because of the presumption, the presumptive clause, why, I think the statute has been abused, very gravely abused. Mr. HOEPPEL. Answering the chairman, I can state a case of a man I know who served 4 months and 26 days receiving $500 a month. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Taber, there is a gentleman here connected with the Veterans' Bureau [addressing Mr. O'Neill] or was connected with the Veterans' Bureau. Mr. O'NEILL. I am not connected with the Veterans' Bureau; no, sir. But I have important testimony to submit. The CHAIRMAN. Well, I think in view of the fact that we are trying to close these hearings-I have looked over your suggestions here, and the committee would be glad to have you present that in writing, if you would reduce this to writing. Mr. O'NEILL. Then I could not present it here and have it put in the record? The CHAIRMAN. Well, if we were to continue to hear the opinion of everybody who has an opinion, representing himself individually, I am sure you realize, sir, that we could never conclude these hearings, and we have got to make a report, and I hope you will not think we are arbitrary in the matter, but we can't continue to hold these hearings and make the report within the time allotted under the resolution of the Congress. Mr. O'NEILL. I think those violations and invasions of a man's legal and constitutional rights are so extreme and so flagrant that they surely should warrant consideration by this committee. A man when he contacts the Veterans' Administration is still an American citizen. The CHAIRMAN. What is your name? Mr. O'NEILL. My name is J. A. O'Neill. The CHAIRMAN, What is your address, and what do you do, your work, your business? Mr. O'NEILL. I have no occupation at present. My present address is the Capitol Park Hotel. The CHAIRMAN. Are you employed in any way? Mr. O'NEILL. No, sir; I am not able to secure employment. The CHAIRMAN. Do you draw compensation from the Government? Mr. O'NEILL. A limited amount, effective last May. The CHAIRMAN. How much? Mr. O'NEILL. I am now drawing $40.80 a month, from which they are deducting $8.90 to cover my insurance. I ask no consideration of anything I present here as a personal case. I do want, though, to illustrate the conditions which exist in this Veterans' Administration, and the conditions which should be considered and corrected. A man is still an American citizen when he has any contact or dealings with this Veterans' Administration, and entitled to his constitutional privileges and immunities. The CHAIRMAN. You are entirely correct about that. Mr. O'NEILL. But it is impossible under the present inadequate laws, the way they are enforced, for a man to secure that. The condition is so deplorably frequent that it certainly does warrant consideration. However, do not think for a moment that I try to 150490-33-VOL 4- -9 take up the time of this committee here with any unfair or prejudiced statements which can not be substantiated. I have had no legal experience, but I have written testimony, sufficient, satisfactory evidence that will substantiate those serious exploitations. The CHAIRMAN. Well, I am going to take the liberty of asking you to reduce that to writing. Will you do that? Mr. O'NEILL. I can do that, sir. The CHAIRMAN. And submit it to the committee for its consideration. Will you do that? I would do that, sir. Mr. O'NEILL. Under those circumstances it will be possible to get it into the record? When will it be submitted? Will they hold another session? The CHAIRMAN. I do not think we will hold another open session. The committee will hold many executive sessions, It has to consider its report. We will try to close the hearing to-day. Mr. O'NEILL. Of course, it places me under considerable financial expense. If I could read it here it would save that burden of expense necessary to go out and have the work done. The CHAIRMAN. You have a good deal of it written. Mr. TABER. We do not ask you to have it typewritten. Just write it out stating simply what your charges are and your proof and submit it to the committee. Mr. O'NEILL. I had hoped to read it here. The CHAIRMAN. Well, there are thousands of others who have the same hope and we would like to hear everybody. I am sure you recognize that we must have some time to consider that report. Mr. O'NEILL. Have these other people been in a position to present evidence of such character to consider? The CHAIRMAN. They think so just as strongly as you do. There are thousands of them that would like to come and we can not discriminate. [To Mr. Hoeppel :] Now, Congressman, I am sorry to interrupt you. Have you concluded or are there other suggestions you would like to give? Mr. HOEPPEL. I would just like as a final statement to request that this committee in making their report incorporate therein a revamping and reorganization of the Veterans' Bureau and also that they stipulate and formulate some sort of uniform law. Of course, there will have to be differentiations between service connection and nonservice connection in the amount which they attempt to award, but some definite uniform law should be established to prevent all these discriminations. The CHAIRMAN. Congressman, we are obliged to you for having come before the committee and given us the benefit of your suggestions. It may be the committee