National Republican., 1880-09-21
othe evidence which have made libcraliz.d d

lowed; you refer to IL to show the arbltrnry
manner tho pension bureau has of rewarding
| the invalid soldier"
To have made this list n vehicle OF correct
and useful Information you should have added
another column setting forth the nature of
tho disability peusioned in each case; this
would have shown that fifteen were for rheu-
matism. diarrhmt, lung diseases, piles, ctc.--
all progressive diseases, and at different
periods maniustng different degree of disa-
bility, and one only for gunshot wound.
Another column, stating the length of time
which elapsed IN each case from the soldiers
discharge to the date of his application, should
have been added. This would have shown
that thirteen have waited from twelve to
fourteen years before filing their applications;
one eleven years, ono nine and one five. In
Wow of the fact that, as member OF the in.
vestigating" committee, you have obtained
this data in these identical cases, and that the
arrears act, under which all the cases were set
tied, provides that the rate at which the ar.
rears of invalid pension shall bo allowed aud
computed in the cases which have or shall
hereafter be allowed shall be graded according
to the degree of the pensioners disability from
time TO time, and tho provisions of the pen
sion laws in force over the period for
which the arrears shall be computed" 1t is
strange that these features should not bave
appeared in connection with the list
This list which you approve carries the
discharges were examined into by the gov
eminent surgeons and the degree of disability
rated by them, but whose pension per month
was arbitrarily lowered by the commissioner
Of pensions"
The fact that you withhold from your read
ers information of the character of the disa.
bilities, aud the long period which had inter-
vcncd between the soldiers discharge and the
time when the surgeons made their eSam-
nations (thc examinations could not take
place until after the applications were fled,
almost convinces Inc that you intend to have
it understood that the examining surgeons
examined into aud gave their opinions of the
proper rates Of pension duiing the period
from the date Of the soldiers discharge, but
this hypothesis involves the presumption of
such ignorance Of the law, and Of the bust
ness of settling pensions, or such II disregard
of facts, that | am compelled to interpret the
omissions us accidental, and regard the head
lines Of the table as the Interpolation Of some
Ignorant person, and the clause of your letter
which | last above quoted us goodnaturea
sarcasm. But this is not all.-you
should have told the readers of your
letter that the rates which you gave as
pensions granted by Bentley simply repre-
sent the rates of pension which were granted
over the period from the soldiers discharge to
the date when the examining surgeon ex
amned the pcnsOner, and had 10 reference to
the rate allowed at that date and since paid,
and that in five of the cases the rate allowed
by me from that time on was exactly in ac'
cordance with the surgeons opinions. In
three others the rate at and after the examina-
: ton was fixed ut 50 per month greater than
tho rate stated in your table. In one other,
the surgeon covered two disabilities and one
only was proven, and after the examination
lie received So per month instead of 81, rs
given by you; and in one other case the rate
given by the surgeon appertains only to the
case of pensioncr totally incapacitated for
the performance of manual labor, and rcquir.
ing the regular attendance of nurse or assist.
ant; his WAS not such case. and another eX-
animation was ordered and the pension rated
upon the second examination and not upon
the one you saw fit to refer to, in the same
manner as the five first-named cases are rated
leaving six cases only, of the sixecn which
your list correctly represents, us to the rates
allowed
, Tho impression created by your letter is,
: thatit Is by law the business of the examin-
, ing surgeon to decide the rate of pension
which shall be paid, aud that the commissioner
of pensions acts arbitrarily if he does not nc.
! cept the opinions Of the examining surgeons
us conclusive.
1t is evident that to enable any officer to
p decide tho rate of pension 'uccording to the
degree Of the pensioners disability from time
to time aud the provisions of the pension
: laws over the period for which the arrears
a shall be computed,' he must have before him
p the evidence covering the whole history of the
q case during the period named
& The examining surgeons do not have, and
a cannot obtain 1t, unless it is sent out from this
- office. Shall | withdraw the evidence from
:, the files aud scatter 1t over the country in the
i, hands Of 1000 examining surgeonsH Is there
{, any statute which imposes upon the eXamin
n ing surgeons the duty to execute the law
" quoted in relation to rating the pensions
nI. tat,l fl,a,. 10 ,np,
y. form such Il duty, when it fixed the fec fol
:. each examination at S2 aud then lately
within three years reduced 1t to 81?
!, The law has imposed upon the commissioner
:, Of pensions the duty of executing tho pen
I, sion laws He does not find IL an easy duty
=, in many cases in these days, SO long after the
=. soldiers discharge, when tho facts arc voled
Il in Obscurity by lapse of time, and the natural
u | presumption that the disability from siCknes;
y was of little consequence in the earlier years
-, else the claim for pcnsion would have come
=, forward earlier, to fix the pension at rate al
> once just to the pensionGr aud the government
= but the difficulties under which the claimant
~ labors in this behalf are not the fault of the
I, government, but rather the misfortune of the
= pensOner that lie did not present his claim a
- AN earlier day, when lie would have had M
" trouble in exhibiting to the commissioner o
o pensions q full and complete history of hi
>, case, such one as would enable him to rate
70 gree of disability.
t, Your letter seeks to have it understood
~ that the delays attending the settlement o
claims arc the result of deliberate purpos
" ON my part to delay them in order to Civ
y steady employment to some politicians, auC
~ that it so appeared before the Investigation
~ committee.
w Upon this point / not only cite my fou
az annual reports for l57G-7-S-9 calling atten
=. tion TO the delays, pointing out the cause
y. aud suggesting remedy, which, as hereto
al fore stated, congress was urged to adopt, bu
,s also to my uncOutradicted official statemen
- before the committee and the testimony q
n Ten of the chiefs Of divisions in the pension
- Office, who were summoned and sworn an
~. testified upon your motion, five of whom wer
a. ex.soldiers and another had been connecte
with the army us military telegraph operate
+. during the war; eight of the number cam
"a into the Office between 1862 aud 1866, one Il
~ 1869 and one in 1871,
nt Their testimony was overwhelming to tn
"a effect that the office was doing more an
n. better work than ever before within thei
knowledge,
is 1t would appear, then, that the clerks en-
~ pl0ycd have been diligcnt to whichever part
I'd thoy may have adhered,
II. Iu conclusion, | desire to say that you, nc
IN |, opened to the public the proceedings of til
IL investigating committee in advance Of tn
committees report, and since they are no.