New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-20
THE PENSION INVESTIGATION.
SOME POINTS The COMMITTEE NIGHT HAVE
OBTAINED.
LEMON AND THE COMPLETED FILES SYSTEM
HOW CLEyELAND'S PENSION VEToES
WERE rsEpARrD-opEEATIoNS OF
POOR AND VAN MATER.
t.y rsLxcaApH 10 THE rxIsuSA.l

waehincop, Sept. l0.-It Is pcrhsps matoo OF
reg>t that In the recent visit 70 the Pension nule
OF tile specal committee OF tbs House sppou"o :" Az
vn.ticatc the charges against General haun "ep.o
sentative Sawyer's Endorsement Of Raun's request ~,
th., subpoeua of every employe who has been pro.
800 urdar his administration OF the duoe did not
nreyail some OF the l35 CLERKS SO prUaoteo nhsn.
rnder tudicious cross.examinatiou have dcVoiopen
some interesting information relative 10 uie "'.'''
obtained from the operation OF tho ne"''ans1eu ~!
tom Known as completed hlcs.' so warmly councn
ne Assistant Secretary Butsey and others, ana recently
s;c,serd az some length in these dispatches mdcc"
same Of these rcsulx arc not Udle pecuiu' AZ n''
nan claimed before the committee. for instance D!
c.r,dn lofty denitaries both OF Do Pension Hu.on
and The Interior Department uat " 1ss os
under tho completed ties' system TO fa'" az! ~
cular attorney, and that George L. NeSA
taicly NOT been so favoren 49, .,or.
~ a. a matter Of fact, the latter has sways
had large contingent Of his friends and '~shers
ousyteed upon tho United States Bureau os Fone'
Under tho administration OF "thc physi'a. 49,
which General Raum 50 delights 70 nohor' ~ WIS -.
thoroughly understood as It Is To-Day tna' mr.
Elry, the able ad'utant ono euos $780,. rI,h
pension attorney referred to. had more "nucaoo wa.
the Commissioner Of Pensions than any one eiso iSa'
and when CLERKS tn trouble Or seeA'nS AH'"'
the advice was frequently whispered: ~.
"Look here you'd better 90 ana see 'o'nnla' ~
Elroy ON the quiet. and ges HIN TO put IN s0on "oN
for sou" x ..,,,o
IN addition to this II sud that since the incomns
n, The present Republicup Administration MP. Lemon
has he'd accorded 10 mui: IN VARIOUS ways, nun''.'
ID appontmepts. some say a. man! as iorS I'LL w.
the bureau before which his vast and daily inern'
business Is transacted. 1t Is hardly probable thec
fore-ss mare clerks 10 the Pension ONCE uno NV
the Commissioner or bis deputies pass upon the I'm
no-tant oueson whether cases arc or ar not COM
n,e.H. for submission TO the Board OF Rcvic~-t'so
| W. Lemons Interests will be neglected. 70 so! ~
probable degree, OF that any large Nu"''c' W u"
osses which 1t may be possible 20 squeeze ''Houe"
as ready for acnon will fall TO icsiGo 04o oouP''"N
lies" .,,... 80
| u appears that Jarob II. Van Mater. assisted by
| eaur,. ACCOMPANIED tue investigating committee VI
| such progress as they made through INC Tel's""
Duld.ng aod obviously enough the special e1nmipsu"o
division. which evidently cootars several Rcpuhi' NJ
employes who absolutely retuss TO bend inc the" l"
Northumberland or 0therwise-sent 70 TIC lTiDn'o
some valuable Information upon that WIS Jay, "o''"
might To hay an abiding Interest not o2ly 10 the COM
,,tec which submitted 10 the soGte gucancc OF uc
au,,able Won Mater but also to every patriotic ana
| sell. res citing veteran throughout u.c liiid
| Tho Tribunc's pew informant writes to the chcco
that when Cleveland's famous voices OF the Con-
ss,onaI spccIo acts for the relief Of Union veterans
| we're made they were all prepared In the Pchsi'n
,r,reau Democratic newspaper. 1: will se rcneh'-
be>cd were died at the tine with asfcles harTauhS
With ghoulish glee" how ,calously ue great reforu
President sat through the hot ana Oplcssu'R "ca~'o'
wrt.!ac in his shirt sleeves the pension Vel PES WHICH
CARED terror and dismay TO so man. ANXIOUS hear.
The cases. saws the special examiner. when troueA'
down from the Congressional committees. were Nvcn
out 10 carefully selected men, principally employed ID
the Boartl of Review. 20 make out brclS Oh 'ho
oo,nts IN each claim upon which the vctOes were u
| he Formulated Ono Of the employees selected To MS
lasting credit brcfcd up ns csses 80 as 10 show that
Congress was perfectly justified aud CORRECT II passing
sn.cal acts for the relief Of tile various beneAcierss
| hereunder.
Now the Isbors Of th,. honorable man by no means
suited the plans Of Jacob r. Van Mater then o. no"
chief OF the Boasd OF Review. and OF Frederick W.
Poor at that tlnc chief Of the Boord OF Re-rcvlew
who had charge Of the work-a work indeed, cnn0hoy
suited to their politics. which are OF that peculiar
kind knswn Is reversible these patriotic sol
der loving worthless iucontnenuy bounced" him Of
the detail and selected willing tool 10 his place
The completed briefs for these veto messages vert
reviewed and edited personally by tcse two Chiefs
copied by tyoewrtcrs under their supervision, end thu
/ typewrittcn copies talen ny to Cleveland oy "tn
| physical wreck ,.. .a
several names II witnesses. all Of them exsoders ~
some OF them severely wounded while IN service, VIII
s test Gy' to NJ the ruth as it IS IN Raum." And re
these the two men. the hrst OF whom never wSs
Army and the SECOND S Of whSm rs seses
Wsuin so fondly chcrshcs. eulog,ing Van Mater Wit
unstn.I praise before the House Committed on Az
q s ana Sa Flushing .esou n 9s 70 aISs
. other. such crotcsque antics would hardly be ex
d pccted nom man who not only was a general 0
member Of the GRAND Army Of the Republic. who I
the ocsl guardian Of all the wounded sGtrs an
sailors their widow; ana orpnsns ana aom'S'es IN
g !; is to be feared thai the Investigating comniitte
. Of :" visiting statesmen" fell into bad hands