National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-20

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hab8 81 nazy elainanfs, o. psnslooers, dissat
Md with III resultolth1lf local exsusinatious
- come thio city and appeal 70 u
Once for . re-exaninstion; and thesl
cases isvslvinxths dec,ssou Of di6,cult oues
tions- ,nss4ssSS cssv ss,,shis * .cI,ss,S \,
modern snoiisness ssfSo.;.. a ~ rnrchs "
OF such hoaHn ~ fnefrnnents e ~ sssm
tial 70 the exs,nmation a pm clsaa Of pernom
These instrunenls. natufaliv. N not -,
sarily, Wepe placed In ~ hands AZ M uedicaI
ra1efu. NJ a,sms, hs,s ~ ii, 49, -
keM 4. ~ ,oc.s c. ..vS = /. - ..s6sssI
divis1on d III o6Bee. IN irs4,nments- ~.
esptirk fbe 1 fev noSths ~ A. purchssod
M I'm ~ al ~. ,-s-.t. -. o7th1
msdiesi refsrs vss,s ii, rnsU.s .H.t..s, -
were neceor1srIv coeSnctsS nIsced m IN
hands Of TIE nedieai rentIensn connectad M
this ONCE, just such means n vere sbsolutelv
essential to the intsllieouf perfbrnsnce Of thei1
duties.
draw from the contiuRepk fund mona,v for their
own private use, payine thereVith or prooerty
purchased By them, and generally TO use such
money for speculative purpoeee.
Il 3 dinicult properly 70 char>etarixe trans.
parent the absurdfty Of this charee, Il d i'm,
possible to draw money out o. 4 coutfnrcua
fund except upon vouchers properly rendered,
and for services duly performed. To use money
- here Indicated Z moral impossibility.
am not the custodian Of this money. Ith IN
the hands Of bonded odlcsr, over whom have
no control Whatever, and can no moro use Il,
or permit Il 70 b used in the manner indi.
Gated, than the money In the Bank Of Eng.
land. f-.'. - ~
10. That be has instructed his subordinates
TO find against claimants having, q the Com.
missioner knew, good claims, he SEATING at the
same time that the Secretary was In IN econom-
ical mind, and that the wrong done the claim.
ant could b corrected on an appeal.
IL. Thsf he has written orders favorable "a
claimants, and then verbally instructed his sub
ordinates to decide contrary to his written In
structions. .
II. That he has failed to enforce his ofderl
requiring the report Of . medical board Of re-
view before increased pensions can be allowed.
Is. I charge general administration OF
the Pension Bureau, perniciods example to hia
subordtnates, mendsctty In the same relation,
partially m tho conduct Of the ONCE both as "a
suDordinates and claimants, % well - Their
agents, and general incompetency.
These are simply puertities. They are born
Of malice and scandal, nd are 90 ridiculous
Is charges that Il IL impossible, seriously, to
consider them. desire that the chiefcler and
every head Of division in the Pension Office may
be called and examined by the committees, to
my methods Of disposing Of cases. The care,
the system, the complete uniformity with which
the Office is conducted, will be thus demon
strated or the contrary prove true, let It
come to Light to my shame. The office, In the
consideration Of cases, 10 governed by fixed
rules and decisions, which are vigilantly MAN,
tanned tn all their force and integrity. In the
vast number Of cases I am called upon to con-
sider, and in the multitude of duties I daily
perform, II would be strange, indeed, If some
things were not done, which malice could
meanly misconstrue; but It d nowhere charged
that ever unlawfully admitted Q single case;
and y, on the contrary, It 10 Infatuated that /
am rigid TN my rulings, that 10 Q necessity
which arises out Of the numerous attempts 70
establish fraudulent claims and necessitates
the exercise OF the closest scrutiny and caution.
IN. That he purchased carriage for his pri-
vate use out Of the contingent fund Of his
bureau.
For many years and BY all my predecessors
since the bureau has grown to It's present enor-
NOUS proportions horse and vehicle have been
deemed necessary. Tho mails are large, num-
6ering from one to two thousand letters
daiiy, many packages are received and
sent away, large quantities Of matter are car
Red to and from the Government printing Office,
the work Is to be distributed between the
Patent ONCE and the Seaton house, the mail to
Congress and the departments Is promptly "a
be delivered, the Adjutants General and the
Surgeons General offices are to be frequently
visited and the committees Of both Houses Of
Congress are to be promptly communicated
with and responded to. For these multifarioui
purposes horse and carriage is Indispensable
without It carriage alone would amount to three
times the present cost. To assert that have
purchased carriage for my private use is false
and scandalous, and the remainder Of the
charge Is without any foundation In fact. A
new carriage was purchased when the old one
became unfit for use, and . horse was hired
when the one belonging to the Office wa
disabled and unable to travel.
It is easy to see, in the light of this analysis
that these charges are the offspring of sheer
malice. They exhibit upon their very face the
fact that they are manufacture for the uses tc
which they have been put, They are brought
not with view to justice and the public good
but to crafty spirit Of revenge, and while
Sas1 s me, ,t ~ ,n t you ma!
.esi eai ts upon 70 make INTO every act OF my
proper person. can moi sunpress the feeiinss
that do not deserve the iQnominy of being ar
raigned BY this person, upon accusations fffyo
lous in character, and only intended to eratif,
personal revenge,
In submitting this hasty reply to the charge,
of nv discreditable accuser shall he hardened
for Expressing the satisfactiou and bride viii
which / record the fact that not even IN,
wicked ingenuity of the unscrupulous person,
have deemed It NV IMPERATIVE dut,
thus publicly to unmask. has discovers
in the administration of nv Office one act of in
fidelity to the high trust rrposed in me by TN
President and the Secretary of the Interior
and while calumny has done its worst. and vim
dictiveness its best, while nv whole of3cia
recOru mas Deen rakeO over, ana my whole pr
vate life subjected to scrutiny, that no act i'm
peaching my integrity as man, or my Ell
cheney as public officer, has ever been proved
and that only this transparent batch Of false
hoods which I have thus fully exposed remain,
Of the labors of my maligners over what tax,
to be the most industrious period of thci
lives.
/ have the honor to be, very respectfully
your obcdient servant,
- J.H. BAKER,
COMMISSIONED al Pensions.
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