川 VETERANS' AFFAIRS HEARINGS BEFORE THE JOINT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS. CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES SEVENTY-SECOND CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JANUARY 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 23, 25, 26, 27, AND 30, 1933 JOINT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS JOHN MCDUFFIE, Chairman, Representative from Alabama ARTHUR R. ROBINSON, Senator from Indiana SMITH W. BROOKHART, Senator from Iowa HENRY D. HATFIELD, Senator from West Virginia WALTER F. GEORGE, Senator from Georgia JACOB L. MILLIGAN, Representative from Missouri JOHN W. BOEHNE, JR., Representative from Indiana JOHN TABER, Representative from New York BURNETT M. CHIPERFIELD, Representative from Illinois II VETERANS' AFFAIRS JOINT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS, Wednesday, January 11, 1933. Pursuant to adjournment Monday, January 9, 1933, the committee met in room 335, Senate Office Building. Walter F. George, Senator from Georgia, presided. The ACTING CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. Colonel Taylor, you are appearing first for the Legion? Colonel TAYLOR. Yes, sir. The ACTING CHAIRMAN. You may proceed, Colonel. STATEMENT OF COL. JOHN THOMAS TAYLOR, WASHINGTON, D. C., VICE CHAIRMAN NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN LEGION Colonel TAYLOR. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, I believe I express the sentiment of all the veterans' organizations when I say to you that we appreciate this opportunity to come here before this joint committee in response to the legislation which brought it into being. That act, Public Law 212, set out the two purposes of your committee; first, to examine generally and thoroughly into all laws affecting veterans with the idea of establishing some national policy; and second, to investigate so as to recommend economies in the Veterans' Administration. The Administrator of Veterans' Affairs was before your committee and went at great length into a study looking to a national policy, and we had at that time contemplated that that would be the first purpose of this committee, but at the conclusion of his remarks he directed the attention of the committee toward the idea of a program which would effect immediate economy. (At this point Representative John McDuffie, of Alabama, chairman of the committee, entered the room and assumed the chair.) Colonel TAYLOR (continuing). Good morning, Mr. McDuffie. The general's statement, his general statement followed by his first program here to effect immediate economy, was a series of conclusions recommending the cutting down of certain items by certain sums of money and affecting certain numbers of veterans. He was followed by those various organizations interested in this problem, and the chairman, of course, very rightly informed all of them that every citizen and every organization has the right to petition Congress and has the right to appear before this committee. I will address my observations-since there was practically nothing in the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs' remarks for us to break downI will direct my observations to the testimony that was submitted by these various organizations. In doing so I am following two resolutions which were adopted by our national convention at Portland, Oreg., which read as follows: RESOLUTION NO. 1-ECONOMY Whereas present veterans' legislation as it now exists has been viciously attacked and certain veterans' benefits severely criticized; and Whereas a joint congressional committee has been appointed and the act appointing same provides that "Such committee shall conduct a thorough investigation of the operation of the laws and regulations relating to the relief of veterans of all wars and persons receiving benefits on account of service of such veterans, and report a national policy with respect to such veterans and their dependents, and shall also report and recommend such economies as will lessen the cost to the United States Government of the Veterans' Administration. The committee shall report to the Senate and House of Representatives not later than the 1st day of January, 1933, the result of its investigation, together with such recommendations for legislation as it deems advisable." Whereas the veterans' laws now existing on our Federal statutes are the result of years of study and sympathetic understanding of the problem of relief to the disabled veterans of this grateful Nation and are a truer reflection of the attitude of the American people toward a suitable acknowledgment of a just obligation than would be the result at this time during our national economic crisis; and Whereas existing abuses, if any, may be a result of maladministration and misapplication of existing veterans' laws rather than as a result of any defect in such existing veterans' laws; and Whereas prompt and full investigation and consideration of remedial action upon such administration and application should be had and taken before the drastic and irreparably damaging procedure of repeal or