Evening star., 1934-01-04
An Urgent Plea for
Justice to Veterans

To the Editor of The Star:
1t has been my lot to have to look
back into the history Of the treatment
of veterans, and am sorry to have to
say that never in all history have war
veterans been so shamefully treated as
they have been by this country during
the past few years. It Is true that We
have spent enormous sums OF money,
but the test is not what Is spent, but
what the veteran receives as money or
its equivalent. BY this test our system
| is scandalous Unthinkable sums are
poured into hospitals and bureaus, to
be consumed by overhead, by lawyers.
doctors and uncountable bureaucratic
experts of one kind or another. The
little that trickles through to the vet
Grams is but a trifle. Some day some
person not confused by loud talk and
strange bookkeeping is going to get back
to simple arithmetic and ask two simple
questions-these are, how much is ap-
! propriated, and how much do the vet
Grams actually get. The answer, if
honestly given, will amaze the dullest
citizen
This gross and sordid practice of tax
ing gobs Of taxpayers money and
throwing it into bureaucratic sewers,
so that the veteran gets only what
trickles through. was what caused
many generous and grateful Americans
to be taken in by the economy bill. We
were appalled, by what was spent, but
we were never told that the greatest
part of it went not to veterans but to
bureau overhead and the enormous per-
sonnel.
One who understands this situation
will be able to understand why it Is
that there is so much red tape and
messing around in connection with
claims Any insurance company would
make an investigation, check up the
matter and make determination once
for all, but bureau such as we have
must elaborate, complicate, routinize,
and red-tape things so that it takes
ages to get a claim settled, and then it
is subject to being upset at any mo-
ment All this makes work for the per-
sonnel. but it makes many a veteran
meet his undertaken long before his
time. 1t is a cruel and heartless thing
| to keep an already disabled veteran,
many Of whom are nervous and dis
traught, in a constant state OF uncer-
tainty and fear. Somebody some time
| is going to point this out in all its con-
sequences, and America will be amazed.
One who takes the interest and
trouble to understand these things
will also find it possible to under
stand why it is that at this late date
a great number of worthy veterans
| pensation even though their evidence
would convince the harshest Judge or
the most conservative jury. I used
| to believe that most of these cases
represented merely discomfort, but I
have taken the trouble to look into
the evidence in some OF these cases
| and can understand how many vet
Grams feel anguish in their hearts at
the terrible injustice done them.
Some time grateful Government will
| do justice to these men.
| used to believed that these bureaus
we're established to help the veteran,
everything to give him justice. From
my study am amazed to find that
these bureaus take defensive atti-
tude; that they investigate only to
confute. and that they hear a case as
hostilely as some Of the lower-class
insurance firms. The veteran does not
get a claim through with the help
Of these bureaus; he must get it
through in spite of them.
the evils that I have discovered. but
It explains why, though I still sup.
port the Economy League, I insist
that we killed the wrong hog. We
hit the poor veteran, while the rea
hog still wakes fat in the bureaucratic
pastures. I used to say I believed in
taking care Of the veteran, but, et
cetera. I find that the veteran only
got the but and still gets it. I now
insist that we deal honestly, fairly
and generously with the veteran. but
I also insist that the money 60 direct
to the pocket Of the veteran. We are
still spending Spanish fortunes, but