The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-10-24

crease OF pension, to take effect from Il
long anterior date, and to have been against
the repeated testimony of men not only com
petent, but selected to determine the caseh
The secretarys letter then continues:
Will not go into the other cases. They are
before Won. | have said enough, tAluh' 70
show that tho secretary may we'll call a halt uh-
til these cases can be more carefully examined
l notice that you say in your letter To- III may
you have such regard for your own olhclaI anu
personal reputation. and the reputation OF your
bureau that you will not permit these cases 10
remain as thew are at present, mt VIII oruer
each one of the claimants for medical eHamlna-
ton before men whose word upon mcdlcal
points will be unchalenged when stated, ana
will stop at nothing which shall keep al talnt OF
suspicion from the action OF your OthGe Inns
certainly would be proper proceeding II IL NJ
feCted the question IN hand, and l appreciate
your desire to maintain the integrity OF your
character an the legality Of your proceedings
but 1t is not the question what may yet anu
hereafter be found cut about these men The
question is
WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE
upon the record as it stood when the Judgment
was rendered, and the mateTiallty and impOr-
lance OF this question arises, not only from the
effect 1t have upon the particular individuals
named in these several papers, but upon the
course of procedure that will affect, II IT goes
on unchecked and unIGmedIed, the vast sC!nS 0f
money at the command of the government.
which might be distributed Illegally and sum-
marily, to those who are not as much entitled to
it tens OF thousands whose cases nave not
strong and great, and has at its command
a surplus that other nation has ever had,
but If sums Of money to the amounts above
mentioned NAV be granted without any further
consideration OF fact or law than seems to have
been given i'll the sc cases. it will depend solely
on single officers disposition whether the re-
sources OF the government shall be sufficient for
its maintenance or not. There are more than
enough of these applications aleadY IN the field.
and increasing daily. to exhaust indeed the sur
plus, Of which 80 much has been SAID IN couNec-
tiOn with this matter, and am informed That
the applications for reratluGS are greatly on the
increase, and now reach the amount of from
seven to eight the usand week. l do not ask
desire, so far as | am concerned, rc-eXaml-
nation of these applicants: but what l insist
upon ia that there
SHALL BE A RECONSIDERATION
Of these allowances on the Record, and that any
further allowances for them that may he made
shall be made in due course Of proceedings upon
new application, new evidence and without any
advancement of the cases before those Of others
equally mpritOliOus y Your statement
that tho pension board Of review reported that
out OF tweuty-fOur cases re-rated one was
broadly and TWO reasonably open to suspicion.
in connection with what | have already pointed
out in these other cases indicates that there is
enforcement of the law i'll these mat
tiers than has been recently prac-
ticed for the public safety. But when it
becomes q question Of official authority and Of
fetal responsibility, and the good of the people.
the preservation of the treasury and the melting
out of exact justice to all and giving the pen
!
rights and same sums OF money as to him who,
by official influence, attempts to get his claim
preferred. shall act. as l am doing in The pres
ent instance, regardless Of personal COnsldeTa-
lions, and intent upon the strict and exact en-
fOrCement of the law.
| The secretary further says that he intends
to have all these cases rec xamined and has
ordered an investigation of the practices of
the pension Office and that he will defer any
further orders until the investigating board
reports The letter closes as follows: II
write this that you may be fully advised Of
my views and purpose and my belief in my
authority to control all abuses in this de-
partment by whatever means deem legal
and efficient"
THE FIRST INSTALMENT
Secretary Noble Intends in few days to
give to the press the entire reports submit
ted by the board appointed TO investigate
Commissioner Tanners administration of
the pension Office. The letter given to- night
! is but the first instalment Of what is to be q
vigorous defense of the position of the ad-
ministratiOn taken in relation to the man
agement of the pension Office under Tanner.
1t has been decided that the administrations
side of the case shall be given to the public
IN "a few days. The annual report Of the
! fiscal year 1SSS-S9 of the commissioner of
|
of the interior. There were at the close of
the year 489,725 pensioners There were
added to the rolls during the year the names
| of 81, 921 new pensioners, aud the names of
1854 whose pensions had been previously
dropped were restored to the rolls, making
an aggregate of 50, G75 pensioners
| added during the year; 16, 5O7
pensioners were dropped from the
| fnp
crease to the rolls of 81, 1913 names The
average annual value of each pension at the
close of the year is shown to have been
$138 Is. The amount paid for pensions
during the year was $S8. 275, 11328. The
total amount disbursed bv the agents for all
purposes was $50, 1871 968. A Amount paid
as fees to attorneys, $1.365, 5S3 Al. There
was disbursement of $14, 515.72 for the
the payment of arrears of pensions in cases
where the original pension was granted prior
| to Jan %, 1879, and the date of commence
ment of pension was subsequent to discharge
or death. In the aggregate l ,24S, 14G pen
sion claims have been filed since 1861 and
| in the same period 769. 121 have been al
| lowed. The amount disbursed on account of
! pensions since 1861 has been 81 ,O52 21S,-
| 413 II. The issue of certificates during The
year shows a grand total Of 145,29S. OF
this number 81, 921 were original certih-
Gates
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS
Commissioner Tanner recommends the es-
Enlistment of two additional pension agen-
cies to relieve the overwOrked offices at
Columbus, Ohio; Chicago, Indianapolis and
| Topeka, Kan. He recommends that con-
| gress be asked to amend the act of June 6,
! 1874, so as to extend the benefit of all ben
sion laws as to rates to all pensioners whose
pensions have been granted by special
acts passed subsequent TO said date.
and that the benefit of pension he
| granted to the widows IF soldiers
who died from causes originating in the ser
vice prior to March 4, 1861, during the time
of peace. He further recommends, as did
his predecessor, that the act of March 3
1877, be amended so as 10 grant pensions 10
those who, having participated in the rebel
lion against the United States, subsequently,
enlisted in the navy and were disab ed
therein. The act referred to confines its Op-
erations to those only who under the same
conditions, enlisted in the army of the United
States. The commissioner calls attention tC
many irregularities in the rates of pen,
sions Eighteen dollar per month, it ap
pears, Is the highest rate of pension which
may be proportionately divided for different
degrees of disability if such disability or dis
abilities are not equivalent to the loss of {
hand or a foot. If, however, pensionerNhal
lost hand, for which existing law now pro
vides the rate of $50 per month, and hal
also received in the service and line of duty
an injury OF the back, for example, which
would alone entitle him to q pension of So
per month, he can receive nothing in excess
of $50 month for
THE COMBINED DISABILITIES
resulting from the loss of his hand, and hi
, said injury, unless, by reason of them he /
totally helpless or nearly so, as to requir
! the constant aid and attendance of anothe
person, for which degree of disability tn
rate of $50 month can now be granted. !
will be seen, he says that the pensioner il
! such Case actually receives nothing TO
| his said injury aa n loss Of hic hand 81