The National tribune., 1883-09-20
TIE EDITORS TABLE.
A Glance at the Contents of The
TribUne'S Mail.
Why Pension Claimants are Impatient.

To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
The editorial in your issue Of August 30t5.
entitled "fhe Pack ia Full Cry Again,''
brings to mind the delay ia the ADJUDICATION
of pensions as illustrated at the soldiers Re-
union at Silver Lake the other day. Among
those present were veterans, more or less dis
abled, who have been trying for three or four
years to obtain Pensi0a and who are cited
before examination boards once or twice a year
and forced TO make affidavit after affidavit, and
required to Ill cut still more papers, to go be-
fore county clerks and county Judges, and all
that. 1t is tiresOme and expensive business,
and no wonder they feel SICK discouraged, and
disgusted. when they 90 before these boards
they ind some young uadeTstTappers who were
suekl1gs when we were carrying the mUsket-
a board VINO have not the least sympathy OK
care for the soldier; Who have so much per ex-
animation, it may be, and who rush their
examination through in totally Indifferent
manner, making a farce of it. At Buffalo last
. month July forty candidates for examination
were put through in four hours and the three
youngsters of the board got their $50 for the
farce.
A eonrade Of our Post, who was a prisoner at
AnderSOnvllle and VINO came out only by the
aid Of abler comrades, has been working three
years for pension, and yesterday he met his
attorney, who gave hinl p paper with instruc-
tOnS 10 take il to his county clerk for his afi-
dayit that such and such signature was true
enc, and then 10 the judge for further verifica-
tion. Now, it seems to rs rs If the Pension De-
partment considered every applicant rogue
and robber and every atidavir and statemens
a perjury, and every dollar thrown away that
IS paid oat to the pensioner.
As our Department Chaplain Cunning told
rs yesterday, Every surviving soldier who
did his duty at the front IS worthy OF briga-
der generals pay" aud Government that
can squandsr fifty millions for useless harbor
and river Improvements, we think, is able to
pay good far pension to every such soldier.
An occasional one may Get pension VINO is
unworthy, but hat should not debar any who
are worthy.
Another e0mraIe of cur Post carries in his
| body bullet received or the 5th of May, 1863,
/ III the Wilderness. He is an intense sufferer
at times, and is worse disabled than he would
have been by the loss of q leg or an arm, be-
cause it is a constant drain upon his vital forces
and keeps him in poor heal5h. He receives a
pittance Of only $12 per month, which was cut
down from SIS by the board of understrapper5
before mentioned.
Is if any wonder that at times the soldier Is
almost forced to feel that it is a truth that
Republics are ungratefal? And, again, is is
yery pleasant 70 have it TAINTED in OUT faces by
every dirty partisan paper that we are pension
frauds?
Yours, in T., c., and t.. ADJUTANT,
PAVILION, n. Y. John ". Hutchinson Post.
LONI correspondent CEiS al b1S DuTUSn
| OF blame on the Pension Office The Commis-
si0ner Of Pensions did not make the laws; his
| business is simply to execute them faithfully,
and he would be false to his obligations did he
not insist upon compliance with the require
ments Of the statutes touching the furnishing
Of legal evidence Of disability. If the rules ara
| too harsh and the requirements unreasonable
/ that is the fault Of Congress But patieneei
The time is not very far eff when justice viii
| be done.-Ep.l