The National tribune., 1886-06-10
TIE 18Th CONGRESS.
An EpitOme of the Proceedings of the
Past Week.

come up, aside from the usual private bills at
the Friday night session.
THE PENSION OFFICE AND CONGRESS.
While bill granting a pension to Peter
Adams Co. d, l65th Pa, was pendAg, Mr..
Breckinridge ARK objected to the passage Of
any bills in cases which have been examined
by the Pension Office and rejected on the
ground that their claims have not been estab-
lished. In reply, Mr.. Haynes IN. H. said:
would say 20 the gentleman from Arkansas that
IL he had had much experience in punching
up" cases in the Pension Office rs some other me-
bers here he would lose mis- faith in the inaibiity of
the Office. Those members who have many pension
cases TO handle are well aware from experience
that in many eases which have been rejected in the
Pension Ofice il i not unusual by going there and
having the evidence reviewed to get Il reversal of
the adverse Judgment without introducing single
word of new evidence. Only within "a few days
past my colleague who sits by me a physician Mr..
Gallingerl came 10 me with which had been
rejected upon the opinion of the medical experts of
the Pension Otfiae. He came 10 consult with me
about introducing bill for the relief of the claim
ant. He firm in his belief that the medical
judgment was wrong that suggested TO him that
he had better 20 down first and see the medical
viewer. He did call nj the oice, and upon looking
al the case again. the reviewer, without any argu-
being submitted reversed his former decision.
i simply mention this to illustrate the point
that the Pension Office is not infIible in its judg
ments and that our judgment is jus: liable TO be
good in certain cases as that of any clerk any
eniploye Of the Pehsioh Bureau.
Mr.. Rowell Ul.):
Seventy-five out Of every one hundred pension
bills passed by Congress passed upon the judg-
ment OF the appropriate committee that the PEN
sion Bureau has not properly weighed the evidence.
has improperly rejected the claim upon the evil
dence-that the Pension Bureau has rejected the
claim not because OF technical objections but
because it has misjudged the case upon the evil
dence. And II Is proper right here to consider
whether we ought TO pass bills of that character
Now everybod knows that n Chief of Division,
not the Commissioner of Pensions first reviews the
cases. The Commissioner does not examine per-
sonalIv one ease in u thousand. Some Chief of
Division may conclude that the case has been
proved He sends il to a reviewing officer aud the
reviewing officer rejects It, recolleet examining
within the last two weeks where two special
examiners in the field had examined and cross
examined the witnesses and reported very strongly
in favor of the allowance of the application; yet
the reviewing officer in the Pension Bureau rejected
/ the claim on the express ground that there
proof that the disability had been incurred in the
army notwithstanding the fact that the Army
Surgeon had positively sworn, not only in afli
davit which fled but before the Special Exam
iner, that the man was in the ambulance corps and
/ that this disability wss incurred while he
| member of the ambulance corps; that the Surgeon
knew him intimately and treated him for the disa
/ bity. Notwithstanding the fact that there was
e the strongest kind Of evidence of the character
and credit of this Surgeon, showing that he SO
careful in fling afidavits that the members of his
/ regiment found fault with him, yet the reviewing
officer rejected the case the ground that there
was evidence Of the incurrence Of the disability
/ in the army.
| / recollect another case-a case that has gone
through thisa Congress-which was rejected by
throwing out the testimony Of q man who was in
| the battle where the applicant for a pension had
ON the ground that the record showed that the man
who gave the testimony was in the regimental hos
pifal mt the time OF the battle. though this same
witness was pensionsd for a wound received in that
| very battle.
Such i the character of the cases rejected some
times at the Pension Office when they happen to
/ get into the hands OF an unskilifnl reviewer.
/ Among n thousand employees you rnay have five
hundred or six hundred seven hundred good
ones, and you mays have others who are not so
good. It IN TO correct errors of this kind that we
meet here every Friday eyening-
PRIVATE BILLS.
| The following. heretofore passed by the SEN
ate were passed by the House and sent to the
President: Harriet widow of Cyranious Welch.
