The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-18
GENERAL BLACKS METHODS.
Colonel Dudley Reviews the Statements
Made in the Democratic Hand Book.
False Representations Exposed and SANDER.
Gus Charges Refuted-How the Pension
Office Is Conducted Under Gen. Black.

A correspondent of the Tribune called the at
tention of ex-Commissioner Dudley to the first
hundred pages of the Democratic Hand book"
which is devoted to an attack upon the Republic
an administration Of the Pension Office, and
asked if he had examined this matter, and if 80.
what he had to say about it. Col Dudley re-
Piled
Il have examined the pages you mention. and
am convinced from the internal evidence con-
tanned in the matter presented that it must have
been prepared in the Pension Office 1t seems
to be method adopted by the Commissioner OF
Pensions to bolster up the outrageous charges
contained in his official report for 1885, and is
undoubtedly his way of bringing into notice q
lot Of questionable evidence and ex psrte tes-
tmony which he attempted unsuccessfully to
bring before the senatorial investigating COM
mittee. All his efforts to lay before
that committee this ex parte evidence or So
called testimony were met by the committee with
a refusal to receive the same in that form, but
he was requested to furnish the committee with
the names and addresses of all the persons whoae
testimony he wished to lay before the committee
in the form of ex paTte afidavits and with
offer to send for the persons and put them upon
the stand, in order that they might be cross-eX-
amined and their testimony scrutinized Mr.
Black seems to have resorted to this ad captain
dunn method, hoping thereby to poison the pub
lie mind with statements grossly incorrect and
perverted without there being any opportunity
for the public to know the motives which actu-
ated the atlantis or those who procured their
testimony at government expense.
"As an evidence of the utter unfairnesS of the
whole production | would c5ft~your attention at
the very outset to what Mr.. Black calls the cone
spiracv of $780, He sets out letter addressed
By one Burke to the then Commissioner of Pen
sons. and also an Endorsement thereon by the
secretary of the Republican national committee,
but does not present any evidence whatever
tending to show that the Commissioner of Pen
sions granted any of the requests preferred In
that correspondence He does state that there 10
no doubt in his mind but that the requests were
complied with.
'He cites and dwells upon the increase of the
force of special examiners during the summer OF
1884, and seeks to give the impression that that
force was created purely for political purposes.
The truth is that the law authorizing the APP
pointment of the $50 special examiners was
passed by a Democratic House with the provisC
that the appointments should be made under the
civil-service regulations and that no examiner
should serve in the State from which he was ap.
pointed. These provisions were inserted at tho
request of the Commissioner of Pensions, and
resulted IN the appointment OF tWothlrdS
of the number from newly exam
ined applicants through the civil service
method without regard to their political
utilization or anything except the standing they
had attained in the civil-service examinations
and their peculiar fitness for that peculiar work,
growing out of their experience in business, pro-
1eSS1OnS.
naming one-third were selected by detail from
clerks experienced IN the office.
HE states as a notable fact that upon a de-
creasing number of cases on hand for examinA-
ton the number of special examiners was stead
iy increased That is true but the inference To
be drawn from it is exactly the reverse of the in
ference he seeks to convey. The new force or
special examiners in that year was given because
of the great number of cases assigned for special
examination at the homes of the applicants, and
Of fha await IN IA
field speedily to complete the work. The pro-
vision of the law creating the force, that they
should be employed but for one year, made IL
necessary for immediate appointment in order %
get as much service as possible from them within
the fiscal year for which the appropriation was
available. While it is possible that the political
zeal of some individuals may have led them III
overstep the orders of the office in that regard
yet the universal testimony throughout tho
country has been that they studouslv observed
the orders of the Commissioner or Pensions is
sued on the 9th of March, as follows:
pension OFFICE, WASHINGTON, March 6, '84.1
SPECIAL EXAMINATION DIVISION,
DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR.
ITO Special Examiners:
'As the time approaches when politics become the
universal and often the sole touic of conversations
special examiners will find tmore difficult than ever
to obey the injunctions laid upon them when going
out that they should in wise participate while
duty land except when upon leave of absence they
always duty in political discussions by word on
act The functions of special examiners are those OF
Judicial officers seeking for the true facts in IN
trusted to them; and they viii not only commend
themselves to the community in which they respect
lively work but insure the best result to their work
and themselves by perfect retcence all topics Of
political character. 1t is hoped that each examiner
will heed this timely warning and to such effect that
10 just criticism can be alleged against him on This
ground. WILLIAM w. DUDLEY. Commissioners.
Every special examiner then in the service
and every special examiner appointed after that
date received that circular and had impressed!
y hxyf hn hat Vokr 81
superiors that he was in no manner to perform
any political service By the custom of the de-
partment and the recognition of the law every
government employee receives what is called au
annual leave of absence OF thirty days with pay
Most men who cared for their citizenship in years
when elections occurred reserved this leave of ali
Sence for the time of election, and as far as posi-
BILE availed themselves Of the privilege to
go to their respective homes and exercise their
right of suffrage. When upon such leave OF ab-
sence they are not amenable to the department.
and it has been universally recognized, when
thus disconnected from the Office as perfectly
proper for government employees to assist theiH
political parties by work, voice and vote. This
distinction was carefully observed in the Pension
Office The so-called shameless official reports
on page "a, were made by men who were on
such leave of absence apd from whom no such
report required, probably in an excess OF
zeal to show that they were working for thejI
political parties
ut is notorious fact am informed that O
large portion of the present Pension Office force
has been used in trayersing the country seeking
to find ignorant claimants, and putting wordl
into their mouths by unprincipled adherents oil
the present regime, in order to secure state.
ments in ambiguous language that might ba
used to bolster up the reckless charges of tue
bureau The Senate committee will fail of ita
duty if it does not expose and bring to the atten
ton of the country the gross misuse of official
power and patronage which has been resorted ia
in the Pension Office in order to make political
capital for the Democratic party. This
is shown by the mere fact that the corps OF
high-priced and high-paid clerks has been foI
six months engaged in compiling and editing
the refuse matter contained in this document,
whose services should have been applied, so far
as they were Of any value, to the settlement Of
pension claims and the long delayed business Of
that Office.
''The most casual reader Of the documer
rofnr 10 would risa frnrn te xrifn