Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1883-01-05

WAsHzEGToS. December "a
Commissioner Dudley has written the fol-
lowing letter to gentleman of this city who
wrote asking whether there was any real ne
cessity for employing pension attorneys, and
for brief statement of the methods used by
dishonest attorneys to swindie soldiers:
DEPARTMENT or THE INTERIOR.
WAsHINGT0Ss December n, 1se2-
DEAR SIR: Your communication of the llth
First ais it absolutely necessary that an hon
est claimant for q pension should be repre-
sented by an agenty" and seeond, sswhat are
the principal devices BY which dishonest
agents nesce soldiersr' In response to the
first question should say that Sos. l,7as of
the Heytsed Statutes provides that the
Commissioner of Pensions, on application
being made to him I'm person or by letter by
any claimant or applicant for pension, bounty
land or any other allowance required by law
to be ABUSED or pa d by the Pension OfIice,
shau furnish to such person. free OF Gil ex-
pense, all such printed instructions aud forms
- may be necessary in establishing and OBJ
tanning said claim. hand you herewith acopy
of the pamphlet of laws aud instructions is
sued in conformity with said law, and sent out
on application or freely distributed on call
When the claim. properly hl.ed up and exc
the number of Tie claim given, and claimant
notified that The same viii be taken up
In Its order. At the same time an ex-
tract Of sad pamphlet is Forwarded
containc full and oouplete tnsruc
ton. Nectssarily consderubIo delay occurs
between the time of fling the claim and
its being taken up in its order, which delay
the claimant is advised to employ in procur
ing the necessary evidence. When the case
is reached and is taken up. IL the evidence ID
all in and sufficient the claim is settled at once
Otherwise the claimant is called upon for the
particular kind of evidence required, and
the circular calls are SO wor ed that they can
not be misnterpreted or misunderstood by
any one. The evidence of record is obtained
by the ONCE direct, as is also the Qedical ex-
animation by the medical boards in dinerent
parts Of the country. ! will only add that
the services OF an agent are most eful to the
ella mant when he deyotes himself to
upon the filing of tho claim
or before. An agent well lsted in the law
and the requirements of this office can thus
anticipate the calls OF the ofiice ana greatly
shorten the time consumed in the adjudica-
ton of the claim, as well as save the ofiise
much labor As to the absolute necessity OF
the Intervention OF an agent each must judge
for himself.
In response to your second question, would
say that the criminal files Of this Office show SO
many aud various prosecutions against dshon- |
est agents that should be unable to classify |
and enumerate the different violations of law |
and the devices used In defrauding pensioners |
within the limits of such communication as |
This, but the principal violations consist in
the collection. under some guise or upon |
some prctext or another, of more than the fee |
allowed by law, the enforced collection OF SO |
called .'expense fees or postage fees in ad-
vance, addressing the calls OF this Office fer |
medical examinations or other evidence by |
<. O. d." Packages, the collection of fees in
advance and the abandonment OF the claim as
'oon Nc the fec is received. advertisements
aoldnx out inducements not warranted by
aw. by which honest soldiers srs led 20 prefer
'assicss claims, the only advantage in such |
sases being that which sccrues to the agent,
Who gets fee.
su b facts are principally predatory upon
he claimant rather than upon the Govern
nenr hut ars just as mcritrIcious and blame
1orthy. Very respectfully.
w. w. DUDLEY, Commissions.