regular routine; there was one other t. b. hospital somewhere. I do not remember his name. I gave them my papers. Mr. BURROUGHS. You say that nobody at the Vocational Board offices went into the matter with you at all to determine what your qualifications were for this particular work which you desired? Mr. WRIGHT. I have seen so many of them there, I don't believe I did; but the man that gave me this private secretarial job, that took up my case last, he did not go into any details with me. Mr. BURROUGHS. He simply told you there was one thing you were fitted for. Mr. WRIGHT. That is one thing. Mr. BURROUGHS. That is all. Mr. DONOVAN. I have not heard the direct examination, and can not intelligently examine him for that reason. It is my fault, so I forego it. Mr. ROBSION. Did you meet any of the officers in charge of the Vocational Board in New York? Mr. WRIGHT. I do not know. I never knew anyone in charge up there. I do not believe there was anybody in charge. Mr. ROBSION. Did you meet Mr. Clark? I thought you spoke of his being in charge? Mr. WRIGHT. I think I met him once; I am not sure if it was him. I asked for the head of the board here to get my check, and everybody seemed to bow to this fellow, and he is the one that got my check. Mr. ROBSION. Are you married or single? Mr. WRIGHT. Single. Mr. ROBSION. How is it that you drew the $100 a month? Mr. WRIGHT. For 100 per cent permanent disability. I also drew $57.50 insurance. Mr. ROBSION. So you get altogether $157.50? Mr. WRIGHT. Yes, sir; since January 1. Mr. ROBSION. Have you made an effort to take any training on your own account, as you think you are entitled to receive? Mr. WRIGHT. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. What is that? Mr. WRIGHT. I do not really wish to state it at the present time Mr. ROBSION. Why do you not wish to state the training that you are undertaking on your own account? Mr. WRIGHT. Well, it is personal and has nothing to do with vocational training or any other training. It is a training that I do not wish to just go into. Mr. ROBSION. But the committee may like to know these things, to know all about your situation and what might be done for you. The CHAIRMAN. Evidently you have some plan, in case you were taking training on your own resources, that might jeopardize the finding or rating of 100 per cent disability. Mr. WRIGHT. No; not necessarily. It is not training. It is just a volunteer service that I am performing at the present time which is liable to come out in the end a great help to me and give me something that I will not have to bother about by getting into training for anything; just personal volunteer service I am performing at the present time. The CHAIRMAN. Do you insist upon your question being answered, Mr. Robsion? Mr. WRIGHT. It might be, in a way, political, but otherwise I would not want to state it. The CHAIRMAN. I had the impression that there was some other reason. Mr. TOWNER. I do not think the question ought to be insisted upon. The CHAIRMAN. No; I do not think so. Mr. ROBSION. I want to know what the ruling of the Chair is as to whether it is competent or proper. Mr. WRIGHT. I am volunteering my services to a political organization which I expect to get a great deal of training in as I go along. Mr. ROBSION. I do not think that is improper. I think it is all right. I am delighted to see you get any help any way you can. But it is not your purpose to make any further effort to secure a Vocational training, is it? Mr. WRIGHT. If they will give me what I want I will be glad to. Mr. ROBSION. I am glad to hear you say that. Mr. WRIGHT. Under the present conditions, as I stated before, I would not go for it under present conditions. Mr. ROBSION. Since you have considered the matter and have had the experience that you have had, what sort of training do you desire: if you can get it? Mr. WRIGHT. I want training in the automobile business. Mr. ROBSION. The same thing? Mr. WRIGHT. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. Would not you be willing to go before Mr. Clark if he is in charge in New York and talk over that matter with him? Mr. WRIGHT. No, sir. Mr. ROBSION. Why would you not be willing to do that? Mr. WRIGHT. I would not care to do any business with him at all, because I have no confidence in him. I do not do business with a man whom I have no confidence in, regardless of whom they rep resent. Mr. ROBSION. If you could go and see them and they agree to do that, it would be all right? Mr. WRIGHT. I heard too much about Mr. Clark to bother with him. Mr. ROBSION. Is there any other complaint that you have to make against the board other than you have stated? If there is any other information, the committee would like to know whether it is for the board or against the board. Mr. WRIGHT. I would just like to know why other fellows with the same condition I have got have got what they wanted and I was put down in the beginning as a wireless operator, and they rejected me on account of heart trouble and gave it to them who have the same condition that I have. Mr. ROBSION. Who was that in training that had the same condition that you had? Mr. WRIGHT. He had a worse condition; Mr. Burch? Mr. ROBSION. Can you give his initials and post office address? 4661-20-vOL 1-10 Mr. WRIGHT. I could not very well. I do not know his initials at the present time. I just know him by the name of Burch. Mr. ROBSION. Can you give his address? Mr. WRIGHT. I could get his address and send it to you. Mr. ROBSION. Will you furnish to the committee his address? Mr. WRIGHT. At the present time he is working on the White Star Line-the White Fleet-as a wireless operator. Mr. ROBSION. You make the further charge against the board that they show partiality, not giving like treatment to all. Mr. WRIGHT. No; it is not partiality on their part, because this boy did not want a wireless operator's job. He was a wireless operator in the service on the other side, and then was disabled; I think he got 50 per cent disability; and he was a wireless operator, and then come back and they give him a wireless operator course when he was already one. My opinion of the whole thing is, they don't give you what you want; they give you the opposite. I wanted something in the automobile line, and they gave me a private secretary job. Mr. ROBSION. You make the charge against the board up there that you could not get any action until you appealed to the Red Cross, and got that action through the efforts of the Red Cross; is that it? Mr. WRIGHT. