Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-05-21

for tolerating such board in office |
SO long, and if Houk had had |
any reputation for veraeity or any inau- |
ence at ali at Washington as the representa-
tive of our people, it ought not to have ia |
ken him four years to have made this |
known, and certainly less time than six |
months scheming and worrying the pension
Office to have the board changed for his |
friendship for the soldier, his widow and |
orphans" He says the Department in ''va-
rious cases" has had to return the certificate
of the board for correction. This is anoth- I
er untruth. There has not been single |
certificate returned for correction since the
organization of the last board. One of the
board dismissed has been a member ever
since the first board was organized, aud had
served the department for several years
previous to the organization of examining
boards, and who at one time rendering his
resignation which was returned to him with
an urgent request that he continue to
hold the position of examining surgeon.
The rules say that &C failure to construct
and forward certificates is a just reason for
the dismissal of the offending surgeon, and
the commissioner IN every case will enforce
the rule" SHOULD certificate be found
insufficient or unsatisfactory it will be re-
turned to the surgeon and the fee for the
acceptable certificate is furnished" The
accounts have always been paid without
| single exception or single deduction He
| charges that the board has s. had sufficient
| impudence to write letter to the depart
ment requiring to know why UGH and such
| man had been allowed pension, and would
have people to believe that this was one of
the ''simple reasons" that actuated Houk to
commence this villainous attack upon the
board last fall and winter. We denounce
this as false from beginning to
end no such communication played any
part in the act, and no communication
ever was sent to the Department .requir-
ing" or caring to know why such q man
had been allowed pension" And 1t IS
blighting stigma and shame upon the De-
partment, and especially upon the medical
officers named, that such statement has
been made public. Here are the regula-
tons addressed from the pension Office to
| surgeons OF boards: "He Ga pension sur
! geon) should constantly bear IN mind that
he is an agent of this Office, and that con-
sequently he is under official Obligations to
report every instance of Violation OF the
| pension laws, and every case of fraud that
may come to hisiknowiedge." And again,
Examining surgeons are recognized as
| confidential agents of the office. In no
| instance shall they communicate what they
have recommended, or intend to recon-
mend, either to any attorney or claim
anti And again, .'Al communications
} with the Office should be regarded as u der
; the seal of the strictest confidence" What
scoundrel is there in the land more
repulsiye than he who would betray
: confidence, and yet Roy, alias John M. Bish-
Cd, informs us that such is being done by
high officials at the head of the Pension De-
partment Not only this, but pension ap :
plicants all over the End Congressional
district have received from certain claim
} agents and other agents, which appeared to
, them as if direct from the pension office,
that the board had only allowed tn m SO
much. or had decided so and so against them,
thus prejudicially blaming the board for
everything that might be displeasing to
claimants, whether true or false, and cred
iting to the influence of Houk whatever
seemed would be pleasing 10 them
If Bishops information is correct, two
charges of Impeachment should lie against
the commissioner of pensions and his medl-
cal referee, one for keeping in office inconl-
petent and fraudulent persons as surgeons,
six months after Houk's appeal to turn them
} out, and the ether for malfeasance
-betraying confidence and max
ing publ C the private le 3ords.
which is the private property of the govern
ment If half what have charged be true
and l challenge the successful denial of
, any of it-Houk should be impeached and
sent homo with his infamous declaration
against Garfield tackled on his own pach
ydermatious forehead.
Again. Our Juvenile clerk of ominous in
formation bristles with understanding cpl
, thets over the idea of his having impuSned
the characters of houored soldiers now dead,
. and denies any ghoulish intent, by saying
he Ibid not mean to discuss the character
, of the board any further back than the term
!. of services Of those who have been re-
moved" but herein forgets that he declared
: that while there has been much complain
in the past by ex soldiers of East Tennessee
i, against Mr.. Bently, late commissioner O.
4 PENSIONS his actions were often controlled
+ by this board" [ will state that the creates
f OF con plants were made against Mr.. BENT.
4 before the demise of the dishonored members
d and that one of the members removed Wa
# appointed after Bently was superseded b.
d Dudley. Bently, as is we'll known, wa
+ greatly abused and soldiers had beel
" taught by designing politicians and unscru
# pulous agents to hate him. Roy intimate
ID that all this blame was because of the sac
O. tions'' of the old board. Drs. Knaffi an
" Bailey, then of the board, whose character
,e as brave soldiers and good and honored cit
l. zens and physicians of ability, grow
% brighter as their graves grow greener; be
n ing dea can not defend themselves agains
al such malicious assaults, but every right
of thinking sold er and citizen now living ca
o. but view the perpetrators with indignit
y. and scorn again, if the old board was 6
IS. full of iniquity and corruption, and SO me
er ticient Notwithstanding one had been trie
Y. for twenty years) why was one of them 9Th
ELI president) retained in the new board instea
Ills of the ex-rebel whom Houk had recon
Mt mended? Was it not because OF his extel
he sive acquaintance and popularity as a
lis influential element instead OF any particl
n lar friendship Houk had for the isolde
be his widow and orphans?"
IL Again, Bishop, the vernal youth, objec
nd to Houk's being considered his maste
at. Let him, then, quit being his tool BI
Die this term likewise seems very oppressive
ief the writer of rare receptions. Then v
q dub him as his tail, and advise the mast
10. and the tail both, if it is unpleasant bei1
d. SO severely pinched, to keep out of medic
no matters and clear of surgeons instrument
~. withdraw it downwards and forwards
as umbilicai quarters, as doth a detect
led sheep-killing canine, and be careful
Of breaking the alliance, not to get it wet.
by Disinfectants will be in order next a
rs, there are plenty i'll the shop OF
hat MORE ANON.
dly
A TRUE BLESSING.
h