OF THE WORLD WAR

HEARING

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY

Cong HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS

Hon. Thomas D. Schall, Member of Congress from the State of Min

l'age.

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COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Thursday, April 10, 1924.

The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m., Hon. George S. Graham (chairman), presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. The first measure we will take up is the bill introduced by Mr. Schall, H. R. 4526, which is a bill to incorporate the United States Blind Veterans of the World War.

The bill referred to is as follows:

[H. R. 4526, Sixty-eighth Congress, first session]

A BILL To incorporate the United States Blind Veterans of the World War

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following persons, to wit: James P. Funk, of Pennsylvania; Bernard Corcoran, of New York; James Kozeluh, of Arkansas; Earl Booher, of Kansas; Carl Bronner, of Michigan; Samuel Hendrickson, of Cincinnati; Harvey E. Gilbert, of Illinois; Quiller Cole, of Georgia; Lawrence A. Bunce, of Colorado; Ludwig Guminish, of New York; Richard H. Miller, junior, of Maryland: Charles R. Fear, of Pennsylvania; Oscar M. Simpkins, of Oklahoma; Everett L. Radford, of Texas; Thomas H. Huskey, of Missouri; Lee M. Brame, of Alabama; Frank O. Berg, of Wisconsin; Henry G. Beggs, of Georgia; Lawrence V. Morrow, of Missouri; Charles R. Leguerrir, of Missouri; Walter Taylor, of Missouri; Laigear Antee, of Louisiana; Alois F. Greene, of Illinois; Loyal M. Holmes, of Maryland; Newton A. Kulp, of Pennsylvania: Roswell D. Pitman, of New York; Connie L.

96026-24--SER 29

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McLean, of Texas; Hamilton C. Miles, of Ohio; John J. Austin, of South Dakota; Irvine E. Barnes, of Missouri; Bertie W. Randall, of Missouri; Max N. Kujawski, of Indiana; Charles Freeland, of Illinois; James M. Daniels, of Tennessee; William E. Yates, of Texas; Mike Kereli, of Ohio; Peter Lionudakes, of Utah; Vaclav T. Jesek, of Texas; Samuel Hillman, of Ohio; Herbert S. Journeau, of Michigan; Charles F. Ross, of New York; Morgan Rose, of New York; Walter F. Develing, of Illinois; Rudolph E. Frye, of Maryland; Steve D. Tanner, of Montana; Joseph Hulin, of North Carolina; Blaine G. Yeoman, of Oklahoma; Thomas Williams, of West Virginia; William J. Murray, of New York; Ivan E. Bushong, of Washington; Raymond Washburn, of Ohio; William P. Alexander, of Kentucky; Burl Glover, of Ohio; John H. Williams, of Washington; Joseph L. Herver, of Oklahoma; Daniel Carbone, of Pennsylvania; John J. Varga, of Connecticut; John J. Rapp, of Pennsylvania; Charles S. Bennett, of Arkansas; Richard Knigge, of Idaho; Walter Mau, of New York; Domenico Capuczi, of New York; John Kosic, of Massachusetts; Raymond S. Day, of Pennsylvania; Harry Herring, of Pennsylvania; Samuel Singer, of Massachusetts; George Graves, of Missouri; Abe Kittay, of New York; John Halahan, of Pennsylvania; Frank J. Lhota, of Pennsylvania; Edward J. Paulson, of Pennsylvania; Ellis DeWitt, of the District of Columbia; Bernard Cady, of Maryland; John Marzullo, of Illinois; Joe Brew, of Pennsylvania; Lloyd Pierson, of Nebraska; Philip N. Harrison, of Pennsylvania; and their successors, are hereby created and declared to be a body corporate. The name of this corporation shall be "The United States Blind Veterans of the World War."

SEC. 2. That said persons named in section 1 are hereby authorized to meet to complete the organization of said corporation by the selection of officers, the adoption of a constitution and by-laws, and to do all other things necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this act.

