The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-04-13
OFFICERS GIVEN
SPECIAL FAVOR
BY CONGRESS
Emergency Group Allotted
Plum for Service in
World War.
Continued from Page u

Sl0us Wulle emergency OulcerS return
TO civil life when war ends.
A few members of the senate made
a minority report on the bill saying
In justice to the enlisted men, who
are just as patriotic and deserving
as the officers in justice to the
widows and orphans Of those who
made the supreme sacrifice in
justice to the taxpayers of the
United States, on whose shoulders
the burden of these expenditures
would rest, we respectfully dissent
from the views of the majority"
Objections Swept Aside
Their objections, together with
those OF the President, we're swept
aside.
Congress was aware at the time
1t enacted this legislation that il
already had provided for all dis
abled service men, regardless of
rank. with a generosity which now
has run the bill up to total of
000,O0O,000 a year.
Twenty-eight per cent of the re-
tired officers are physicians, 1,730
in number The only group ex-
ceeding it are 2,251 infantry officers.
No other combat branch of the
service approaches in numbers the
medical men on retirement pay.
Yet there were proportionately
fewer doctors in the army than
there we're combat officers. Some
justification for this situation lies
in the fact that medical officers
averaged higher age than other
officers.
Prior to the passage of this law,
many of these officers we're receiv-
ing regular disability compensation
along with former enlisted men,
and on the same scale
Compensation Is Boosted
Average compensation per month
per man for this group was $50.
When congress approved the new
scheme, it jumped the average
compensation by 270 per cent.
Although congress took no ac-
count of the financial needs of
these ex-officers, a study of Of
fetal records reveals the fact that at
least 400 of them now have full-time
Jobs in various federal depart
ments.
These were divided as follows
Veterans, administration, 289: state
department, T. war department, 81;
department of agriculture, 20: de-
partment Of justice, II; treasury de-
partment, al; department of the
interior, IL; department of COM
merce, 10, and the navy department
with two in Washington and others
not enumerated in the field.
Names and addresses on the re-
tired list of emergency officers
shows that hundreds of additional
ones in civil life give business adj
dresses, indicating they have jobs.
Given High Pay
Pay of the ex-officerS now in gov
eminent service runs, for a few, as
low as 81 200 year. The majority
get from $4,000 to $1,000; a few
others get from $1,000 to $4,000
Retirement pay adds from $106 to
S2ls q month to this.
The majority of those in the
employ of the veterans admins
tration on retired officers status
are doctors. Their duties include
rating and passing on character and
extent of disabilities.
10 &c nh
sicians in such position that they
can decide whether their friends
and associates employed in the
same government department with
them are entitled to retirement pay.
1t has been a definite policy of
these articles not to single out in
dividuals by name for the purpose
of citing examples; but there is one
case which illustrates perfectly the
workings of the emergency officers
retirement act.
This incident is the granting Of
retirement pay of $187.50 a month
to William Wolff Smith, who is
drawing $4,000 year as general
counsel to the veterans adminiStra-
ton.
The Case of Smith
Smiths case has been discussed
publicly in congress and the courts,
and for that reason mention of
his name here is felt justified.
Representative Thomas l.. Blan-
ton of Texas, recently introduced
bill for the repeal of the emer-
gency officers retirement act and
fully reviewed the Smith matter
Here is the story Blanton told his
fellow congresSmen:
That Smith entered the service
in 1918 as sanitary corps cap
tain thirteen days before the ar
mistice, but that examination
showed him to be unfit for combat
duty, since he had a hernia, defec-
tive vision and three missing teeth.
THAT in 1920 he was appointed
captain in the regular quartermas-
ter corps after another physical
examination showed him to have the
same defects, and that he was dis
charged from the regular army in
1922, the record showing at the
time that he had no wound, injury
or disease, whether incurred in the
service or otherwise.
Given Retirement Pay
THAT Smith joined the veterans
administration in 1923 at salary of
$4,000 a year; that on Oct. 81, 1927,
he was examined for a majors COM
mission in the reserves, at which
time it was noted there was no sign
of hernia, although he had some
mild throat trouble.
THAT the day after the emer-
gency officers retirement act was
passed. he applied for retirement, on
the ground of 30 per cent service
connected disability. He was turned
down. He appealed his case several
times and finally was granted retire
ment pay"
Some of the lay testimony offered
to prove Smiths disability is inter