will see fit to call on you again before we conclude our report. Mr. HOEPPEL. I would be pleased to. The CHAIRMAN. To give us possibly your views about certain angles of this report in which you might be interested. I do not know that we will. However, we are very much obliged to you for coming over and making your statement to the committee. Senator BROOKHART. Yes, you mentioned this discrimination between the regular retired officers and emergency officers. Now, I have a letter from you here, Mr. Hoeppel, in which you say: I am now definitely committed, if elected, not to vote for any legislation which seeks to reduce emergency officers' retirement pay, pensions, or compensation. So you would correct that by raising the regulars up to the level of the emergency officers. Mr. HOEPPEL. I would cut the pension of emergency officers and of veterans who do not need relief but would not take anything from the American veteran until we set our house in order and take care of Senator BROOKHART. That is quite a different position from the one I just quoted. Mr. HOEPPEL. No, sir; I was combating the National Economy League in my campaign. I am opposed to the National Economy League. Until we can clean up the banking ring of America and tax the people who have the wealth, I am not in favor of taking anything from the veteran. That is my stand. I am in favor of cutting the veteran at the right time but not at first. The CHAIRMAN. One more suggestion and we must conclude. In the report of the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs, on page 49, I direct your attention to a letter written to the Attorney General by General Hines suggesting the proper division of responsibility in the trial of insurance cases. I wonder if you have seen that letter or suggestion of General Hines. Mr. HOEPPEL. I have not. The CHAIRMAN. I would like you to see that, Congressman. Probably I have an extra copy of the report. Here is one that I would be glad to give you [handing report to Mr. Hoeppel]. Mr. HOEPPEL. And, Mr. Chairman, in order that I may not be misunderstood, I want to go definitely on record here at this time that I do not believe that pensions or disability allowance should be taken away from any veteran because of the fact it is impossible to properly get at the truth of the matter whether his disability is service connected or not, but I would get around that situation by prohibiting any veteran who is able to and does maintain himself from receiving a pension or disability allowance while so maintaining himself. 66 That is the "needs clause." I am in favor of the needs clause," but I am not in favor of that until we take care of our banking interests robbing the people, until we tax the wealth which is untaxed to-day. I do not believe in making the veteran the goat. I thank you. The CHAIRMAN. All right, sir. Now, if you gentlemen will bear with me for a minute-that is all so far as the committee is concerned. Mr. HOEPPEL. I thank you. The CHAIRMAN. Here is a letter from Senator Walsh of Montana inclosing a letter from T. E. Fosse, Joliet, Mont., which is as follows: Hon. JOHN MCDUFFIE, House of Representatives. UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC LANDS AND SURVEYS, January 27, 1933. DEAR MR. MCDUFFIE: I am referring a letter from one of my constituents to you. It concerns the investigation which your committee is making, relative to compensation paid soldiers of the late war. With kind regards, I remain, Yours very truly, T. J. WALSH. Hon. Senator THOMAS WALSH, Washington, D. C. JOLIET, MONT., January 14, 1933. DEAR SENATOR: I have noticed in the press that there is a growing sentiment for revising and investigating the soldiers' pensions of the World War. I know of no cause that needs more investigating than that. If it's delved into you will uncover more fraud than you did in the Teapot Dome oil swindle. I personally know men getting $50 per month from the Government that never saw a day's service overseas-just plain graft that some one put on the Government. It should be investigated and all this graft stopped, and I hope you may find time to add your voice in favor of a thorough investigation. sure that undeserved payment runs into a very large sum, indeed. Yours for honesty to deserving service men. Sincerely yours, Am T. E. FOSSE The CHAIRMAN. Also a letter from Mr. Lambeth, of North Carolina, inclosing a resolution from the executive committee of the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina, which is as follows: Hon. JOHN MCDUFFIE, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, D. C., January 27, 1933. House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR JOHN: I am inclosing resolution adopted by the executive committee of the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina, and will appreciate your having it inserted in the record. Sincerely yours, WALTER LAMBETH. The committee on the treatment of veterans request the adoption of the following: Whereas there are twice as many empty hospital beds in the United States in general hospitals as could possibly be needed under any hospitalization plan for veterans of all wars in which the United States or any part of it has been engaged; and Whereas there is much waste of money in transporting veterans to and from hospitals, over long