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. You could not have gotten action without the Red Cross? Mr. WRIGHT. I might have, if I waited long enough. Mr. ROBSION. Have you been recently examined, or examined since you were examined by the War Risk? Mr. WRIGHT. I was examined in February by the War Risk In surance. Mr. ROBSION. What was your condition then? Mr. WRIGHT. It was the same. Mr. ROBSION. Total permanent? Mr. WRIGHT. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. That is all. Mr. BLANTON. How many conversations had you with Mr. Clark? Mr. WRIGHT. I do not know. I do not think I ever spoke to him. Mr. BLANTON. You never spoke to him in your life? Mr. WRIGHT. I might have once, but I am not sure. Mr. BLANTON. You are not sure you ever spoke to him? Mr. WRIGHT. No. Mr. BLANTON. A man with whom you have never even spoken, you have such a prejudice against that you are willing to declare here on oath-you are under oath-that you have no confidence in him at all and that you do not want to have any business with him? Is that true? Mr. WRIGHT. That is true. Mr. BLANTON. Do you usually form such prejudices against a man with whom you have never had any business dealing at all? Mr. WRIGHT. I have had business dealings with him through other channels. Mr. BLANTON. But you have never spoken to him that you know of? Mr. WRIGHT. No. Mr. BLANTON. Do you form opinions of men in that way-upon hearsay? Mr. WRIGHT. Not hearsay; no. Mr. BLANTON. If you formed such an opinion of him, and have never had any spoken word with him, it must have been hearsay, must it not? Mr. WRIGHT. No; through my dealings with him. I did not have to deal with him personally. Mr. BLANTON. How could you have dealings with him without speaking to him? Mr. WRIGHT. Through his assistants. Mr. BLANTON. Then your complaint would be more properly lodged against the persons with whom you did have dealings, and not against Mr. Clark individually? Mr. WRIGHT. No. He is personally responsible for the office— not his assistants. He is supposed to see that these men carry out their duty; that is what he is put there for. Mr. BLANTON. Then you have never had any direct contact with Mr. Clark that would warrant a loss of confidence in him-a direct contact, wherein he failed to do his duty personally and individually to you, if you knew it? Mr. WRIGHT. He would not handle a case personally. Mr. BLANTON. I am talking now about direct contact with him. Mr. WRIGHT. I do not know. You can hardly meet the gentleman. Mr. BLANTON. You have never had any direct contact with him? Mr. BLANTON. How much do you weigh now? Mr. BLANTON. What is your height? Mr. WRIGHT. Five feet ten and one-half inches. Mr. BLANTON. What was your weight when you entered the Army? Mr. WRIGHT. About 180. Mr. BLANTON. You are about 20 pounds light now? Mr. WRIGHT. Yes, sir. Mr. BLANTON. You are above the average in educational qualifications, are you not? Mr. WRIGHT. Not that I could judge myself; no. Mr. BLANTON. What is the extent of your public schooling? The CHAIRMAN. He has answered that. Mr. BLANTON. To what extent have you had educational training. Mr. WRIGHT. I was in about the seventh grade at school, highschool education in Texas. Mr. BLANTON. In Texas a high-school education? then put you up to where you would enter college. That would Mr. WRIGHT. No, sir; I had high school in New York City. Mr. BLANTON. In Texas it would put you up to where you would enter college if you had high-school training. Mr. WRIGHT. Yes, sir. Mr. BLANTON. You say you preferred to go into the automobile business? Mr. WRIGHT. Yes, sir. Mr. BLANTON. That is hard work and manual-labor business, is it not? Mr. WRIGHT. No, sir. Mr. BLANTON. It is not? Mr. WRIGHT. No, sir; not in the position that I was trying to qualify for. Mr. BLANTON. What were you trying to qualify for in the automobile industry? Mr. WRIGHT. As an executive. Mr. BLANTON. Not as a mechanic? Mr. WRIGHT. No, sir. Mr. BLANTON. Then you did seek employment that would bring into force and effect executive qualifications? Mr. WRIGHT. (No response.) Mr. BLANTON. You state that you wanted a position in the line of an executive in the automobile industry? Mr. WRIGHT. Not in the line of it, but as an executive in that garage, that lady's garage. I would hire a bookkeeper to do the bookkeeping, and stenographer to do the typewriting. Mr. BLANTON. As a general manager? Mr. WRIGHT. Yes, sir. Mr. BLANTON. You were offered a position, I heard you say, in the line of a private secretaryship? Mr. WRIGHT. That is what the Federal Board offered me. Mr. BLANTON. That is what the Federal Board thought you were better fitted for? Mr. WRIGHT. In a way; yes, sir. Mr. BLANTON. And they offered you that training? That is a highly respectable position, is it not?" Mr. WRIGHT. I do not know. Mr. BLANTON. You do not know? Mr. BLANTON. You realize the fact that if you have a weak heart, that if your heart is affected—— Mr. WRIGHT (interposing). It is. Mr. BLANTON. Laying aside the question of whether it is or is not, you do realize the fact that if your heart is affected, you would not be a proper person as a wireless operator. Do you not realize that? Mr. WRIGHT. No. Mr. BLANTON. Well, you have read of great emergencies when the entire ship and its crew and passengers were in danger of losing their lives instantaneously almost, where the wireless operator had to stay on his job and send his S. O. S. out to ships on the ocean. You have heard of such instances as that? Do you think that a man calculated to meet that emergency could do so at all times with a weak heart? Is it best to do so? Mr. WRIGHT. I do not know, I asked for it, but this board refused it to me and gave it to somebody else. Mr. BLANTON. If they did wrong in that instance, you do admit it would be best not to have a man in that position, who has a weak heart, do you not? Mr. WRIGHT. I do not know. I do not see where a weak heart would have anything to do with it. |