Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-24
The Proposed Reform i'm Adtudicat-
ing Pension Claims.

before the Grand Army at Philadelphia on the
1lth instant has been printed as pamphlet,
and ought to be Of service to him in his warfare
against a certain class of claim agents. and in
helping on his proposed reform OF the old method
OF adjudicating pension claims. On all points
In claim except those of disability or death in
the service-and on these points also when the
records or the War department do not settle
them, as is often the case in all claims and gen.
orally the case in the later claims-the claimant
and his attorney gather such evidence as favors
their cause, and on this purely er parte testimony
the office here allows the pension. 1t IS only
when there Is particular reason to suspect fraud
that the commissioner is authorized to detail
clerk to investigate the claim. The
evils Of this method Of Judging a claim
by just such evidence as the interested
parties choose to furnish are undisputed. About
$S,0O0,000 year now paid-about one pension in
every ten allowed-iS not honestly due. Since
the passage OF the sweeping arrearage act of last
winter the claims accumulate so that the great
est possible celebrity in settling them is more
than ever required. Let the quickest method
possible be adopted, and still many honest
claimants will suffer and die before their rights
can be safely determined. The necessity Of set
Thing claim on er pdrte testimony now adds
greatly to the labor of removing allsdoubts con-
nected with it, and consequently adds proper
tf0nately to the delay. The office does not know
what to believe, and therefore must :. go Slow
And yet, going slowly as 1t does one claim in
every ten which it allows ought not to pass. As
things now are, the bureau is .swamped"
with work which it cannot attend to- honest
claimants die before they can get justice, and
the bummers and frauds thrive.
Commissioner Bentley says he is able to rene
dy these evils If he is permitted to divide the
whole country into districts and send commits
Sion into every one, before which the claimants
and witnesses shall be made to appear. The aid
OF the government is thus lent to them in elicit
ng the truth If their claims are good and they
will be confronted by dsinterested agents of the
government in way to discourage them very
much If their pretenSions are false. Certainly
the evils of the present system are rank enough
and patent enough to warrant the trial of the
proposed remedy.
The claim agents. whose occupation would be
nearly gone under Mr.. Bentley'S plan, don't like
1t, denounce him and his motives say that he
Is not the 'frfend Of the soldier" and seem to
think that whateverinterfereS with the business
OF claim agents interfereS with the sacred
rights OF the brave defenders, etc., etc. Under
the present system of prosecuting the claims
claim agents are undoubtedly very USE
full, but 1t is not clear why persons should
ply them several hundred thousand dollars a
year In the way of fees, If their services can be
dispensed with. If the Commissioner can save
good part OF the sum now paid unlawful pension
ers, and can save pensioners good part OF what
they now pay their attorneys, and can facilitate
the settlement OF meritorious claims, his services
viii be appreciated, whatever temporary senti-
ment may be worked up against him by those
who now work up the clams-for a considera-
ton. The whole merit of the case Is In this
question: If given the authority he asks, will he
accomplish what he promises? Congress will
never know till 1t tries him.