The National tribune., 1884-10-09
BE oF Coon cmEEEs.


BE OF GOOD CHEER.
The ill-success OF the pension legislation at
the last session of Congress should not be al
lowed to discourage any one. There were
efforts 70 secure just legislation. 1t was the
first time that the GAR and substantially the
whole body of ex-soldiers and sailors had been
brought into line upon definite policy This
was a great step forward, because before that
time much of the effort in behalf of soldiers
had been neutralized, because soldiers and SOL
diers' friends were not agreed among them
selves as to what was best to ask for and have
done.
So effectively was the campaign organized
and fought that the passage of the desired leg
islation was only defeated by tricky filibuster-
ing on the part Of the majority, who were will
ing to sacrifice everything else in order to go
into the Presidential campaign with a show Of
economy in the public expenditures At the
coming session we shall not have the embarrass-
ment of a Presidential campaign staring Con-
gressmen in the face, and, still more TO the
purpose, we shall have large number of Con-
gressmen elected with, distinct reference TO
their loyalty to the soldier.
Then the lession of organization and unity
of effort has not been lost upon the comrades,
and we shall present irmer front this Winter
than ever. The GAR. IS very much stronger
this year than it was last, and tho Order un-
derstands itself better and what it can do.
We feel that we risk nothing in promising
soldiers she assageof.s- satisfactory pension
law at an early session of Congress. The
way that every man can do something to make
this sure is by uniting himself with the GA r.,
and giving the weight Of his name and per-
sonal inhuence to the Order to aid in securing
its objects
THE SPECIAL EXAMINER NONSENSE.
If the people and the papers of the country
were not SO deeply engrossed in the Presiden-
tial contest they would find endless fun in the
absurdities of Dudley's latest and greatest
Reform the Special Examiners.
1t is intensely amusing, the solemn air with
which these gentlemen go about gathering
here and there and sending into the Office
countless reams of testimony which 4ssa one
could poperly digest and comprehend i.
did read.
All over the country these men are at work,
as If the very salvation of the land depended
upon their filling up the greatest number Of
fooiscap pages in the shortest time with testi-
mony Of no possible Importance or relevancy
They most frequently take some nom important
case where a man is receiving paltry sum fol
| manifest injury, or is an applicant for such
relief descend upon the little town where ht
lives, call in his sisters, his cousins, and hi,
aunts, his heighbors of all races, colors and
previous conditions of servitude, put all man,
ner Of interrogatories to them, some of no more
| bearing on the matter than on the age of th,
pyramids, solemnly record their answers ans
send back to the Pension Bureau in proof o
their industry a pile of written pages as big a
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
OF course, this is preposterous.
1t would take more men in the Pension Blu
reau than are now in the field to boil dowl
this mass of stuff-frequently 200 foolsca1
pages in single case-and extract the few
facts from IT,
1t is worse than useless work, for it impose
additional and fruitless labor.
1t is evident to any one that nothing j
gained by running drag net through mas
of village gossip. The whole thing is laugh
ably clumsy, cumbersome, and Ineffective, bu
then, this is the rule with Col. Dudley
methods.
Unquestionably thereis need of Special Ez
amners. and those in the fcldare undoubtedl
doing much good work, but they are doin
this in spite of the bad system which hamper
than. There is needed reformation whic
will simplify and condense their work an
direct it intelligently where it is needed. Thi
will make them genuine assistance to pen
sioners and the Pension Office, instead of be
ing, as their work is now in many cases,
hindrance and an obstruction.
OUR Navy is not the only one in the wori
J on which large sums of money are wasted Th
L., ,,oI.,I, A. h,x,a <s...~a.J.J