Evening star., 1923-03-15
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL y. COLLINS

Mind Crippled" by battle expert
ences. Straightjacket to control
the insane. Brutal, cowardly attack
upon the helplessly straitjacketed by
bruiser attendant. Zones shattered; in
ternal injuries: may prove fatal.
"Ha rd- boiled attendant prose-
cuted? No, no; just turned loose
upon the public. Veteran now Grip
pied both in mind and body after
one year at the front and three in the
Veterans Bureau.
No savage ever attacked an insane
person; only civilized brave" dare be
80 cowardly. Gen. Hines promises to
stop that kind Of treatment OF vet
Grams.
Conduct unbecoming an officer and
Ia gentleman" may be the court
martial charge preferred against all
Army and Navy officers listed in
card index OF a bootlegger arrested
In Washington a day or two ago. 1t
Is long list. including colonels and
naval commanders. The Secretaries
Of War and Navy have ordered inves-
LEGATIONS
Army and Navy officers, congress-
men and other officials of government
are sworn to uphold the laws of the
nation, whether they favor the law
think the oaths OF Army and Navy
officers mean what they say and that
violating their sworn obligations is
conduct unbecoming an officer'-and q
a congressman e.. gentleman-eVen
a plain citizen.
Columns of editorials have been
written upon the folly Of men who
undertake unnecessary hazards such
as climbing the outside of wall and
thereby meet tragic deaths. What
of the equal folly of swallowing
moonshine and then racing with au-
tomobiles in the "early morning
hours" until they bump into some big
tree or stone wall? There are diner
ent degrees Of folly, but the end is
much the same.
x y x
Two days before final adjournment
of the late Congress Representative
Blanton of Texas got permission To
extend his remarks in the Congress
sional Record" They appear in the
March 10 issue. The subject is the
report filed by the special commItte ee
on the escape of the notorious draft
dodger, Grover Cleveland Bergdoll."
That special committee was appoint
ed April IS. 1921, to investigate all
the circums stances of that notorious
escape. On August IS. 1921, after
having spent s6.441.S5 in its investi-
CATION, the committee filed com
plete report of the circum stances
which seemed to point to bribery and
coiluSion in the escape.
That report has slumbered in COM
mittee ever since the special commit
tee filed II, over two and d half years
ago.
Mr.. Blanton demands in his 'ex-
tended remarks:
'Is the House OF Representatives
going TO bury this report without ac-
ton: If so. why" Why should not
the guilty be punished? Is anybody
connected with the government row
shielding the guilty? And
Why was he employed as counsel by
another select committee of the
House. at a $4,000 fee. about the
time the Bergdoll committee had him
under investigation: Is the govern
and pay him big fees" Concerning
this problem the republican party
must make answer to the country
And Congress adjourned two days
later without taking any action or
the report Mr.. Bergdoll is still
moCking American justice from his
safe retreat in Germany. Perhaps no
greater punishment could be inflicted
on him than he is now enduring as a
fugitive. but if there are Americans
who have guilty knowledge of how
he escaped they are more guilty than