The National tribune., 1884-11-13

was MS own invention, and beloved accord
ingly. He expected that it would become a
monument to his sagacity and administra-
tive ability. While it was in process of in
cubation he wrote to Hon. j. G. Cannon, OF
the House Committee on Pensions:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
PENSION OFFICE,
WASHINGTON, ID. c.. April %, 1882
DEAR SIR: BY way of completion of the in
formation you asked for in our private CONVEX
sation some time ago, relative to the amount of
work which in my opinion could be accom-
plished by force Of $50 Special Examiners in
year, with the actual and necessary travelling
expenses and subsistence at q per diem Of So. l
have the honor to state that the average cost
per annum, as the force is now distributed, re-
guiring extensive travel from point TO point,
and after estimating for the reduction of ex-
pense caused by contracting the amount of
territory to be traversed by each man, will not
vary far from $1,000. Under the Enclosed rule,
No. rs, l shall be able Gas soon as the old snags
are worked off and the denomination had of
cases once handled under the e1-pa,te system)
examinations in 6300( es per aaaam, or an
average Of 252 per ananm per man.
Very respectfully.
w. W. DUDLEY, Commissioners.
Hon. J. G.. CANNON,
House of Representatives
The force was given him by the act of
Aug. 5, 1882. The country watched anxi-
ously to see it accomplish the wonders its
inventor and creator had mapped out for it.
Time rolled around, and when Col. Dudley
made his report for the year ending June 30,
1882, he stated:
There are now 240 Special Examiners &C
lively engaged in Investigating cases, and for
the most part they are now sufficiently expert
enced and tested to prove their fitness to re-
main. / have divided the country into dis
trlcts, with an Examiner in each, and have
grouped them into sections of 10 or IL. with an
experienced and expert Examiner over each
section as Supervisor. The work is thus being
accelerated, and better results reached by these
means. There are about 1850 cases now on
hand for special examination; $3.50 examina-
lions were completed and reported last year,
even with the shifting experimental force
above referred to at work. shall continue to
increase the number of details of our best Ex-
aminers until the field force shall catch up
with the work assigned to it, and then shrink
it gradually to the lowest number compatible
with quick and thorough work.
The fact that he had promised that the
force should dispose of s3, 900 cases, while it
really had only disposed of $3.50, or about
one ninth of that number, did not disturb
him. He had promised that it should ham
die 252 cases per Examiner per annum,
whereas it really had disposed Of but Is.
That is, instead of each Examiner disposing
of an average of fire cases per week, it took
each one of them two aceeks to dispose of ore
case!
Col. Dudley passed over the enormous dis
crepancy between his promise and perform
ance as lightly as possible. He spoke of
the newness Of the force, the latsness of its
getting to work, etc, and promised better
things for the ensuing year. That year
ended last June, during which time the
Special Examiners completed and reported
but 1000 cases, or $4,000 less than he had
promised Congress, and but paltry addi-
ton to the number of the first year.
It is necessary above all things that we
have q reform which will hasten immensely
the settlement of claims. Time is the greatest
element in the situation. Everything else
should bow to the supreme necessity of Civ
ing quickly what is to be given to the PEN
sioners of the Nation. Justice, humanity,
decency even, demand that, with ex-soldiers
dying at the rate of 10000 year, every en-
ergy be bent to the work of relieving their
necessities and paying them the debts due
from the Government. Nothing else in the
Governments business calls 80 urgently for
thorough, swift work.
If Special Examiners can be made useful
in pushing the work forward, let us have,
not 400, which are now employed, but $500.
This naturally suggests whether it is prac-
ticable to obtain compensating service
from this force under the most favorable
condition. As but an average of 26 cases
are finally disposed of annually by each
Special Examiner, would it not be wise to
take one half of that force, selecting the
more experienced, who can dispose of like
number of cases (26) each month. instead of
each year? No cases should be sent these
Special Examiners but those in which there
is reasonable ground for the presumption
of fraud.
There are many of these gentlemen now
employed as Special Examiners who, while
on an Examiners desk in the Office, disposed
of from 25 to SO cases per month, or many
more than they now do in year. Let them
be recalled at once to their desks; let tech
niealities be abolished; let common sense
and business energy rule; and, finally, let
every effort be bent to finish up the whole
mass of business and allow all just claims
within the coming year, or two years at
farthest.
If you Mink..the aoidows Of soldiers are enti-
tied to M ore than s. month-that is, So ,ceek,
send to the National Tribune for petition
and circulate among all yOar ocquaiataaees.
PENSIONS TO MEXICAN VETERANS.
The Justice of giving pens ions TO the sur