SEC. 3. That the purposes of said corporation are to bind together for their mutual fellowship and assistance those citizens of the United States of America who have served their country in war, and who bear as a mark of such service the loss of their sight and to perpetuate and keep alive the memories of their comradeship and to enable them by their organization to render what aid they can to the blind in general.

SEC. 4. That the corporation created by this act shall have the following powers: To have perpetual succession, with power to sue and be sued in courts of law and equity; to receive, hold, own, use, and dispose of such real estate and personal property as shall be necessary for its corporate purposes; to adopt a corporate seal and alter the same at pleasure: to adopt a constitution, bylaws, and regulations to carry out its purposes, not inconsistent with the laws of the United States or of any State; to use in carrying out the purposes of the corporation such emblems and badges as it may adopt; to establish and maintain offices for the conduct of its business; to establish State and Territorial organizations and local chapter or post organizations; to publish a magazine or other publications; and generally do any and all such acts and things as may be necessary and proper in carrying into effect the purposes of the corporation.

SEC. 5. That any honorably discharged American veteran of the allied forces who participated in the World War and whose vision has become defective to such an extent that he is eligible for training under Supervisor for the Blind of the United States Veterans' Bureau, and any ex-service man who is eligible for such training, shall be eligible for “active membership" in The United States Blind Veterans of the World War. The members of this corporation shall have the power to admit such other persons to “associate" and "honorary membership as they may see fit.

SEC. 6. That this organization shall be nonpolitical and shall not be used for the dissemination of partisan principles.

SEC. 7. That said corporation and its State and local subdivisions shall have the sole and exclusive right to have and to use in carrying out its purposes the name "The United States Blind Veterans of the World War."

SEC. 8. That the right to repeal, alter, or amend this act at any time is hereby expressly reserved.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Schall apparently is not here yet. There are three members of the committee present, and this committee will be glad to hear them.

STATEMENT OF CHARLES J. BRONNER

Mr. BRONNER. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, during and immediately following the World War a number of veterans similarly disabled were assembled in the hospitals of France. They later traveled home to the United States in groups and were concentrated in general hospital No. 7 located in Baltimore, Md. This hospital, after the men were discharged, was turned into a vocational training school for these men, and they found so much good from their association and contact with one another that they decided it would be advisable to have it continue.

In addition their interests did not receive the proper consideration from the other service organizations, so that they wanted to form an organization of their own.

In June, 1922, this organization was brought into existence and since has been carrying on this work, the morale of which was so good in the school, that the association which we formed intended to carry it on.

Since then they have started into the work for the blind in securing their representation and proper treatment. They now propose the organization of a national training school, and we feel that the interests of this organization would be greatly forwarded if they were granted national incorporation by the Congress of the United States.

The CHAIRMAN. May I ask you one question before you sit down? Mr. BRONNER. Certainly, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. On the fourth page of the proposed bill I find this language:

The members of this corporation shall have the power to admit such other persons to “associate” and “honorary" membership as they may see fit. What is meant by "associate membership?"

Mr.. BRONNER. Well, anyone who is eligible to membership in the organization in their own right-and some of the men who have been associated with us were civilian blind men, and we thought it advisable to continue this connection with the civilian blind, and also ex-service men, veterans of other wars, who are not eligible as blind veterans of the World War-could be admitted as associate members.

The CHAIRMAN. What would be their status in the organization? Mr. BRONNER. They would have all the privileges of the regular members with the exception of holding office and voting.

The CHAIRMAN. Would it be seriously incommoding your plans or interfering with them if we should strike out the word "associate" and let it read "shall have the power to admit such other persons to honorary membership as they may see fit?" Would you be content with that language?

Mr. BRONNER. Yes; I think so.

The CHAIRMAN. After consulting with several members of the committee, although I do not speak for them, I rather think the committee would favor the granting of a charter to the organization with the limitation to your own people, your own members, and then the organization would expire with the last survivor of your group.