The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-10-04
They Will Not Be Taken Out Of Their Regular
Order. Unless the Claimants Are Physic-
ally Unable 10 Support Themselves.
Land Office Decision Giving Honest
Homesteaders tine Benefit of Doubt.
Effort to Secure Supreme Justiceship for
Michigan Lawyer-The New Chinese Min
lister Presented to the President.
ExPEDIT1NG PENSION CLAIMS.

None Can BE Made Special Without Great
Detriment to Other Applicants.
Special TO the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3.-An impression is
sustained by most pension claimants
throughout the country relative to making
cases special at the Pension Office which
operates great injustice. There is a be-
lief that it is only necessary for Senator.
Congressman or other influential person to
make demand at the Pension Office to
have a case taken out of its regular order
and pushed through to completion. This
is gross error. There have not been so
cases made special at the Pension Office
since the 4th of last March, although it was
charged against Commissioner Tanner that
he was making cases special by wholesale.
and had taken thousands of them out of their
regular order and pushed them through.
During the early part of the administra-
ton of Commissioner Black a circular was
issued from the Pension Office, in which it
was stated: "It is that theexpedition ofone
claim must be at the cost of delay to thou
sands of others, and therefore the discre-
ton which is lodged in the Commissioner
must be exercised with reason and Judg-
ment. and he has established as prerequisite
to the favorable consideration of an appll-
cation for special action that said appli-
can't must set forth as follows: Such cir
| cumstances as will Justify the action of the
Commissioner in the minds of those whose
claims will be put back, as extreme age, or
| threatened dissolution of claimant, or de-
| pendence of the claimant on charity, or
| other like special and urgent reasonsvwhich
| may be particular to the case and which
must be submitted to the discretion of the
| Commissioner for his approval or disap-
proval. These statements must be veri-
| fled by the oath of the claimant making
| them or of some reputable party acting for
| him.o'
There were many thousands of demands
| soon after the incoming of the
present Commissioner for special and
| irregular action on pension claims. and 1t
| became necessary even before Commission
| er Black retired from the Office to rigidly
/ enforce the above order, and it is enforced
at this time. 1t is positively asserted In
| every instance that case cannot and Will
| not be made special. and taken out of it's
regular order without it is shown that the
| claimant is either physically In a precari-
| Gus condition or is being supported by pub
| lie or'private charity. ALI other applica-
| tions for making pension claims special are
| rejected, and no amount OF influence
| seen that wherever the claim of one pen-
sioner is n; ade special the work for another
T! claimant must be dropped. that the special
| case can be given attention, and thus a
| great wrong is wrought upon one claimant
| by favoring another, unless there are un-
| usual reasons for making the case special.
| The only thing that pensioners can do TO
| expedite their claim Is to complete their
| testimony in their cases as rapidly as possi-
| BILE when they are notified by the Pension
i Office what is needed in the way OF eyi-
| dence.j