Innocent Should Be Cleared.
B It is known that some men who have
been lugged into the field of suspicion
are not guilty. 1t may be that the
friends of these men will insist that all
the matters shall be pressed to con-
clusion in order not only to convict
the guilty, but to clear the innocent,
for the latter, if not cleared by further
examination into the cause, will carry
the faint of suspicion the rest of their
lives.
Some Of the offenses which have
been charged against the mismanagers
of some of the departments of the vet
Grams bureau are almost impossible
to believe. Men are charged with
committing acts which we're so crude
as to offer seemingly no chance that
they could escape detection. When
thousands of pounds of government
supplies worth eighteen cents pound
are sold for two cents a pound, there
seemingly must be something wrong
somewhere. 1t is known that rep
utable firms in the United States
would have paid willingly ten times
the amount that was paid for these
surplus supplies, but seemingly they
went to somebody who knew what he
wanted and knew how he was going
to get it.
A good many OF the operations Of the
veterans bureau seem to have been
carried on while the directing forces
were in a dreaming state. Visionary
projects were proposed and consider
able sums Of money were spent before
public discovery was made that the
officials of the bureau were pipe
dreaming and stop could be put to
visionary pastimes.
Some of the things which were
charged in the early days were de-
clared incredible of belief but it was
said that the men who thought and
said things were wrong, and were
actuated by malicious motives. There
are some of the veterans who believe
if this matter had been gone into
long time ago the government would
have been saved much money, that
the veterans would have been better
cared for and the country would have