Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-03-10

the Commissioner is not bound 10 take
their certificate unless he has satisfac-
tory evidence that the examination
could not be made by duly appointed
surgeon, and even then, under previous
sections, he has the right to have the
pensioner examined Just as often as he
NAV suspect that an examination may
disclose anything of benefit to the
United States.
Section 47T4 is as follows:
The Commissioner Of Pensions is
authorized to organize, at his discre-
tion, boards of examining surgeons,
not to exceed thee members. and each
member Of a board thus organized who
is actually present and makes, in con
nection with otner members or mem
b r. an ordered or periodical examina-
ton, shall be entitled to the fee Of 81.
on the receipt of proper certificate of
such examination by the Commits
sioner Of Pensions.
1t is plain that under this section the
Commissioner of Pensions has already
the right to organize. at his discretion,
a board of examining surgeons CON
sisting of three members, and he can
have every pensloner examined as
often as he pleases by sucn board, un-
der the law as it now is.
The next section. AIS, is as follows:
Examining surgeons duly appointed
by the Commissioner of Pensions, and
such other qualified surgeons as may
be employed in the Pension Office, may
be required by him, from time to time,
as he deems for the interests of the
Government, to make special examina
tions Of pensioners, or applicants for
pensions, and such examinations shall
have precedence over previous exami.
nations whether special or biennial
but when injustice is alleged to have
been done hv an examination so
ordered, the Commissioner of Pensions
may, at his discretion. select a board
of three duly appointed examining
surgeons who shall meet at place to
be designated by him. and shall re-
view such cases as may be ordered be-
fore them on appeal from any special
examination, and the decision of such
board shall be final on the question so
submitted thereto, provided the Com
missioner approve the same. The
compensation of each Of such surgeons
shall be So, and shall be paid out of
any appropriations made for the pay
ment of pensions, in the same manner
as the ordinary fees Of appointed sur
geons are or may be authorized to be
paid.
By this section the Commissioner of
Pensions can have all the surgeons he
wants, and, whenever deems it to the
interest of the Government, he can re-
quire them to make special examina-
tion of any pensioner, or of any appli.
cant for pension, and such examination
shall have precedence over all others,
and if any injustice is alleged to have
been done the Commissioner may, at
his discretion, select another board of
examining surgeons for the purpose of
reviewing all cases that may be laid
before it; but the decision even of this
court is not final unless it is approved
by the Commissioner.
Section No. Att is as follows:
The Commissioner of Pensions is
empowered to appoint, at his discre-
ton, civil surgeons to make the
periodical examination Of pensioners
which are or may be required Dy law,
and to examine applicants for pensions
where he deems an examination by a
surgeon appointed by HIM necessary;
and the fee for such examinations and
the requisite certificates thereof, in
duplicate, including postage on such
as are transmitted to pension agents,
shall be 81, which shall be paid by the
agent for paying pensions in the dis
trict within which the pensioners or
claimant resides, out of any money ap-
proprlated for the payment of pensions,
under such regulations as the Commits
sioner of Pensions NAV prescribe.
This section authorizes the Commits
sioner of Pensions to appoint all the
civi, surgeons he may want for the
purpose of having the applicants eX-
amined whenever and wherever he
deems an examination necessary.
You will see that under the section
already quoted the Commissioner Of
Pensions has ample authority to do
anything he pleases 50 far as the ex-
animation of pensioners is concerned.
Every suspicion he may entertain can
be at once verified by any number of
surgeons and any number of special
agents. At the present time he has at
least forty special agents constantly
travelling for the purpose of finding
evidence of some fraud in some pen
sion claim. The whole business of the
office is transacted upon the idea that
every application is d fraud, that all
aflidavlts are untrue, and that, as a
matter of fact, very few people We're
disabled in the late war.
In addition to the sections | have
already called your attention to, there
are others Of equal Importance. Sec
ton lSi is as follows:
Any head of Department or bureau
=, Ill Ii "a claim nnninSt tho .nital