The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-04-24

4
the 18th inst, that he had at times been i'm
pressed with the idea that in the examine
ton of cases their the officers of the PEN
sion Bureau subordinates are too much in
clined to presume everything against asoldier
and against the integrity of his claim, and
they search for grounds apon which to reject
1t. They are not liberal in the construction
Of the rules of evidence. Many claims of
high merit are sacrificed to the application
of narrow and technical rules. These pen
sion laws should at all times be administered
in broad and liberal spirit, and in full view
of the purposes to be accomplished"
significant illustration of this application of
narrow and technical rules was brought to
our notice, the other day, in the shape of a
letter from the Commissioner, requiring an
applicant for apension,-who was discharged
from the service on account of disease of the
lungs, the result of a severe attack of the
measles contracted during his service,-to
furnish the names of such of his relatives
as had ever suffered from lung disease Was
there ever a more preposterous demand?
But there is no occasion to produce
further examples of the unreasonableness
of the Pension Office rulings. That I'M
reasonableness is notorious, and it is the real
and all-suficient reason for the present
delay in the settlement of the mass of pend
ing pension claims To put an end to it, it
is only necessary that the Commissioner and
his subordinates should construe the pension
laws in the broad and liberal spirit that they
were intended to be construed. The laws
themselves are equitable and just; it is be-
cause their administration is impeded by ar
bitrary rulings, for which they afford no war
rant, and which il requires no act Of Con-
gress to abolish, that so many applicants for
pensions cannot secure action on their claims.
We impute no blame to Congress for this
miscarriage of justice. In section 1862 Of
the Revised Statutes it has afforded all the
latitude to the soldier as TO the manner in
which he shall establish his claim that is
necessary, namely, that he shall make due
| proofs of the fact that he was disabled in
line of duty " according to such forms and
! regulations as may be provided in pursuance
of law" and if these forms and regulations
| contravene the purr ose of the law and are
| irreconcilable with its spirit, it is the fault
| OF those who are charged with their formula
| ton and execution. Congress has cheerfully
! and promptly voted all the money demanded
| by the Commissioner. not only for the pay
ment of claims, but for the employment of
such clerical force as he deemed necessary to
the speedy settlement of the business of his
Office; yet the humiliating fact stares us in
/ the face that there are still 244,00o appli-
cants for pension awaiting the adjudication
of their claims.
/ We sincerely regret that it should be
| necessary to call public attention to such a
state of things. Our readers will bear US
| witness that from the beginning of Com
missioner Dudley's administration we have
| expressed the most absolute confidence in
his purpose to do full justice to our ex-sol-
diers in the adjudication of their claims and
| have most earnestly supported his demands
| upon Congress for the appropriations neces-
| sary to the payment of these claims as well
| as the employment of such additional cleri.
cal force as he saw fit to call for We have
never questioned the integrity of his motives
or those of his subordinates, among whom
We know there are many men who possess
the highest qualifications for the duties
required of them, and whose sympathies are
all with the soldier, and we do not now
impugn them. But when we remember
what the Commissioner set out to accom-
plish three years ago, and compare it will
the results actually achieved, it is impos
sible TO avoid the conclusion that there i.
something radically wrong in the policy o
. his administration. That something a.
we have already pointed out is his insist
ence on technical rules which, as he ha.
himself admitted, frequently compel til.
| rejection of meritorious claims, and which
it is clearly within his authority-sinc,
f they are not prescribed by the statutes-tt
Il
abroyate or modify; and we feel, therefore
that he owes il 10 himself, as we'll as to tn,
victims Of the delay which the enforcement
of these technical rules occasions, to exercis,
the right whiea be undoubtedly possesses o
doing awsg at once and forever with ever,
. technical requirement hat is not absoiutel,
essential 10 toe making Of dne proofo il
pension claims and that is not in accor,
with the real spiria and meaning of tn
pension laws, and 50 put an end at last t
the pension tragedy
e CoNRADE " WRIGHT, whose letter defend
/ ing the action of tho trustees Of the low
: Agricultural College in appointing an ex
e Confederate captain 30 the chair Of rilitar,
|, science and tactics, viii be found IN anoehc