The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-09-30
A Great Machine That Needs Competent Head
to Revise and Simplify Old Rules and
Introduce BusinesS-Like Ideas.
Preparations for Opening the Interna-
tional American Congress This Week.
Assignment Of Commanderies in the Templars'
Parade-Kellogg Said to Have Been Fore
warned About Secretary Tracy's Order.
PENSION OFFICE METHODS.

Red-Tape Regulations which Are Costly to
the Government and Worry Claimants.
Special to the Indianapolis journal
WASHINGTON, Sept. 29.-The next Com
missioner of Pensions will be confronted
with a proposition to abrogate some of the
rules which have been followed in the Office
for many years, and which are notoriously
unjust, as well as foolish. The truth is the
Pension Office is great machine which has
had no head for many years. 1t would seem
to those who have had much business be-
fore the Office that its extent was never
comprehended by any of the Commission
ers. Five or six hundred men and women
seem to be running desks independent of
each other and to be conducting business
on their own hook. One of the customs
which has been followed most tenaciously,
and which has worked the greatest harm
and loss of time, is that in connection with
calls for additional testimony to make cases
complete. 1t is almost impossible to have
a case taken up in the Pension Oflice-and
this trouble has existed for ten years--and
secure its completion on the same basis that
a case in court would be finished. When a
claim is made special it is put in the
hands of an examiner and taken out of its
regular order for immediate consideration.
That examiner runs through the testimony
till he reaches a missing link. de then puts
the case back where 1T came from and i'm
mediately writes letter TO the claimant,
stating that it is found that certain testi-
mony is necessary In order to make the
cass complete. The claimant. generally
through an attorney. proceeds to secure the
desired testimony, and sends 1t on to the
Pension Office. This is jacketed and re-
ferred to the pigeon-hole where the original
papers rest. The case then is in the same
position it was originally, except that 1t
has the additional testimony. Another or
der from the Commissioner is necessary in
order to secure it's consideration. That IS
to say, the Commissioner must again order
the case TO be made special in order that 1t
may be taken up for consideration. When
it is again taken up by the clerk that pre-
sumptuous official continues to read the
testimony till he finds another missing link.
He then repeats his request TO the
claimant for additional testimony, and
hole the same as before. Again it is
necessary to order the case TO be made
special and it is probable that three or four
times this order of proceedings is repeated.
up for immediate consideration is often de-
layed in this manner for years and years
till the claimant is dead aud the heirs-at-
law become of age:
If a case of this kind was u court, and
the Judge on the bench should direct that a
hearing should be given. tie case would be
taken up and when testimony was found
missing in order that the hearing could be
completed, it would simply stand aside
till the witnesses were produced, when it
would proceed. 1t is nov SO iE ths Pension
Office. Common sense does not seem TO
prevail in many of the branches there. In
stead of the clerk laYins aside case when
it is made special anu when = has to call
for additional testimony. anu king 1t up
and proceeding to It's conrletion,
he refers it back 10 the pigeon
hole. BY this process rine eases
out of ten are given very little .prefcrence
by simply being made spaCiai. II all of the
testimony needed to make : case complete
was stated in the first letter 10 the claim
| ant, the greatest possible facility would be
| given the work; but this idea seems never
to have occurred to those III charge OF the
Pension Office.
This custom will be abolished if the in
| fluence of men in Congress who have much
| business before the Pension Office can
avail anything. 1t is proposed that the
| Secretary of the Interior aud the assistant
secretary shall meet the Few Commissioners
| of Pensions his deputy and some of his
| principal chiefs; that there shall be gem
| eral understanding as to the procedures
and general policies, ard that when the
| new Commissioner of Pensions shall take
| his Office there shall not only be harmony,
| but business-like idea of what Is to be
| done in rhe office