Evening star., 1923-11-13
Retired From Veterans Bu-
reau to Save President
Harding Embarrassment of
Choosing Between Them.
CHARGES PLOT TO WRECK
HIM THROUGH PERJURY
Tells Senate Committee All Al
cusations Against IntegA:
False-Blames Deficiencies Il
Politics and White House Ph :
sician-Hits Hospitalization.

sician-Hits Republication.
conspiracy to encompass my de-
struction by means of perjury. sub
ornation of perjury and the suppress
sion of material facts and docu-
ments." was charged by Charles T..
Forbes, former director of the Vet
erans' Bureau. in testimony today
before the Senate veterans commit
tee.
Taking the stand in his own de-
fense before a crowded committee
room, the former director entered a
general. sweeping and absolute de-
nial of the many charges which have
been made against him during the
committees inquiry
Most of the deficiencies in the ad-
| ministration of the laws providing
for relief to disabled veterans, he de-
clared, had been due to politics and
sawyer He was referring to Brig.
Gen. Charles E. Sawyer, personal
| friend and physician of President
! Harding.
Denies He Was Dismissed.
Forbes then fatty denied the state
| ment made before the committee by
Dr. Sawyer that he was dismissed by
President Harding for insubordina-
tion in connection with the sale of
| surplus property at Perryville, Md
Long before the President finally
decided to issue his second tempo
rary order stopping the delivery Of
| goods at Perryville," the former di-
rector said. Il frankly told the Pres
ident that ! could not continue to
serve II Gen. Sawyer was to continue
IN my office; and it became simply a
| choice between Sawyer and myself.
| possible embarrassment by tendering
| my resignation"
The denial was directed" the wit
ness SAID. against every charge
statement. mnuendo and insinuation
which in any manner whatsoever re-
| meets upon the honesty and integrity
or my official or personal conduct
while l occupied the Office of director
or war risk insurance or director of
the Veterans Bureau"
Charges Conspiracy.
Il feel that / cannot refrain from
expressing to the committee at this
| time" Forbes said my growing be-
| lief, finally resulting in conviction on
my part. which 1 expect, by the testi-
mony Of disinterested witnesses, to
| establish. that an attempt has been
| made to mislead this committee, and
that a conspiracy has been on foot
the purpose Of which is to encom-
pass my destruction by means Of per-
| jury, subornation of perjury at
tempted subornation of perjury and
| the suppression of material facts and
documents.
| At the outset Forbes read a pre-
pared statement, in which he earnest
ly requested the committee members
! to question him most searchingly as
to all matters within the scope of the
| investigation and of the testimony
heretofore given and which he was
| to give bearing not only upon my
personal conduct as director of the
Veterans Bureau but also upon the
| bureau by myself and my subordi-
mates.
'I deny generally. and shall here
after deny specifically and in detail; all.
charges cha @ OF oficial and personal ne
| glect, dishonesty. graft. liquor drink
/ ing, loose conduct, and any and every
other dereliction OF duty Official or or
me either by the witnesses Mortimer
and Williams and others. or charged
| against me by the counsel of this
| committee.
SOUGHT Ship Board Place.
81 do not mean that my adminstra-
ton was blameless; / do not deny its
imperfections; l do not seek to shift
any responsibilities to others, dead or
alive; but / do assert that l have not
consciously been guilty of any wrong
doing either by act or neglect.
81 feel it is only proper to state that
| Y did not seeks this position. I am frank
| to say that while j have never been
particularly active as a politician. al
| the present administration came into
! office | was ambitious, on account of
my experience, to become member
Of the Shipping Board. which ambition
| / communicated to the late President, who
| had been my political and personal
I friend for many years.
| president Harding frankly advised
me that it was impossible for him TO
| crafty my ambition, and he ulti-
| mateIy rendered to me the position of
cepted the position with much mis-
giving, with the expressed desire on
my part that / might retire from the
office at the end Of year.
Warned by Jones.
when I first met Col. Cholmeley
Jones (the retiring directory he said
to me:
Col Forbes, you are coming into
| a job that will bring you only grief
| and sorrow. / have done everything
within my power to build up this in
stitution and make it really worth
while. 1t is politically stagnant. and
/ do not believe that you or any other
man will ever be able to put 1t over.
After some conversation he added
You will find your first difficulty. ]
believe, in the public health service.
It was not long before l realized that
Col. Cholmeley Jones had spoken the
truth.
encountered was the insistence by
Gen. Sawyer Of his plan to hospitalize
all disabled veterans in the ram
shackle and tumble-down canton
ment buildings throughout the coun-
try. I was and always have been
practically all other persons who
have given any thought and study
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