The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-04-25
NEEDED ORDER IS
ISSUED BY HINES
MENTALLY DERANGED VETERANS
OF GREAT WAR WILL HAVE
PROPER GUARDIANS.
SOME ABUSES ARE REVEALED
Director of the Veterans Bureau
Takes Action That Renews the AS
surance of Fair Treatment for the
Former Service Men.
BY EDWARD q. A


Observation-Disclosures of the Great
war have heard from time 10 time that
comrades mentally deranged and who
have been under guardianship of one
kind or another have been made the
victims of designing persons, and that
sOme of the allowances which have
been granted to them have been d.
verified to uses other than those for
which they were intended.
The new director of the veterans
bureau, Franl. I. Hines, ordered an in
vestigation made of these complaints
and Ii was found that some of them
seemingly have been well based. An
order has been issued directing the
general counsel of the bureau, william
Wolff Smith, a former service man, to
take action In the federal courts to
provide guardians for incompetent
beneficiaries wherever necessary, and
for the removal Of guardians who
have not lone their duty in the spirit
In which 1t should have been per
formed.
This departure, 1t is known, will In
terest not only the three or four mil
lions of former service men but the
public generally, for charges against
the conduct of some of the guardians
have not been confined to men who
served in the war.
Under the new policy the bureau
takes unto itself virtually not only the
responsibility of paying the mental
incompetents the compensation which
they are allowed and advancing other
benefits that have beer accorded them,
but also of undertaking an investiga-
ton of the conduct of some of the
guardians to make sure that the bene-
fits coming from the bureau actually
reach the men for whom they are In
tended.
lncompetents Number $4,000.
The records show that there are
about $4,000 veterans of the Great war
whose mental condition is such that
they are not able to care for them
selves. Everything connected with the
treatment of these veterans and of the
circumstances of their guardianship is
to be looked into. Whenever 1t is pos
sible the troubles will be settled ou
of court, improper guardians will be
discharged from their duties and
proper guardians appointed. Wher
eve it is necessary, however, the
bureaus regal department will pro.
coed through the courts to correct
abuses and to infict punishment when,
ever any Illegal action is disclosed.
Organizations of veterans, and with
them the veterans bureau, have been
disturbed from time to time by the
fact that the public seems to take II
for granted that one case which has
brought complaint represents a gen
eral condition. Time after time repre-
sentatives of the veterans organiza.
tions in Washington and the officials
turbed by stories, spoken or written,
TO the effect that the veteran bodies
and the bureau are not functioning
properly In relief work. These stories
frequently are coupled with the tale
of some specific complaint of a vet
eran that he cannot get wha. is due
him and that 'his pleas are met IN
alphabetically and without any prom
Use of action.
The truth about this point ought to
be told to the general public. There
are a few men who have personal
grievances and who are willing to
make it appear that the authorities of
the bureau and of the veterans organ
izations refuse to give relief. Thus
the public gets the thought hat all
the veterans are being neglected be
cause one man airs his personal case
and his personal grievances.
1t can be said, and it is a veteran OF
the Great war who writes this. that
every mans complaint is given con
sideration and his ease is looked into
thoroughly. 1t has been proved since
the wal ended that there are some
men who think the government is a
charitable institution intended to dole
served and suffered but TO the men
who served and only think that they
suffered. There is a good deal of
selfishness entering into the case.
School Children Throng Washington.
1t would be hard to make any Wash
ingtonlan believe today that there is
any such thing as rac suicide in these
good United States. The capital is
full of school children, packed with
them, in fact. A dozen states are rep
resented here by these future voters
of both sexes.
High schools, grammar schools and.
in two or three cases. primary schools
are represented by groups Of pupils,
each group with n or more teachers
in charge. Every spring Washington
witnesses just such IN influx of boys
and girls but, judging from the crowd
ing and bustling appearance of the
streets, there are many more children
here today than have come in any sea-
son of the past.
The hotels are filled and Washington