New-York tribune., 1880-03-08


compelled to pause in its investigation OF the
Str Route Service because the evidence can
not he printed Senator and Mrs. Blaine gave
a reception Saturday evening.
INJUSTICE TO WOUNDED VETERANS.
DEMOCRATIC DELAY IN GIVING REiI'F TO CLAIM
ANTS THROUGH THE PENSION OFFICE AND
HASTE IN PASSING PRlyAIE PENSION BiAlS
THROUGH THE HOUSE.
GnY TELEGRAPH THE rRTBuNEl
WASHINGTON. March THAT very large and de-
serving class Of American citizens winch IS inter-
ested in the speedy adjustment and settlement Ot
neusiou cases ought to know just how the Democrats
in Congress- treat a necessary for The relief
of pension claimants. Indeed. all who are friends
of the veterans of the late war will no DOUBT be gad
70 have hight thrown upon the subject.
In the last session OF the XLVth Congress the
mansion laws were SO changed to throw upon the
already overburdened Pension Office, and upon the
other offices which have duties TO perform IN the
settlement of pension claims, an enormous amount
of additional labor This was aside from the labor
involved in dIsposne of the vast number of claims
for arrearaees of pensions. Readers OF HI lRIB-
,-xE NAV remember that the number of unsettled
eases ran m into the hundred thousands before Con-
gress met last December.
In the first week of the present session the proper
officers acquainted Congress with the condition OF
affairs and asked an additional appropriation OF
about 800 900 for the remainder of the current
fsc,l year. This Appropriation was nearly all
needed in order TO enable the Commissioner OF
Pensions to answer the multtudinOus demands ot
congressman for information IN individual cases
where tie claimants were their constituents. III
appeors that, when Congress is in session, about
twenty clerks are required TO devote their Whole
lime to answering the inquiries and commun'ca-
lions of Congressman in behalf of their constituents
who have business with the Pension Office.
Ii was supposed that the appropriation asked for
Oould be made before the holiday recess. This was
amlstake; 4; although claimants were impOrtunate,
md although congressman were besieglDg the Pen
sion Office in person and By letter, no bill wa3
brought into the House until the 9TH of January,
month after the estimate had been received and all
the facts had become known The bill then went
20 the Committee on Invalid Pensions. The chair
man of that committee made several efforts 10 re-
mort the bill but they were thwarted by the opDo-
sition of Southern Democrats. On the 2d of Feb
ruary the bill reported and passed in the
House, notwithstanding an effort to prevent 1t by
Mr. Mcmillan, Democratic member from Ten
The bill went to the Senate, where 1t slept in the
Committee on Appropriations until February -,
when it was reported back to the Senate with GER
tain amendments. Five days later il was taken NJ,
and after long discussion il passed the Senate. Two
Democratic Senator'S r. Beck and Mr.. Salisbury
strongly opposed rhc bill. MIR. Beck made ex-
tended remarks. IN the course of which he accused
both the Secretary OF tine Interior and ComhiS-
soner OF Pensions of - violating the law aud DEFY
ing Congress"
The Senate amendments 20 the bill were simply
changes of form and not of subsistence. The amount
of the appropriation remained unchanged. Ihore
was therefore no need OF further delay when the
~. fio of
last month. The amended bill was sent to the Com
nittee on Invalid Pensions that date and there
il has slept during the last three weeks nearly.
More than three months have passed since all the
facts in regard TO this measure became known 10
Congress The urgent necessity for the appropria-
ton is known to every one in that body. but still
the approDriation is delayed. For this delay and
almost criminal neglect TO do justice to the Union
soldiers the Democratic party IN Congress IS wholly
responsible.
Rnt Congress has done something else about pen
eions in the last three months For example the
House has in order to make show OF industry,
passed tie general Pension bill, which approprateS
some 800 600. 900 not dollar OF which Will be
ayaableunti next July. The House has also passed
n resolution authorizing It's Committee on Pensions
TO employ three additional clerks. The House has
also held au evening session for the express purpose
of considering individual pension bills. In that
session some fifteen such bills were passed.
In regard to these'individual pension bills short
abatement will be OF general interest. When pen
SION claimant nds his case rejected by the Pension
Office he usually seeks relief from Congress. Al
ready at this session over for this purpose
have been brought into Congress. Probably one
four;h or oue-thiTd of these bills may represent
worthy cases in which the present general law
dos not afford relief the relna nder are as PROB
ably cases III hch the applicants are not entitled
TO pensions at all. No candid man can examine the
proceedings of the last evening session. when lteen
bills were passed. without coming TO the conclusion
that the House Is quite likely to go wrong as
right.
In the first place. the report on each case is made
by single member of the Pensions Committee.
More than this, it is reported good authority
that many of these reports written by the com
mttee clerks, on Their own examination of the
coses It is further reported that of the clerks
who do this work are pension claim agents, and that
one of Them is also relative OF member oil the
committee As each one of the bills represents a
claim amounting an average to Tl'ooo' IL VIII ne
seen that almost any clam agent would be glad to
serve his clients as a clerk 10 this committee; es-
peciav as there is ne limit 10 the amount OF ices lie
can exact. The law fixes the amount of fee to DE
charged by al attorney who prosecutes claims be-
f,,e the Pension Office at so in each case 1t IS
therefore twenty fifty times as profitable TO get
pension claim through Congress it Is to get 1t
through the Pension Once
The fifteen bills passed ut the evening session OF
the House above referred TO, when much less than a
quorum Of the members was present. were all re-
rorlel bv one member of the Pensions Committee,
and all are for the benefit OF claimants from his
own state According 20 the report IN one OF these
cases the following facts were proved:
ibe claimant enlisted IN February, 1868, and
was mustered cut with the command to which he
belonged in the August l3iiowiag, eoinrade t VINO