Evening star., 1926-04-24
FENN|NG TO TAKE
STAND AND REPLY
TOBLANTON TODAY
Two House Committees Pur-
sue Investigations of
Commissioner.
MAI. ARNOLD FINISHES
TESTIMONY ON VETERANS.
Two st. Elizabeth's Patients Put
on Stand to Support Claim
They Are Sane.

Two committees of the House to
day pursued their investigation OF
Commissioner Frederick A. Jennings
activities. as guardian for mentally
incompetent World War veterans in
an indirect manner. and at o'clock
the long-awaited reply of the Com
missioner TO charges made against
him by Representative Blanton, Dem
ocrat, Texas. and other members of
congress. will be given in the caucus
room of the House Office Building
when the Commissioner himself takes
he stand.
The veterans committee, inquirinl
INTO guardianship conditions in the
District and throughout the United
States. virtually concluded with its
first witness. Maj. Davis G. Arnold
national guardianship officer of the
Veterans % Bureau, who has been or
the stand for nearly a week. The
House District subcommittee, investi
eating Commissioner Fenning and Dis
tr1ct institutions heard testimony OF
two patients at ST. Elizabeth's Hos
pial who were brought before it al
the request Of Mr.. Blanton to support
his contention that the men were OF
sound mind and should be released i'm.
mediately.
Testify Over Protest.
Over the vigorous protest of DR.,
Arthur P. Noyes, assistant superin-
tendent of st. EliZabeth's Hospital,
the two patients, Francis Allen, re-
tired Junior lieutenant of the Navy,
and Frank A. Wagner. former mer-
chant marine sailor. were placed on
hnfn hA
subcommittee and allowed to testify
in their own behalf. DR.. Noyes at
tempted to explain the diagnosis of
the alleged ailments of the men and
was cut short by Representative
Blanton of Texas. who, jumping to
his feet, declared that the committee
would make its own diagnosis. The
clinical diagnoses of the men were
not made public. but were submitted
to the committee for its own In
formation, Both men then were al
lowed to answer questions propound-
ed by members of the committee.
Doubts Cost Increase.
Before the veterans committee it
was brought out that enactment Of
the johnson bill, which provides for
the Capitalization of Veterans Bu-
reau beneficiary estates under the
director of the bureau, and the con-
troll and distribution of their property
with the Government. would cost no
more than it does today to properly
supafvise and check up the activities
Of the private guardians allowed these
disabled men by the courts through
out the country.
This was the answer given by Maj.
Arnold to a question by Mrs. Rogers,
representative from Massachusetts,.
Mai. Arnold explained the bureau it.
self is not now maintaining a thor
ough check on thousands of guard
tans throughout the country, "as it
would take a tremendous force to do
It," These guardians. however, are
not without supervision In some FORM
the witness explained. stating that
the bureau has the assistance of rec
og1liZed veterans, patriotic and philan-
thropic organizations.
Maj. Arnold was questioned further
today by Representative Bulwinkle,
Democrat, North Carolina, on his tes-
timony yesterday that Commissioner
Fenning visited the Veterans Bureau
Wednesday night to look up some
papers in a case in which he was in
terested. Maj. Arnold insisted the
conference was brief, that Mr.. Fen
ming did not obtain the records for
his personal examination, but that
they were read to him. The purpose
Of the visit, Maj. Arnold added, was
to determine what communications
Mr.. Tenning had sent to the bureau
Fin the Norris case"
Attorney for His Guardian.
Mr.. Fenning, the witness said, is
attorney for Norris guardian.
Chairman Johnson, Republican.
South Dakota. declared the visit had
been exploited as mysterious" and
asked the witness If he would grant
such privileges to any one else. Maj.
Arnold replied he saw no significance
in the visit and 1t made no difference
to him who called.
"Then there was lots Of fuss about
nothing" said the chairman.
Mr.. Bulwinkle, however, wanted to
know II It were not unusual for man
under grave charges to go to the bu-
reau at night and look up the records.
Maj. Arnold replied the Commissioner
wanted the information in the late aft
ernoon, but at his suggestion an hour
in the evening was selected.
Mr.. Bulwinkle, however, insisted
that Commissioner Fenning violated
the law in accepting a fee Of SIS for
acting as attorney while he occupies
his present position. MAJ Arnold.
asked to concur in this opinion. re-
piled: Although 1 am a lawyer / am
not familiar with the law in the Dis
trict Of Columbia"
Representative Luce, Republican, of
Massachusetts, read into the record the
maximum commission allowed guard
ians In other States. Several States
had the maximum law of 10 per cent,
which exists in the District. Repre-
sentative Rankin, Democrat, Missis-
sippi, opposed the insertion of the fig
ures in the record, declaring that eff
fort was made to detract attention
from the 10 per cent commissions Mr.,
Fenning had received.
Argument Follows.
A discussion was precipitated when
Chairman Johnson asked Mr.. Rankin
IL the latter ever heard of the fact
that several hundred veterans in Mis-
sissippi have been illegally incarce-
rated in asylums. Mr.. Rankin denied
knowledge of the statement and
demanded that Chairman johnson
prove 1t.
Mr.. Rankin, however. presented to
the committee the case of veteran
who was a resident of Mississippi. was
In q hospital in Iowa and whose guard
ia n lived in North Dakota. He wanted
an adjustment made in this situa-
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