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

sions II he is the head OF a bureau,
NAV apply TO any Judge or clerk Of any
court Of the United States in any
District, Territory or State, to issue a
subpoena for any witness within the
jurisdiction Of such court, commanding
the witness TO appear before any officer
authorized to take depositions. and TO
answer all interrogatories that may be
submitted to such witness: and this he
has a right to do whenever he suspects
that any claim against the United
States is fraudulent. And section lS6
provides for the punishment of any
witness who, when subpoenaed, will
not testify.
In order to see how difficult it is to
ps:petuats fraud upon the Pension
Bureau, allow me to tell you what a
man has to do to get it.
First. he has to make an application,
and this application has to state his
name, age, height, occupation, color Of
hair, color OF eyes, where and when he
enlisted, in what company, who were
his officers, when, where. and for what
reason he was discharged, ii he was
wounded when and where, the extent
of his wound, and in fact, a full de-
scription of himself, Of his wound or
maladv. This must be sworn to be-
fore a court of record. and IN addition,
the applicant has to be identified by
two witnesses:
Second. There must be the affidavit
of commissioned officer that the aili-
davits set forth in the application are
true: and If there is no commissioned
officer the applicant must produce two
OF his com rades to swear that such
affidavits are true, and 4hey must state
their means of knowledge. The ap-
plicatlon is then sent to the Pension
Bureau. The next step is to have 1t
referred to the War Department for
the purpose of seeing, first whether
the name of the applicant Is on the
rolls of the War Department; whether
he enlisted at the time he stated, and
whether he was discharged at the time
stated; whether he was borne on the
rolls at the time he is stated to have
been wounded, and whether, according
to the daily reports he was on hand
The same test Is made with regard to
his two comrades. If he has ever
signed the pay-rolls, that signature is
compared with the 81 ignature to his ap-
plication. In the same way his com
rades are tested, and in the same way
their signatures are compared; and the
records must show that the comrades
were there at the time. If all this is
satisfactory and everything appears to
be right, the claimant is then examined
by surgeon of the Pension Office.
and then, as a rule, there is a second
examination before board of three
surgeons. Not satisfied yet, still sus-
pecting a fraud, the applicant is re-
quired to produce the affidavit of his
family physician, if he ever had one,
or of some physician who has been
acquainted with him, showing the con-
dition of the claimant from the time
of his discharge from the Army to the
time of his application for a pension
not only, but his then condition. If
he never had a family physician. then
he must prove all these facts by his
neighbors. If, after all this has been
done, the Commissioner of Pensions
still suspects that it is not all right, he
can then send one of his special agents
to examine the applicant and report on
his case If that report is all right
and the Commissioner still has a sus-
picion, he can write to the postmaster
in regard not only to the claimants s
condition as to bodily health, but as to
his moral character and as to the moral
character of the witnesses. If not
then satisfied he can order the appli-
can't before special board of surgeons
to be appointed by himself.
We must also remember that If,
after all this has been done, and the
applicants claim has been allowed and
his name put on the roll as pensioner
of the United States, at any time there
after, whenever suspicion works it,
self into the brain of the Commissioner,
he can order this pensioner to be re-
examined, and can send another spe-
cal agent, or as many as he may de
sire, to examine his case.
1t seems to me that the Commits
sioner of Pensions has power enough
already, and it is hard to see the
necessity Of five hundred and eighty
four additional Federal officers If
any considerable number of frauds
have been perpetrated upon the Pen
sion Office, with all the power already
in the hands of the Commissioner that
have shown to exist. it IS not the
fault of the law
I have not time now to describe all that
an applicant has to do if she happens tc
be widow with several children. The
amount of evidence it takes to sub
stantiate marriage a birth, or death,
is something absolutely amazing. Every
possible and conceivable objection is
made, and every flaw is found, so that
as matter of fact, the greatest mis-
fortune a widow has to content with
after the death of her husband is the pro-