The National tribune., 1880-12-01

be produced by the personal exertons OF the distant
claimant, and that the commissioners will not try
to have them come, and have no power to compel
them to come.
That no mode is provided in the bill for transfer
ring the cases from district to district
That if the claimant is too ignorant Of the busi-
ness to attend to his or her case attorney must
be employed and an attorney in each of the dis
tricts where witnesses may be found to reside.
That on an average six witnesses are required to
prove up a pension claim, and frequently more
and that experience shows that than half Of
these scattered every part Of our country.
We therefore say that if this is remedy for the
present state of things, the remedy is worse than
the disease.
That the plan devised in this bill is quadrupling
the time labor and expense now demanded, and
positively and by necessity bars ont forever very
large body of just cases. in which the witnesses can
now be reached and neither can nor will be reached
under the system proposed.
We state further that there is scarcely any pro-
vision of the bill which does not depend and is not
made contingent on the good pleasure of the Com
missioner
The number Of the examiners, the times when
they shall meet, and every other material provision
in the bill may be changed at the pleasure of the
Commissioner.
The testimony taken is reduced to writing and
sent to the Commissioner--and it is for him and
him alone to decide whether he will send this
finished case to another set of commissioners
examiners in another and remote district. The
claimants is taken out of his hands and he has
control over it whatever.
More than that this bill affects not only the
claimant just commencing a new case but every
pensioner now on the rolls may be ordered to appear
before this board and that just as often the Com
missioner chooses
Mark these words from this bill; g And the Com
missioner of Pensions shall cause an invalid pen
sioner to be examined by surgeon often as he
shall deem it for the interest of the Government
the pensioner" and it is the surgeon created by this
bill that is meant. Mark these other words from
the 9th section That if after pension has been
allowed, the Commissioner of Pensions shall have
to believe that the same has been procured
through fraud or misrepresentation or for any
other rs of opi1sson that it ought not to
inue, he shall the to be investigated by
the examiner surgeon or by both acting together
&C., &C., &c Under this bill there is not a pen
sioner on the whole roll that is secure.
1t was avowed by Mr. Bentley before the Senate
Committee and by Senator ingalls, by his authority
and in his name in the Senate, that the object was
to re-examine everybody now on the pension rolls
except those having specific disability, such the
loss of leg; first, to see if they were properly
rated, and secondly, if they were rightly ON the
rolls.
Our readers will remember the indignant denun-
citation of this scheme by General Shields, and his
language is just applicable now We state fur
ther that the present bill instead of giving direct
salary to the proposed examiners gives the fees
usual for justice of the peace in country district
and yet pretend to the services of reputa-
BILE lawyer, "a person learned in the law, and of not
less than five years experience in the duties of his
profession" This eminent lawyer is expected to
leave his profession, travel over whole Congress-
onal district without having bis travelling expenses