/ Co. 9, 3Sth Wis; Lydia o., mother of George
Il. Pomeroy, Co. Cf f1S6th N. Y; Marrilla. step
mother Of Daniel p. Parsons, Captain, Co. ID,
| lIth Mo. Cav; William III. Beck, Co. X, Sth
Iowa; Robert HoIsey, Co. Ii, 9th Kan. Cav;
| Margaret, widow of Joseph Smith, Sergeant,
Co. II, 4th u. S. Inf, 90. II. 9Th U. s. Inf, and
| Co. B. 10th Kan; Stephen r. Smith. Co. c. 3Ist
Iows, increase to $50; Abel ComstOck, Co. G,
21st Ohio, increase 10 $50; Alfred Denny, Cap
tain and A. q. NJ; Mary j., widow Of Thomas
Nottage, Sergeant. Co 4, Sd N. H; James But
Ter, Co. L, 1st ". III. III. A.
The following House bills we're passed by
that body and sent to the Senate: Phebe H.,
widow OF Horace J. Mech. Second Lieutenant,
I'd n. Y. Vols, Mexican war, increase to $I5
| Peter Adams, Co. ID. l65th Pa; Patrick Muir
ply. seaman, u. s. ~: Lucinda, stepmother Oi
John Sawyer. Go. c, Sd Me-; Christopher c.
White, Co. A, lst Tenn; Thomas b. Walsh, Co.
ID, 10th Tenn. Cav.
oLEoHARGARISE
After more than two weeks Of almost contin-
uous debate the House passed the oeomarga-
rine bill after adopting several amendments
I fharafa Tlta q h.
tains the following features: Butter is de-
fined to DO food product made exclusively
from milk or cream or both, with or without
common salt aud with or without additional
coioring matter. Oleomargarine is defined az
:" all substances made of olemargarine, oleo
oleomargarine oil, batterine, lardine suene and
neutral; all mixtures and compounds of oleo-
margarine, oleo, oleomargarine oil, butterine
iardine, suene and neutral; all lard extracts
and tallow extracts; and all mixtures and com
pounds OF tailow, beef fat, suet, lard, lard oil
vegetable OIL annOttO. and other coloring mat
ter, intestinal fat aud ofal fat made in mita-
tion or semblanee Of butter, or when so made
calculated or intended to be sold as butter OF
for butter"
Special taxes are imposed as follows: On
manufacturers, 5000; on wholesale dealers
$50; on retail dealers, $46. The existing in
ternal revenue laws, so far as applicable, are
made to apply 70 these special taxes Penal.
ties are imposed on any person who shall deal
In oleomargarine without paying the special
tax Provision Is made for the proper stamp
ing and labelling of every package Of oleomar
garine- A tax OF i've cents pound is imposed
on all Oeomargarine manufactured and sold
and penalty Is prescribed for the purchase Oh
reception for sale Of oleomargarine not branded
or stamped according to law. number Of sec
tons Of the bill are devoted TO providing ma
chinery 10 carry the law into effect.
CHINESE INDEMNITY.
The Senate after considerable debate passed
the bill to pay Chinese for loss of property anC
injury TO persons by the riots at Rock Springs
Wyo., In September last, and appropriatinj
Sl5O,OO0 FOR that purpose.
EIGHT HOURS FOR LETTER CARRIERS.
The Senate passed bill providing that eigh
hours shall constitute q days work for letter
carriers who are now oFwho may hereafter b.
employed by or on behalf of the Government o
the United States, and there shall be no re
duction IN compensation paid for services rem
dered by reason of this Limitation of the houn
! of labor.
Iripleh Twice In About Year.
lGeorgefoisn (lfsiss.1 Adpoca!el
little more than year ago we recorded th
fact that Mira George Poore, of West Newbury
gave birth to tripets-two boys and girl TIL
girl lived but short time after birth and tn,
boys grew healthy and strong and are alive an
we'll to-day. Now we have the pleasure of record
ing an exact repetition of the circumstance
This week tripiets were again born to them