The National tribune., 1880-04-01


(assuming that witnesses could be induced to at
tend at all) cannot be estimated Since there are
times when the prospective bencfcarcs would not,
could not attend the sessions of these boards with
out making q sacrifice greater than the prospective
benefit, how can it be expected that indispensable
witnesses will attend? There is no compulsory
process tor securing witnesses either for against
the claimant The law makes provision for the
examiner the surgeon visiting witness and
taking his testimony, except in Of illness or
disability. Moreover there is nothing in the law
compelling witness against pensoner claim
ant to testify. He may be in contempt of the board
and the board is without remedy in the premises.
An additional cost to claimants would be imposed
by the employment Of counsel Not one claimant
or pensoner witness in fifty, il left to himself,
could tell what actually he knows about the case
any more than the facts be drawn out in court
ofjustice without questioning and cross-question-
ing. The lapse of time has in very many instances
obliterated the remembrance of facts and crcum-
stances from the memories of witnesses and they
can only do justice to case by l. ring their men,
cries refreshed by recital of the facts or Of some
contemporaneous event from which date and places
may be fixed with certainty. AS it is the invariabe
hold from claimants any information upon what
they may base sustain claims against it. it can
not be expected that these examiners and surgeons
would be as jealous in behalf of the interests of
pensioners and claimants as they would be in behalf
OF the Government, hence many meritorous cases
would go by default
In regard to Section 8, it may be observed that if
its provisions to be carried out under liberal
&c ~ e q.
regards the manner of taking testimony and before
whom it is to be taken, would be practically null
lity, as, in vast majority of cases. it could be
shown that medical examinations and the tcs-
timony of witnesses could not well he made or
obtained" AS provided in said sections there would
practically be return to the present system.
Looking to Section we find it provides for the
organization of boards of three pension surgeons in
each pension district, and as there arc seventeen
such districts ty-one new officers will have to be
created, as such boards would be required to be in
continual session a very large number of invalid
pensioners would appeal from the decision of the
single surgeon, therefore, surgeons designated in
Section could not be detailed in said Board of Ap-
peals Therefore, this section is imperative unless
provision be made for the compensation of these
boards. The cost OF assembling such boards and
keeping them at the point designated would be very
great, as they would have to make their permanent
residences at the points of meeting, and as thew
would have to abandon their practice almost entirely
the services of competent surgeons could only be
secured at large salaries. This section would also
work great hardship to pensioners Take, for in
stance, the pension district consisting of Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia.
Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ar
kansas Alabama, Georgia Florida, and Indian Ter
ritory, with Knoxville, Tennessee, as the most cen
trail location and the point convenient of access
to pensioners the cost of travelling the place OF
meeting of this appeal board would, in most in.
stances offset any increase of pension that would
accumulate in years, and the uncertainty of re-
ceiving increase would deter very many from at.
tempting to obtain justice. Were the probable cost
If he boards IN he EOvarnuont l,o :