Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-10-24
ALL ABOUT PENSIONS.

scinding or Corporal Tanners Celebrated
Order.
WAsH1Nerov. Oct. 1s-The following
authoritative statement prepared at the
Interior Department in support of the
action of Secretary Noble in resembling
Commissioner Tanners order advancing
pensions from s. to "a per month in Ger.
tain cases has been given to the press:
In view of the recent decision by the Depart
ment of the Interior relating to the authority Of
the Commissioner of Pensions to arbitrarily of
his own will rerate some 80 600 men by advanc-
ing their pensions on his order from g to 81 per
month, 1t is worthy OF attenti. n that section
4,G95ll Of the revised statutes of the United
provides that: Except in case of permanent
specific disabi tiles no increase of pension shall
be allowed to commence prior TO the date Of he
examining surgeons certific ate establishing the
same made under the pending claim for increase
and also That a rating made by the Commits
sioner OF Pensions except in certain cases where
by law a specified amount is attached by statute
to the disability named is determined by the
degree Of dis ability found by medical ex-
animation of the claimant" Thus where
claimants disability is total he Is given under
the statute a fixed amount. This was formerly
" and is now fixed at different amounts for diff
ferent cases, among others SlS total and the
amount that would be S1S for total disable
ity'' is subdivided in fractions that is less
than tot al for lesser degrees OF disability. Thus
If one man is found to be very little disabled by
the medical board ne is given one-eighteenth
or 81, If he is still more disabled two-eight-
eentbs or 81 and if still more disabled three
eighteenths or "a and
A man, for instance has lost portion of his
finger and is thus to an appreciate cegree DIS
abled he may have been rated by some exam
lining board at 81 for that; and so in some other
for some other slight disability. IT, how
ever, he has suffered from chills malaria
some other disease contracted by him in the
swamps during his services as 4 soldier and
which may lot prove permanent or may IN
tn<,-r,r
able d, if at all, and entitled at the beginning
and almost to a small fraction of the total say
G., which is the amount fixed in many of the
disabilities allowed. In this latter it ght
have possibly been Il question with The board
whether he was to get any thing dis
abled at all. but from 1enient construction OF
his case they have given him 81. II now. by an
order Of the Commissioner, without re gard to
this medical examination. the who has
thus DSen receiving IL is advanced TO "a without
the man who was disabled and who has
been rated at 81 being himself advanced, it is
obvious that injustice is done the higher graded
man, because he Is put upon q par with a man
evidently less disabled. And so between SOL
der and soldier there is unfair preference of
the less injured. II these cases, however, are
all referred to the examining surgeons and they
find the disability to be equal to "a and it Is
then allowed. every thing has been done in due
order and according to law.
On the contra y, If arbitrary orders OF the
Commissioner are the basis, il must result that
a few are made favorites and given particular
amount and great masses of men " no have to
depend upon medical examinations are put at
great disadvantage. Therefore IL was decided
that there authority in law for order
arbitrarily increasing great mass of mems
pensions in the face of the statute already
cited and which order is not extended to all the
pensioners cases. The Commissioner. whose
order has given rise to this decision, in his
cent letter TO Mr.. Dalzel did not claim that his
order to be construed according to it,
for ha COLD 20 Carrn i0rlnr r
issued two orders which thought and still
think were mighty good ones: First, that the
$1,000 men on the pension roll at less than 81
month should all unless they had medical
examination within year, be ordered for
animation before their home board with n view
to putting them up to at least 81 per month pen
sion drop them of the rolls. for it was and is
my opinion that for a man who is worthy Of any
pension at all a dollar a week i, small enough
to consider pension" The order itself read:
April p, 1889 In all cases where pensonable
disability is foun the rate allowed shall not be
less Than 81 per month, to date from and includ-
ing March y, 1889"
The decision that was made by the Assistant
Secretary is in accordance with these prop
ositions. The Commis sioner announced one be-
fore he resigned his office; the other, after, to
Mr.. DalZeu The Assistant Secretary states
them together and not separately. The order
as made was arbitrary unqualified and required
an advance without examination to the amount
specified at 81 per month. 1t did not propose
% drop any one, the letter pretended it did,
and IL did not order any one for examination be-
fore the home board, the letter pretended it
did. 1t unauthorized, unqualified and
illegal order for every pensloner to be advanced
to 81 who was receiving less. 1t made
Apr - and it was proposed to have it take ef-
feet March %.
slight consideration of this matter will
show that to give away S550D a month of
public money on such an order this would be
but The b ginning of a system by which iliions
c0nld amended ed nv 1nw
was unauthorized by precedent. There would
be no more harm N giving to Senator Mander-
son 81, o. or more than there would be in giving
to 1900 men $4,000. In either case it would be
unauthorized distribution of the public
moneys and the door of the treasury might as
well be open 10 actual invasion to have such
warrants drawn upon it to be cashed without
questioning. 1t is al obvious that such 4
course as this would not be OF benefit to the
soldiers ultimately. as it is intended only to
benefit those are the least disabled in
other words, those who have the least claim for
disability. If one may judge that these men
are to be advanced upon a mere opinion as TO
what should be the least amount of pension,
the others might justly claim that their more
severe wounds and disabilities were quite as
uncompensated as those of less degree. In
other wor l. whenever the opinion OF "a Comm's-
sloner without investigation is substituted for
actual examination as to disability every mans
pension is put at risk either be so exag.rer-
ated as that the Government or people would
not allow it to be so dis paraged as that moth
ing could be obtained
II you can drop MIN who is receiving So per
month from the pension rolls mere opinion
of Commissioner you can drop on a grea,
many others receiving more Ih- same prin
ciplc. 1t is mere question of within and caprice
1t is upon this that it has been insisted that the
law should be adhered to and the precedents
established should have weight It also
be obvious il ali this that there is EXPIRE ssion
there is no disposition to prevent any deserv-
ing soldier from acquiring al, the pension his
disability entities Inn to, either by original
plication or application for increase. All that
is being done is to maintain the law. to be lib
orally construed, but by no means disregard I'll,
and to allow each in his turn, without partially
all he is entitled to. If the law is abandoned
the weak the distant and those without power
full friends will suffer while favorites will
flourish.
Another Brown Missing.
CHICAGO, Oct 1S-The News says W. II.
Brown. real estate dealer, is at present
out OF the city and is said to be a de-
faulter to the extent Of S.. 600. Many of
his patrons, we'll as the police ale
anxious 10 learn of his where ahoute