revision is resorted to: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the fourteenth national convention of the American Legion, That no action be taken or any recommendation made toward the repeal, restriction, or revision of existing veterans' laws on the ground of economy; be it further Resolved, That this resolution shall be made a part of the major legislative and rehabilitation program of the American Legion and that the national commander and other national officers, including the national executive committee, be instructed to do everything within their power to carry this resolution into effect fully and promptly. RESOLUTION NO. 2 Whereas the American Legion should take the initiative to sift legislation already enacted, and legislation to be introduced for the benefit of the World War veterans and eliminate therefrom any injustices, either to the veteran or to the Government: And now, therefore, be it Resolved by this fourteenth convention of the American Legion now in national convention assembled, That there be appointed a committee to investigate, study, and suggest to our national executive committee, any changes which will correct any injustices either in the existing legislation or in the administration thereof to benefit either the veteran or the Government, with authority to call to the attention of Congress any abuses or failures in the administration thereof; and be it further Resolved, That any major changes suggested in veterans' legislation resulting from such investigation shall be referred to the next and succeeding conventions of the American Legion with such recommendations as may be appropriate. Mr. CHIPERFIELD. Colonel Taylor, both of those resolutions will go in in full? Colonel TAYLOR. Yes, sir; they will. The Legion itself has initiated this movement. That general committee, appointed throughout the country, composed of lawyers, has already started a thorough study of all veterans' laws. Commander Johnson stated that the committee had decided to initiate immediately a comprehensive study of existing veteran laws, with a view of the national Legion itself making recommendations for changes in the Government's conduct of veterans' affairs where warranted. The personnel of the committee is made up of outstanding lawyers and other legionnaires. One of them I am sure the chairman of the committee himself knows-Frank M. Dixon, of Birmingham, Ala., who is the only man on the committee who is a beneficiary-an aviator brought down during the war, who lost his leg. So that the Legion itself, through its committee, is now studying this entire problem of all the laws which are in existence with the idea of making specific recommendations, both to our executive committee and to our national convention. Senator WALSH. What progress have you made? Colonel TAYLOR. Tremendous progress. Of course, the investigation of these veteran laws, in my opinion, would take 3, 4, or 5 months. We are going into them thoroughly and we hope to be able to submit to the Congress a very comprehensive report. The CHAIRMAN. That committee has not yet prepared a recommendation to present to this committee? Colonel TAYLOR. It has not, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Do you know about when it will be ready to make a recommendation, or any recommendation to the Congress, we will say, as to any changes it may deem wise or necessary? Colonel TAYLOR. Any recommendations that it does prepare, Mr. Chairman, must be presented to our national executive committee which meets in May, and thereafter will be presented to the Congress. The CHAIRMAN. Are they at work now? Colonel TAYLOR. They are at work now, yes. Mr. CHIPERFIELD. Do you feel that that committee is limited in its activities by the concluding paragraph of the first resolution which you read? Colonel TAYLOR. It is the opinion of the national commander that it is not. Senator ROBINSON. Between the national conventions of the American Legion; the national executive committee is the ruling body? Colonel TAYLOR. It is the ruling body; yes, sir; and for that reason those recommendations must be submitted to it. Commander Johnson on November 30, 1932, made the following statement following the meeting of the Legion's committee: Louis A. Johnson, national commander of the American Legion, announced that a meeting had been held here to-day of the special American Legion committee on veterans' legislation, created at the Legion's Portland convention in September, to inquire into the effect of World War veterans' laws and their administration. Commander Johnson stated the committee had decided to initiate immediately a comprehensive study of existing veteran laws, with a view of the National Legion itself making recommendations for changes in the Government's conduct of veterans' affairs where warranted. To-day's meeting was the first Legion step to set in motion the machinery created at the Legion's national convention at Portland, Oreg., to examine into injustices and inequalities in World War veterans' laws and their administration both from the standpoint of the veteran and the Government, and to |