National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-04-08
FIFTY CENTS PER MONTH.
OUR PENSION BUREAU.
Tho "six,y-surgeon and Other Bills re
viewed.


viewed.
To The Editor of The National Republican.
SIR: There is great complaint throughout
| the country of tho management of the Pension
Office here, owing to the circumlocution, delays
and inelllCiency Of IFS administration. Tile
| theory Of the pension system is, that in cou-
| sderaton OF the services aud sacrifices of the
citizen soldicry in times of war, the Govern
mont intended to provide reasonable stated
allowance for such as become disabled, or for
| their widows and children dependent upon
| them in case Of death. They wcrc to be the
wards of II grateful country, to DO looked after
with the same caro- that kind parent pro-
yidcs for dcpCndcnt children. But if the pres.
ent system of delays and injustice is to be con-
tinued, the pension system had us well be
abolished. IL Is present assistance the soldier
aud his family want, not the remote chance
of u prize in Mr.. BenLloy's pension lottery.
4 claim against the United states TO be fought
for by jealous attorneys, and to so through all
tho forms of adverse litigation, with It's tech
nicalities and delays, but as II reward to bc
distributed fairly cqutably aud speedily,
with 10 more forms and techrjcalites than
will be required to guard against frauds and
impostors.
Two things arc needed to carry out these
| Ideas
First-An able clcar-hendcd and industri-
Gus head of the Pension Department, supple
mcnted with an efficient number of industri.
Gus and wol-qualiled clerks aud assistants, so
as to attend promptly to tho Nccumulating
business in the office.
Second-An Independent supervisory power
or court to review the action of tho Commits.
sioner Of Pensions when any claim TO pen.
sion is adversely decided. Tho pension laws
havo become so numerous and complicated
that many nice aud difficult questions both of
law aud fact often arise, and are rather too
serious to be left, as is now practically the
case, to the final decision of $1,000 clerk
who gucsses his way through piles of vague
statutes To be sure, the poor claimant can 60
to Congress for relief but while his claim (2)
isaccumulatiug dust on the files of Congress
sional committee, the disabled soldier and his
dependents are slowed away in the intirmaries
and poorhouscs which his benevolent fellow
citizens have additionally provided.
Public attention having been directed to the
defects in this matter, many oxpedionts have
been suggested, both in Congress and cut Of it,.
The first is the recommendation OF the COM
missioner of Pensions, known as the Sixty
Surgeon bill. This will not meet the de-
mRnds by far. 1t provides for only review
Of medical gentlemen of certain matters of
fact as to physical disability and the grada.
tion Of the pension, but leaves the moro i'm
portant question of legal mistakes untouched
by tho head of the bureau that serious defects
exist in the system, and Congress will pay but
little further attention to 1t.
Tho next proposition is tho bill Of Mr.
Withers in tho Senate, offered as n substitute
for the SiXty-Surgeon bill This will not do
1t is fatally obnoxious to the general objection
that it Is founded on Il misconcepton of the
nature and design of pension system. 1t
relegates pensioners TO the condition of con-
testing claimants against tho Government,
which was never intended, and defeats the
spirit of the system. IL Senator Witlers had
designed to Introduce plan by which tho
whole system Of relief and reward inn
piled In the pension laws should be sup
pressed and made Intellectual, lie could
not have couCocted Il surcr method to
accomplish his purposes. As the present
plan has worked there have been frauds prac-
| tiCed upon the Government, but the WithGrs
scheme goes TO the other extreme aud will
prevent worthy claimants from getting any
pension at all. What would signify the few
cases that slip through by fraud aud imposi-
| ton com pared 10 the many that must bo re-
| jcctcd by reason of the severe machinery to he
| inaugurated by this bill? Dependent of:
spring sometimes impose on kind aud ndul
gent parents, and practice their little acts of
deception upon them; but VINO would substi-
tute cold suspicion for generous love in the
parental breast on that account? The eXcGd.
of the general rule of confidence that holds
not only the family, but society together; and,
on the whole, there have been no more mis-.
takes aud frauds committed under the pen.
sion laws than under the administration of
other systems which have received the sane.
| tion Of human experience.
Another objection to the bill of Senator
Withors is that it is cumbersome and expen-
sivo, and smacks of party purpose in its ap-
pointmcnts. There are, say for my purpose,
800 Congressional districts, two officers, an cx.
amner and surgeon, in each, making GOO
officials TO draw pay. The examiner is to get
fees, and II would depend on the amount OF
business, of course, to determine the outlay,
but it would be enormous in the end. The
surgeons alone, at the salary of s., 500 n year,
would require the round sum Of S7500O0 per
annum.
Judge Gcddcs, Of Ohio, who seems to comprc-
hend the situation correctly, has introduced Il
measure in the House which, in NY judgment,
applies the true remedy, and his bill ought TO
pass And ifnll the friends orrclorm in this mat.
ter will unite on his bill it will pass this session.
lie proposes to establish an independent court
of appeals to determine all questions Of fact
and law, which will discuss at another time.
JUSTICE
WASHINGTON, April 7, 1880.