The Wilmington morning star., 1945-07-28

views OF MI. 1cSlCI, anu Ollen fQlSdSIee
with them as much as many of his read
ers. His articles serve the good purpose
of making people think.)
By WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1945, by King Features Syndicate)
NEW YORK,-This country will be spared
degree of scandal, a lot of money and an
other of those moods of cynicism and disgust
II we take refresher course about now in
tho boisterous larcenies that were committed
in the wears soon after the last war by ma
lnqerers and common grafters IN the gulse OF
COMPENSATION for imaglnry wounds ana nc
+itious or exaggerated disabilities. These
onar.+;ons in most cases were done by the
connivance if not the initiative OF doctors and
hureaucrats in the government service ana
the congressional investigation turned up
some rogueries as ingenious and bold as any
nj the more defiant rascalities of the New
Deal in later times
The scale of disability and the allowances
was mathematical and the principle was ae-
knowledged at the beginning that coHpenSa-
ton was deserved only for lmpalrments SUI
fered in the line of duty in the service.
Sprains cauliflower ears, sore throats ana
rum-blossoms occurring in hours OF mlscon-
duct while the victim was AWOL IN Paris
or East St. Louis during his time WIN the
colors or incurred in after years on ms own
time were deemed to be the patients own
private affair and not lien on the PUBIC
treasury. In time, however, the loonles
stretched the regulations to an extent 1na'
permitted a middle-aged veteran OF the Span
ish affair of '98 who had $1,000 job ana
a pension, beside, and was able to pay for
his own repairs to go into veterans hospHai
to have his tripes remodeled free. 1hls sort
of competition naturally displeased many CT
william doctors whose taxes were supporting
these institutions and many OF whom, fhem-
selves, mad served in combat IN France
whereas many of the patients had served IN
camp at home only long enough to qualify
under the minimum legal definitions.
Another fragrant case was that OF a flyer
who had smashed five ships in training and
lacked. as he said, only one Of qualifying
as a German ace, and had broken leg In
the last wreck For this injury ne received,
in after years, good pension on the theory
that he was cripple. plus the price Of col
1ege tuition, during time when he was agile
enough to command a cash subsidy from an
eastern college and free tuition for playing
end on the varsity. For lagniappe this hope
less wreck of a man also collected flying pay
as a reserve officer.
The slightest mention of such impositions
Of course will evoke the charge that one
would deny heroes dressing and healing and
care can be no better than a Japanese SER
geant but that, as will be seen, is obfusca-
tion The malingerer and chiseler will always
hide behind the deserving victim Of wounds,
injuries illness and protest that any obJec-
ton to his own impositions on public SYM
pathy is a brutal attempt to neglect and dis
card the deserving.
Nevertheless, records are available in
Washin gton for the guidance OF Congress and
the public which will recall outrageous graft
by men who were sound Of mind and wind
and limb whose benefits were paid in part
by more honest and patriotic veterans who
came home whole and were glad to support
their government rather than live on it. They
are there in detail and they reveal sys-
tematic method Of grating and progress
sive corruption of the original plan. In time
men who would have refused to take advantage
of parasitic system felt obliged to get theirs
as an act of self-defense.
We do not yet know what the benefits for
veterans will be. Because so large a portion
of the adult population will be veterans we
may be sure they will be large in figures,
at least, and that no bonus march or camp
will be necessary this time. What they want
and what they believe the Treasury and the
national income can stand they will vote them
selves and the one great moderating influ-
ence will be the understanding by the more
intelligent that they will be paying the taxes
to support these grants to themselves as long
as they live. Only a small portion Of the cost
can be collected from the next older genera
ton because that group is rising SO and has
limited expectancy of life and earnings. New
| eatheless, these service veterans, on the aver
age will have served much longer than those
of the first war and undoubtedly will feel
that the Countrywide government Ought to
make up to them, as well as money ard
preference can, the time they lost when they
might have been starting their civil careers
and founding families and homes Large num-
bers Of men in that mood easily persuad-
ed that they can have more than there is to
/ be had and that is headache for them in
their own time.
There is difference, though, between pen
sions, grants and other benefits frankly
awarded as such to sound men in recognition
Of service, and the cunning impositions on
system designed to meet the special needs
of men impaired in the line of duty. The
wounded and injured will deserve all the bene-
fits available to sound veterans plus compen-
sation for degrees Of infirrnity and that is
where the faker begins to discover cricks IN
his back, miseries in his joints or a "iga-
rette cough which. when he finally puts his
mind to it real hard. are traceable to the time
he hefted a case OF canned goods, stumbled
over wagon tongue in the dark or inhaled
gas. thinking nothing OF it at the time long,
long ago.
Every soldier knows the types but, unfortu-
nately, SO does everv candidate for office and
the record OF the old investation lust might
act as policeman's whistle blown IN ant1ci-
patton of raid
NHNTA