The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-11-28
sonmc,bIIM,rI about FrMMlrM.
II

Philadelphia before the Grand Army Of
the Republic, department of Penn ,svl.
yania, by Hon. j. A. Bentley. Cor om;s-
sionerof Pensions, there Is mr. oh in
formation for pensioners and nension
claimants which 10 Of espec' ,ai valne.
4" OF 1870 900 unsettled claim a. accnmu.
lated since 1862, forty or n ty thousand
which had once been rej' ,cted. for one
or another reason, have ,een revived or
called up since the pa sage of the ar.
rears act of Jan. 20, 1879: and. when
it is remembered Y nat the current re-
ceipt of new claim 8 is not less than 400
Ipeifday, a numf .er much greater than
the Office Is able to examine In "a day !,
the condition of the business of settling
the pensions can only be described as
wholly bad" In illustration of the
growth of the current work In the office
in consequence of the recent legislation
the statement is made that, while IN
| the year ending June 80, 1876, 355, 1888
pieces of mail matter were received,
the receipts I'm the year ending June 80,
1879, amounted TO- 673,975 pieces"
"In view of the fact" says the commits
sioner, that all this and much more, is
a matter of public record, no more time
need be consumed in showing you that
the pension Office itself is not, in any
material degree, chargeable with re-
sponsibility for the present condition of
affairs" The commissioner then goes
on to state that it is necessary to the
prompt settlement of pension claims
that the testimony should be reliable,
and capable of convincing the judg-
ment of conscientious officers. Under
= the system which now prevails all the
testimony and proceedings are not only
ex parte, but they are also under the
exclusive control of the claimant and
his attorney, except onlyathe medical
examiner. Such testimony is in its ma
ture unreliable, and almost devoid of
the qualities which convince the minds
s of conscientious officials. AS aremedy
! for the tedious and aggravating delay :
! of the present system, whereby hope
5 ldclerred makes the heart sick of thou
. sands of deserving claimants, the com
! missioner proposes, with the full sane.
e ton of the Secretary of the Interior
: that the country shall be divided into
f districts Of lcoDvenient size, and that O
i commission, consisting of a physician
G and a lawyer in each district, shall visi
n each county seat and other principa
+ towns within its limits twice year, anC
/. there personally examine such pension
= ers aud claimants as may be ordered b,
n the commissioner of pensions 20 be Elk
/, amined, and receive the testimony Of
5 fered in support of pension claims, anC
d also cross-examine the claimants ant
l., such of their principal witnesses as t
= the facts to which thex testify as MAJ
e be Judged pedessary!i The fclaimant
n having bceninformed by previous ad
b vertisement of the placesa where am
e when the commission will meet in hi
IS district, will then appear with his wit
II nesses. Their statements will be takcl
D. in writing, upon proper blanks, ant
If subscribed to under oath. When tn
d claimant shall have thus secured all th
y testimony he desires to produce, th
d whole will be sent to the pensse9 offic
sc for final settlement. The plan seems +
l. be a good one, and to commend itsel
re to the judgment of all who have seri
lie ously studied the defects of the presen
he system; and the commissioner state
is that its only opponents are the clair
sr agents, who are interested to maintai
a, the present ex parte system, becaus
,e out of it they are receiving, annually
I'd several hundred thousand dollars
le fees for prosecuting claims, which rt
lie ceipts would at once be cut off the me
n ment the improved system should b
= adopted by Congress. In conclusion
le the cofnsnissioner said: (" But the gref
Q. point, and the one to which every othe
is consideration should yield, is that tn
~ new system, through its public proceed
e. ings among the claimants neighbour
,yI will obtain. the trath in such reliabl
In form that speedy justice will be done
at the deserving. and l ma
ut state, without improperly, that tn
g cost to the government will be yer
10 much less per case than under the pre-
ent system. The distribution of per
m sions moves slowly because the syster
~ which once was efficient has becom
to overloaded and oullived its usefulness
m appeal to you to raise your voices fo
al remedy, that relief may speedil
Ne come. Congress, in whose hands lie
~ the power to relieve, will hear, VOL
a when the voices Of Others would scarce
n ly raise an echo, and your countryme
w will applaud your endeavor in beha
IN of your unfortunate comrades, and tn
j. families of those who died that the ms
d ton might survive"