The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-11-09
Pension Report.

Hon. j. A. Bentley, Commissioner of
Ienslons, has furnished to the Secretary
OF the Interior the annual report exhibit,
ing the operations of the Pension Bureau
for the last fiscal year: 0'''
IL appears that the total number of nan.
@ Sloners on the roll June so, 1876, was 534 =.
OIL, OF 1,oo4 less than the total number one
year previous. The roll of army invalid nen.
sloners was increased by the addition Of
2,9l2 names during the year, and numbered
| on lhe 5Oth OF last June 10547S The uum
ocr OF WIDOWS and minors on the roll de-
ceased, 3,7lS, leaving 104,S55 names. The
to.al NUMBER of the survivors of the war of
a eolI oorhe on the roll at the close of the last
fiscal year was 1866, showing that ga had
died during the twelve months.
me Total amount paid out for pensions
during the year was S2S, ,35l. 500 leaving a
balance of about 81, ,65O, 900 not drawn from
the appropriation. There were filed during
the year 42,SI7 pensions claims of various
sions of which II ,54l were adiudicated hv al
lowance, and 10, 1872 by rejection. Total 81.
2oo, or only sixtyfour per cent of the num-
Der filed. u N''n
ltalso appears from the tables furnished
6y the Commissioner that on the 3Oth of
June last there was in his office s., ,973 un-
adludicated claims, besides upward Of 60.
900 so-called rejected claims" pertain.
ing to service in the late war, all of
which are subject to be called up and re-
opened; 2,033 of this latter class were re-
opened during the year; 1928 of the pend
ing claims were filed prior to JAN |, 1870.
commissioner Bentley remarks that not only
Is TINS accumulation of claims adding great
" to the labor of the office year by year. but
the great delay in their settlement is caus-
ing much complaint, and in muuy cases is
undoubtedly working hardship and injustice
TO the claimants. He attributes this condi-
ton OF affairs partly to the smallness of the
1orce OF the Bureau. partly to the total unfit
ness ana Inconvenience of the buildings
occupied, until recently, by its clerks, anc,
furthermore, to the great delay in obtaining
answers to calls upon the Surgeon General !
for the hospital histories of soldiers. He
says the Surgcon-Geuerars office has fallen |
SO FAR behind on account of its small force, !
that on the Both of June last there were
nearly 1900 unanswered calls from the |
Pension Bureau, with the number constant !
y increasing.
The Commissioner reports, however, that,
although these causes of delay may be re-
N oved, the present system of adjudication
S itself radically defective. When ap-
oied to cases involving obscure ques-
ions of fact and of medical science, as
VAS the case with some of the earlier claims,
md Is the case with most of those of later
cars, he says it provides for the settlement !
If claims upon ex-parte testimony e1clu
lively, given by witnesses who are entirely
Unknown to the office, and whose affidavits
ire almost universally prepared by claim
gents who can receive no compensation for
heir services unless the claim is allowed.
Moreover, the examining surgeon who certi-
les to the existence, character and degree of
he disability is almost universally the neigh
,orhoOd practitioner, whose professional
interest is to please the claimant at the ex-
'ense of the Government; SO, not only is
he door thrown wide open for the perpetra-
ion of fraud and deception, but every in
crest connected with the preparation of the
ase is adverse to the Government. The
Commissioner says, in conclusion, that he
5 not now prepared to submit a plan to
cmedy the evils of the present system, but
'ill make it the subject of a future commu-
ication.