Evening star., 1924-02-10

avoided the severe criticism which
! came to the attention Of the Senate in
February last.
l "Col. Forbes, however, was neither
able nor honorable in the conduct of
his Office. The evidence is not only
! convincing In this regard, but it is
such that no other conclusion can be
] reached. I believe 1t is of the ut
most Importance that this feature of
the bureaus failure be kept in mind
| by those charged with responsibility
for new legislation. I believe this
because of our tendency as people
( to attempt to cure SO many govern
mental ills by additional legislation.
mo statute can supply character
where character is lacking, or ability
where 1t does not exist in the leader
ship of great government organiza-
herein Of the former director of the
bureau are not made for the purpose
OF adding to those already made, but
to emphasize the illustration thus
, furnished Of the relation Of cause and
effect.
THE truth is that the Veterans Bu-
, reau could not have functioned eff
cfently and satisfactorily, no matter
what laws might have created it and
controlled it's operation, when for
! OF the character portrayed ty the
| evidence before this committee"
Delay I'm Construction.
In discussing the delay in construc-
tton of hospitals the Organ report
| also fiays Director Forbes, as told in
The Star story on January z. 1t says:
I'm the light of subsequent events
| the policy of taking the construction
! out of the hands of the supervising
architect of the Treasury and placing
1T in the hands of the director of the
Veterans Bureau does not appear to
hoN h4 1. RI
| not make for speed nor economy. but
did afford an opportunity for the con-
summation of conspiracies to defraud
the government.
! 'Tt is clear that under Director
Forbes the construction of hospitals
\ was delayed in part by the desire to
insure the award of construction con-
tracts to favored contractors and by
| manipulation to make the awards in
| the manner indicated.
! while special emphasis was placed
upon the necessity for speedy con-
struction. and this necessity was
made the excuse for the irregular
award of contracts to favored con-
tractors, the same necessity was lost
sight of when all bids were rejected
! in order to avoid awarding the con-
! tract to a bidder other than the one
Circumstances connected with the
hospital projects at Northampton,
Mass: at Livermore, Cal. and Excel
sior Springs, Mo-, are discussed at
length in the report as illustrations
up the hospital building activities
| of the bureau under Forbes, the
Organ report says:
Record of Delay.
! '"Ti1e whole record of hospital con-
struction throughout the country
shows unreasonable delay By the
Veterans Bureau. Local interests.
4 Il It,-i1 ,~<o ,k-
ence and corruption all contributed
to the development of the unfortu-
nate conditions criticised"
AS the Senate received the Organ
report from Chairman Reed. it con-
tained all of the charges of fraud
and corruption against the Forbes
directorship as made public in The
Star month before. together with
charges of conspiracy to defraud the
government. and naming as alleged
iconspirators with Forbes, c. B. Hur-
ley, president of the Hurley-Macon
! Company of Takoma, Wash; J. w
| thompson, st. Louis contractor; the
late James W. Black of Chicago and
Elias H. Mortimer of Philadelphia.
The only important respect in
which the language of Gen. Organs
report, as published in The Star, is
toned down in his report as submitted
to the Senate, is in regard to the pur-
chase in Missouri of the home of E.
l. Morse, a prominent republican pol
ittcian. to be used as hospital
plant. Gen. Organ said of this trans
action in the original draft of his re-
port:
This project furnished striking
example of the manner in which the
interests of the government snd Of
the disabled were prostituted IN order
that a high government official Gre
| ferring to Ewing Laporte of Pitts
burgh, a former Assistant Secretary
of the Treasury might generously
satisfy the demands. of prominent
| political leader, who claimed no
knowledge of the needs of the dis
abled and whose interests were OBJ
viously selfish"
In the draft as submitted to, the
Senate this language had been
changed to read as follows:
This project furnishes a striking
example of the manner in which the
interests of the government and of
the disabled were subordinate to in
divfdual interests"
! Credit to Gen. Hines.
Gen. Organ in his report calls at
tention to many reforms that have
been effected during the past nine
] months. He gives credit to Brig. Gen.
4, Frank T. Hines for greatly improved
conditions. Nevertheless" he says,
grave problems still remain to be
4 SoifSu, Aui lHSI eCoHOHlleS
ed, high standard of discipline de-
veloped, and many things done in the
: interest of the disabled. The present
director has shown by his past record
and by his conduct of his present
office that he possesses integrity, eX-
perience, and industry. which are
qualities essential in the successful
administration of this important
office. On the other hand, it can be
| said almost with certainty that he
| will not succeed unless he dispenses
with the services OF a substantial
numper of the men whom he inherit
ed from his predecessor, and who are
| holdlng important offices and acting
/ as his assistants. The interests of
! these individuals must give way to
the public interest. and the public
1 interest demands that these positions
! be fielled by men of the highest char
\ acter and capacity, whose sole inter-
est is the efficient execution of the
mission of the bureau.
Alleges Conspiracy.
! In an appendix to his report Cen.
iO'Ryan describes at length the i'm
iproper sale of property" at the pur-
iveying depot at Perryville, Md. In
the body of his report he says that
the circumstances indicate clearly
THAT this transaction was a result Of
lment."
Under the heading "Dishonesty ,nd