In an interview which the editor had with a representative of the Veterans Bureau some time ago, when questioned as to why there seemed to be an effort on the part of those who passed on claims of veterans to find a way to turn them down and limit the liability imposed on the government in awarding claims, he said that his observation had been that every man seemed to think the way to hold his job was to show as small a volume of awards in the aggregate sum as possible in order to make a good showing.
Any man who feels that way toward the men who were maimed and disfigured in the war, who have undergone untold suffering uncomplainingly and who willingly gave all in defense of their country, ought to be kicked out of the job he holds and be displaced by the disabled men who are equally capable of administering the office and who would see that their buddies got justice if they lost their job the next minute. Any man with such feeling is a coward and a traitor not only to his comrades but to his government, for it was the intention of the framers of the legislation which made the Veterans Bureau possible that it should serve the men who needed awards on account of disability incurred in line of duty, and the government has generously made appropriations to cover these awards. The whole trouble seems to be with the weak-kneed administration of the various departments who put personal gain above duty, and there should be a thorough cleaning out of the whole system. The incompetents should be replaced with fighting men who have the courage of their conviction regardless of whether they continue to hold a position or not. The men who fought and suffered in France would do exact justice to their comrades, come what may, and they are the men who should serve.
From the editorial page of The Commonwealth, Scotland Neck, N.C., Friday, Dec. 22, 1922. Clee Vaughan, publisher, and Norfleet S. Smith, editor.
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