The National tribune., 1879-03-01
Reorganization of the Pension onice.

lation than the thorough reorganization of this inn
portant bureau
This office disburses every year the sum of S30-
900 000 1T investigates or should investigate thou
sands of cases-some of the most delicate and diff
cult nature 1t has to determine questions of law.
questions of evidence, questions of credbility of
witnesses questions of identity of claimants and of
witnesses questions of medical science the most
complicated and troublesome that ever perplexed the
mind of an examining officer yet it is sngularly i'll
provided with the proper machinery to perform all
this duty
In addition to all this, recent legislation has cast
upon it an enormous amount of additional work
and the stimulus of the of pension now gYen
is likely to bring forward vast number of addi-
tional cases.
Yet this great Office has a very subordinate rank
and positions its head is not at all compensated in
proportion to the brains and experience he ought to
possess to do his duty
The staff of the Office is in the same. or even
worse conditon-nsuficient in number. poorly paid,
and severely oyerworked
1t is not right that the whole responsibility and
headship should rest upon any single man 1t is
not to be expected seems to be the theory now
that the Commissioner either can or ought to exam
matters that nominally are decided by him There
should be strong staff of well paid wel-disciplined
and well-instructed examiners under him, to whom
could be assigned the consideration of different
branches of the service.
These should be thoroughly competent capable
by practice and training of detecting false evi-
dence on inspection posted in the law on all oues-
tons of their class at least and if possible practi-
caly acquainted, by experience in service with the
modes and conditions of military life They should
be men of high 5ntegrity and of sound Judgment
who could sit judges TO determine on the one
hand the right of the applicant to pension and on
the other the right Of the Government to refuse it
uninfuenced by any considerations save those i'm
posed upon them by conscientious duty They
should be bound by prescrptive legal TECHNICAL
ties, but, looking at all the testimony and having
constantly in view the ends of Justice render decs-
ions liberal in their character giving the benefit of
any doubt to the soldier rather than the United
States for it must ever be remembered the applicant
is often poweress to clearly prove down to the finest
points, covering every special particular-points
which are believed by the members of his company
and by his neighbors and friends but which cannot
be absolutely established For such men salary
of 50, 500 per annum would be an economy to the
United States.
Below them we would have as assistant examin-
ers, sufficient number to aid in the details of the
work, and who would be in training to supply the
places of the examiners they drop out of the line
To these we would suggest salary beginning at
81 800, and increasing by length of approved ser
vice, say of five years, to $4,000
Believing that the gentlemen already in the Office
come fully up to the standard we suggest, we will
state that what is needed is simply an addition to
the already working force. In a word the Pension
Office should be organized, as is the Patent Office,
with full corps of Examiners and Assistant Exam
iners, each in charge of special departments, and
actively engaged in pushing through his work
In the Patent Office the case is frequently put
through in two or three weeks and there is no