Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-27
SENATE PUTS LIMIT
. ON GUARDIANSHIP.
Veterans Bureau Director to
Regulate Number One Per-
l. son May Represent.

Following attacks by several Sen
ntorS on the guardianship practice o.
District Commissioner fleming, the
Senate yesterday afternoon agreed tt
AN amendment to the World War vet
Grams bill under which the director OF
the Veterans Bureau could regulate
the number of wards IA guardian coulo
have in the District of Columbia.
The House had inserted III the bill
a provision that where, in the opinion
of the director, any guardian is acting
as fiduciary in such number OF cases
as to make it impraCtlCable to con
.c-.ye properly the estates or to super
wise the persons of the wards, the di
rector would be authorized to refuse
TO make future payments in such
number of cases as he might deem
proper.
The Senate committee had elm
mated this section of the House bill
because they felt that another sec
ton of the measure afforded a better
method of regulat ting guardians by
empowering the director to take up
my question relating to guardlan
with the court that appointed him.
HefIin and Others Speak.
1t was the action of the Senate COM
1nittee in striking out one of the pro-
visions on the subject that led Sena-
tor Hefiin Of Alabama: Senator Rob
inson of Arkansas and several other
Democratic members to bring up the
case of Commissioner Fennlng, which
Is now pending before the House
judiciary committee.
Senator Reed, Republican of
pennsylvania, a member of the
finance committee, explained that the
only reason the committee struck out
the House provision was because they
felt it would intrude upon the rights
of State courts throughout the
country by allowing the director of
the Veterans Bureau here in Wash
lngton to summarily revoke letters Of
guardianship.
1t was finally agreed, at the sugges-
ton of Senator Jones, Democrat, Of
New Mexico to restore the House pro-
vision with Il limitation applying it
only to the District OF Columbia.
Wants Action in Case.
Senator Hef1in opened up the dis
cussion by asserting that II do not
intend that Congress shall adjourn,
If l can help it, until some action is
taken upon the case of Mr.. Fenning.
Senator Bratton. Democrat, of New
Mexico, interrupted Senator Hef1in and
reminded him that the Senate might
he called upon to sit as Il court OF
impeachment. Senator Bratton asked
Senator Heflin if he did not think 1--WE
should refrain from discussing it until
, we know what part the Senate may
be called upon TO play?"
Minority Leader Robinson then took
up the debate, pointing out that the
House language in the veterans bill
does not specify any individual guard
ian and declaring he was unable to un-
tierstand why the Senate should omit
It.
Robinson Issues Challenge.
II challenge any Senator to give a
sound or sane reason for striking out
that language, Independently of the
Fenning case or any other individual
case" said Senator Robinson. Shall
the Senate of the United States vote
that where a professional guardian
has assumed SO large a number of
cases that he cannot do his duty, can
not conserve the estate intrusted to
him. and cannot take proper pre-
cautions for the protection of the
person of the unfortunate veteran in
trusted to his care, he shall have the
Senator George, Democrat, of
Georgia, interposed with the following
explanation of the action of the Sen
ate committee in considering the vet
Grams bill:
The committee thought that 1t
was better policy for the Congress to
recognize the validity of the appoint
mentS made by the duly established
tribunal, and that in place of the
director of the bureau summarily re-
voking letters of guardianship. SO far
as any payments to be made by him
were concerned, it would be much
better for him to go into the court
and have these guardianships re-
voked'
Differences Are Explained.
Senator Reed of Pennsylvania eX-
planned that the difference between
the House provision and the one the
Senate left in the bill was that the
House language would have required
guardians from any State to come to
Washington to prove to the director
of the Veterans Bureau that they
were all right, while the other pro-
vision would allow the director to go
into the courts of appointment when
ever he finds anything to take eX-
ception to concerning q guardian.
After the issue had been discussed
for nearly an hour with frequent
references to the local situation 1t
was agreed to restore the House
language but with the restriction
applying it only to the District. The
other section of the bill authorizing
the director of the Veterans Bureau
to appear in any court in connec-
ton with the affairs of guardian
In any State was left in also.
Several times during the debate
Senators indicated they had the i'm
preston that all of the trouble over
ruardianShipS for war veterans Is
confined to Washington, but Senator
Reed of Pennsylvania declared Such
is not the situation. He said there
have been case in Baltimore, New
York and California.
Other Senators Speak.
Among others who took part In the
general discussion in support Of re-
tanning the House language giving
the director of the bureau power to
control the number of cases of a
guardian were Senators Mckellar OF
Tennessee, Dill of Washington, Cara
way Of Arkansas and Swanson of Vir-
ginia, all Democrats.
Senator Ashurst said that he had
been asked about the House concur
rent resolution now before the House
judiciary committee proposing an in
vestigation of st. Elizabeth's Hos
pital.
Il have no doubt it will be reported
to the House on Monday he said.
He added that he would amend that
resolution so as to provide for an in
vestigation also of the various Federal
prisons where tubercular or other.