distances, and transporting veterans long distances for examination, in many instances the travel expense being decidedly more than the entire expense of treatment at home or in a near-by hospital; and Whereas the veterans with acute diseases, such as pneumonia, and emergencies, such as ruptured appendix, are either dead or recovered before they can secure admission to a veterans' hospital, and must needs be treated by local physicians, either in their own homes or in a near-by hospital, and if unable to pay they must necessarily become objects of charity, while their buddies are being treated and cared for at Government expense in Government hospitals, and on that account are discriminated against: Therefore be it Resolved, That Congress be, and is hereby, requested, and our Representatives in Congress are respectfully requested, to so amend the law governing the hospitalization and medical and surgical treatment of veterans and the medical examination of veterans so that all acute cases and all emergency cases, and such others as may seem wise, may and shall be treated and cared for in their own home community, in their own home hospital by their own home physicians and the Veterans' Administration or other bureau of the Government having authority be instructed to pay for the said care and treatment for those eligible to hospitalization. Unanimously adopted by the executive committee of the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina, January 10, 1933. The CHAIRMAN. I also have letters and resolutions from Birmingham Chapter No. 4, Disabled American Veterans, sent in by the Commander of the Birmingham Chapter; the resolution and letters will be placed in the record. DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS OF THE WORLD WAR, Hon. JOHN MCDUFFIE, House of Representatives, Washington, D. O. DEAR SIR: Inclosed you will find a copy of resolution as adopted by Birmingham Chapter, No. 4, D. A. V. I trust that you will think this over carefully and give this matter serious consideration at the proper time. Hoping for a favorable reply, I am, H. C. WOOD, Commander Birmingham Chapter, No. 4, D. Á. V. RESOLUTION INTRODUCED BY F. A. GIBSON, REGULAR MEETING JANUARY 18, 1933 Be it resolved by Birmingham Chapter, No. 4, D. A. V. W. W., in meeting assembled on this the 18th day of January, 1933, that this chapter go on record as being opposed to the removal of the regional offices of the Veterans' Administration for the State of Alabama from Birmingham, Ala., to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and hereby petitions and requests the Administration of Veterans' Affairs to rescind any action which may have been heretofore taken to that end. As a basis for this petition this chapter holds the following facts to be self-evident. 1. The veterans of Alabama have heretofore gone on record as being opposed to said removal as evidenced by resolution of ex-commander American Legion, Montgomery, Ala., on January 7, 1933. 2. That the present location is the center of the veterans' population of Alabama and is being maintained at a nominal cost to this department of the Government. 3. That a removal of the offices will entail greater hardships on disabled veterans traveling to and from the regional offices and the cost of travel expense to the Government will be greatly increased. 4. That the facilities for diagnosing cases involving the services of specialists are now available in Birmingham at a comparatively low cost to the Government, whereas in Tuscaloosa no such facilities would be available except at great cost to the Government. 5. Realizing the lack of facilities in Alabama for the proper care and treatment of the disabled veterans of Alabama, this chapter feels that every dollar available for hospital construction should be for the sole purpose of adding to these inadequate facilities by providing additional beds, etc., and not for the purpose of adding room for administrative offices, especially where facilities for these administrative offices are already being furnished to the Veterans' Administration without cost. That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the following: The Administrator of Veterans' Affairs; each Senator and Congressman from Alabama; the National chairman of rehabilitation committee of the Disabled American Veterans of the World War, and the press. H. C. WOOD, Commander, Chapter No. 4, D. A. V. W. W. DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS OF THE WORLD WAR, Congressman JOHN MCDUFFIE, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: As commander of Birmingham Chapter, No. 4, D. A. V. W. W., I feel it my duty to write you at this time. I wish to urge that you, as a Representative of the State of Alabama, regardless of what staggering blows in retrenchment methods may be used in cutting the expenses of our Government, do not forget the responsibility that rests on the shoulders of our Government in caring for the disabled men who were knocked down on the western front or received a service-connected disability while protecting the flag of our Nation. I trust that you will give this serious consideration and fight for the rights of these men as they fought for the rights of our country in 1917-18. I am, Sincerely yours, H. C. WOOD, Commander, Chapter No. 4, D. A. V. W. W. |