The National tribune., 1878-05-01
tice to the claimants, or to protect the United

tlce to the claimants, or to protect the united
States and in all the resources of his expert
ence he can find no way of escape, except to re
fuse to believe legitimate evidence, and to deny
relief in cases thoroughly proved up, on his own
preiudiced and iaundiced determination not to
belieye." He has sandered his own admirable
and efficient corps of clerks and employees by ad-
mitting their nefficiency, and has declared the
uselessness of his corps of special agents by de-
claring their incapacity to ferret out or to pun
ish this universal and contagious perjury and
fraud.
Now, all this is done by the Commissioner,
not because the facts exist, for they do not, but
because he wishes Congress and the country to
believe that he is single handed fighting lone
ly battle with small hope of victory, against
banded union of all evil elements.
1t is not true that most of the cases in his De
partment are fraudulent; it is not even true
that any great number of them are 1t is not
true that the parties, to any considerable extent,
combine and confederate to commit perjury. Itis
not true that the local examining-surgeons do
not generally do their duty honestly and fairly.
1t is not true that many attorneys knowingly
and wilfully present false claims 1t is not true
that the clerks in the Department do not do
their full duty, or that they are unable to detect
impositions and cheats 1t is not true that the
specialservice corps are not diligent and effect
i've in hunting up and Furnishing frauds COM
mitted.
The percentage of fraud is not large Yet
Mr. Bentley has been studiously and deliberate
ly magnifying all these things to create a false
impressions first as to his own position, and sec
ondly as to the absurd remedy he proposes.
Nay more and more dangerous, his own
clamor has induced him to be hard, unyielding
and unjust to absolutely honest suitors and
claimants; to lay down harsh rules; to make
impossible requirements, and to defeat just
claims.
Day after day his rulings become more arbi
trary and unreasonable, more technical and less
equitable, demanding of shattered and broker
men, broken in bodily health and shattered il
intellect by the casualties of war, requirement.
of evidence and of memory, which the soundes
could scarcely give.
Day by day the avenue to the national bouu
ty is closed more rgidly, by limitations not il
the law, and the widow and orphan are forbid
den to touch the fruit which would rescue then
from starvation-the fruit whose tree wa
watered with the blood OF the father and tn,
husband
After all essential things have been proved
this Commissioner builds up a fence of trivial
ities-of non-essentials, anything 10 make th,
case harder for the applicant
From ali parts of the country come mutter
ings of dissatisfaction and disgust. Each voic
is separate now, but the time viii come whel
their tones will all be pitched in unison, an,
will be as the sound of many waters and tn
place that once knew Mr. Bentley will know
him no more forever.
And if this does come the Commissioner viii
have only himself to blame, for it will be hi
own acts and ntterances that have hrnnrht thi