Omaha daily bee., 1888-08-31
DOCTORED PENSION RETURNS
How Commissioner Black Makes a
Big Showing.
NO ADJOURNMENT OF CONGRESS
The Prospects For n Continuous Ses-
sion Very Favo rabIe-A Sample of
Alleged Democratic Economy
miscellaneous.

Blacks Misleading Record.
WASHINGTON BUREAU THE OMAHA BEE, !
513 FOURTEENTH STREET, :
WASHINGTON. d. c., August 80.
The annual report of the commissioner Of
pensions abounds in statistics. Ore of the
strongest points made by the commissioner
is in regard to the increase in the number of
certificates issued for the time between the
years Of 1856 and 1888. Compared with those
issued in the fiscal years between 1882 and
1885, an increase of 16S,316 is shown. Cen
eral Black does not explain that this increase
was caused by changes in the pension laws
making increases on account of amputations
and increases from s. to sl2 allowed to
widows and dependent relatives. A new
certificate had to be issued in each of these
cases and these taken altogether will amount
to considerably over one hundred thousand.
An analysis of the balance of the figures
would probably show that like deception has
been practiced. The commissioner neglects
to state that the number Of cases
n the special examination division increased
nearly ten thousand within the last fiscal
year. The cause of this increase is directly
the consequence of the inefficiency of en-
ployes now in the field composed largely of
new appointees. A case is sent to the board
of review or special examination division
when testimony is insufficient. The commits
sioner also fails to state in his report that he
has been absent from his Office about one
hundred and sixty days during the past year.
cr that the principal part of the business of
his Office has been approved by stamped sig
nature which is not even fac simile and
that this stamp has been employed outside of
his own room. Pension certificates have
been stamped and other documents approved
when the commissioner was not only outside
of the pension building but away from the
city. All the commissioner asked
on his return from his numerous
absences was in regard to the
number of cases which had been ground out
and his only complaint was when they have
not been sufficient in number to swell the
record.
General Black, it is remarked, has also
been careful to avoid any allusion to his de-
tail of the chief of the special examination
division for political investigation recently at
Cohoctan, N. Y, the expenses of which were
paid out of the fund for the investigation of
pension claims. Examiners were detailed
on several missions which can be given in
detail if necessary and which have caused
the work of the special examination division
to drag fast behind.
A CONTINUOUS SESSION PROMISED.
Estimates are being received by some OF the
house committees for the compilation of the
appropriation bills iE the next session of this
congress, beginning in December. A number
of calls have been made on departments for
information to be used in the compilation Of
the next series of appropriation bills, indi-
eating that the chairmen of at least some of
the committees and the heads of the depart
ments are laboring under the impression that
there will be continuous session of this
congress-.
When it was first suggested, three or four
weeks ago, that it was probable that there
would be no regular recess, and the session
would continue right along, there was pro-
test from almost every man in congress. It
was very remarkable state of affairs, such
as was never encountered before, except
possibly in one or two instances, and the
statesmen could not see how they were going
to live without their usual three or four
months vacation, especially in view OF q
national campaign.
AS the session wore n the interest in the
work increased, and senators ana representa-
tives alike began to agree thatt they would
as leave remain here as 90 home and into the
campaign, and then a few actually began to
work to have the session prolonged. There
are majority of the senator's it is believed,
who prefer to have the session run right
along to having recess and being called
home on the stump. If they thought that a
recess was probable they would impede the
way. 1t is the belief now that there will be
| a fortnight's recess at election time, and then
congress will continue as though it was the
dead of winter. 1t is clear case of "freeze-
out" between the administration and the
democrats in the house on one side and the
republican senators on the other side.
SMALL BORE ECONOMY.
One of the smallest pieces of political
economy ever practiced by the house was
| that of rejecting, the other day, the appro-
priaton of $3.50, 900 put by the senate into the
| sundry civil bill for the purpose of investi-
| eating and inaugurating system by which
| the millions of acres of arid lands could be
| irrigated and made productive.
It is stated at the general land office that
| there is now enough arid land to make tract
| larger than two of our largest states, and
| that it can all be reclaimed by irrigation at q
| cost of less than cents an acre on the prn-
| ciple proposed or suggested by the senate.
| The house, however, refused to allow the
| appropriation, simply because it would raise
| the general aggregate to the extent Of the
| sum named. The principal object in making
] the appropriation was to investigate the
| practcability of certain plans Of irrigation
| proposed by the land office-among them the
| reservoir system-and it is a little remark
| accept an opportunity to let democratic sec
| retary of the interior disburse this amount OF
| money, not to mention the bad policy of de-
featng a plausible enterprise.
| MISCELLANEOUS.
Senator Manderson will tomorrow make a
| favorable report from the military committee
| on the bill extending the bounty relief that
is now granted to veterans who were dis
| charged on account of wounds received
| prior to the expiration of the time for which
| they enlisted. The auditing officers have
| held that soldiers are not entitled to bounty
! where they were discharged from service fol
sickness or other disability than wounds.
Mr.. E. G. Snyder, Of the Omaha Excelsior
after an inspection Of the sights in Washing
ton, left for Nebraska this evening, accom-
panied by his wife. PERRY S. HEATH.