Evening star., 1925-02-27
DISABLED SOLDIERS
. LEAGUE DEFENDED
National Commander Tells
House League Is Leglti-
! mate-Denies Charges.

John T. Nolan, national commander
of the National Disabled Soldiers
League, continued before the House IN
vestlgating committee today his denial
of charges preferred against the organl-
cation.
Tho leagues conventions, he said,
were regularly constituted, despite tesu-
mony of other witnesses to the contrary.
At the Boston convention in 1928 he
hired detectives to attend, he added, be-
cause he had heard the convention was
to be broken up by a Jersey City man
suspended from membership and others.
The witness insisted he knew of no
men being hired as spectators" at the
Atlantic City convention in 1924, and
denied that the convention was stopped
by the mayor. He maintained that names
of members of the leagues advisory
board were not used without authority.
Aid in $4,000 Claims.
The membership of the league is over
$4,000, the commander declared, and
there are 116 posts scattered over the
country. He called attention to league
literature, declaring it had helped to set
Atle with the Veterans Bureau $4,000
*$seryiCe claims.
Nolan denied that he had represent
I'd himself as a member of Congress: :
s ad paid to fix" the New York dis
rict attorneys office; had paid for
n favorable newspaper story or had
ried to fix the House committee.
81 Te had told c. G. Biggs OF the 2. c.
E Smith Co. of New York. he said, that
n its proceedings before the Post
#Dflce Department. the league would
have to pay $1,000 for legal fees and
~ he cost of bringing witnesses. Biggs
81 as testified that Nolan told him 1t
swould cost $1,000 to fix" the COM
anittee.
Says No Dues Are Paid.
Cross-examined by Randolph Shaw.
he committee counsel, Nolan asserted
that he now has no other employment
han national commander OF the
#League, although during the first two
wears he held that post he also was
8in the employ of the Internal Reve-
#nue Bureau, getting a government
Salary of $1,S40 a year.
Last year, Nolan told the committee,
% he drew $4,000 salary from the
eague, $500 the year before and 5000
& he year prior to that. The witness
# said he had practiced law in Boston
courts for three years by power Of
#Httorney."
n An attempt to quiz the witness
#about his stay at the Hotel Roosevelt
lin New York, to show whether the
#hill was paid out of league funds.
@net objection, and Chairman Fish said
#he would not force Nolan to answer
Nolan testified that there were no
#dues in the league and that the rule
was "once a member always a mem
#ber." The organizations principal
Mposts are in New Jersey and New
York and Birmingham, Ala, the wit
ness said, but could not remember
their names. Pressed for details, he
said some were inactive, and then
ESTIMATED that there were IL or Is
active posts Throughout the country
looking after the disabled.
Differs With Hines.
Asked about the testimony of
Director Hines that only a small
number of cases had been brought to
n the Veterans Bureau by the league
Nolan said that Gen. Hines doesn't
know what he's talking about"
The witness was unable to recall
the amount of money taken in by the
league or expended by it without
reference to the books, which now
are before a Federal grand jury here.
\ He declared he personally never han
Z died any money of the league.
4 When his attention was called to
testimony that Kenneth Murphy, the
leagues national adjutant, was not
World War veteran, Nolan said he
had always thought Murphy saw ac-
tive service.