The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-27
The Pension Sharks Have Divided
Over s37,ooO,OOo of It.
Since 1852.
And There is Yet in Sight for Them
21,8OOOOO, and Perhaps
More.
Some Of the Secrets of the Business-Con-
clusiOn of a Congressional Com
mittce


of S37, eco 600 since 1852! That is what the
government has paid out to the agents and
attorneys as their legalized share OF the
pensioners money. A billion OF dollars to
the old soldiers! That sounds large and
generous. Thirty-seven millions Of dollars
to the attorneys! That sounds larger and
scandalous. thousand millions to the
widows and orphans. the cripples and the
diseased! That is all right. Thirty-seven
millions to the men who furnished blanks,
drew up affidayits. addressed letters and
rendered such clerical aid as one-hur-
dredth part of this sum would bave been
ample compensation for.
Who're is the authority for this startling
statement? Read the answer in report /
Just made by the committee on invalid pen
sions, 1T has been estimated said the
committee, ''by gentleman who has an |
experience of twenty years in the depart
ment, and who has good facilities upon (
which to make an estimate, and who has I
availed himself of the opportunity to
watch this branch of the department work,
that an investigation of all the claims
passed since 1862 will show payment OF |
x37, 600 600 in fees to attorA eys and agents"
These were the legaiized fees. These 7
fees the government paid, deductlng them
from the first allowance to the pensioners.
The figures are not guess work. They are
we'll supported. Last month (November)
the fees were $19G,2o0. hat amount the |
government took from the pensioners.
money and handed over to the attorneys t
And it was not q good month either. me
total number of certificates issued was H. |
$50. That is below the monthly average.
Take the showing Of fees for the
fiscal year. From the best obtain
able information the showing for the |
twelve months is this:
Original claims. 66.5l7, upon which
20 of S25 is allowed. ............. =. S1,t6!,9!5
Increase CLAIMS alovel upon which u
fec Of $40 e.ch was paid, 1855 1880. 6l",61e
Reissue and other claims upon whoa a
fee Of $40 was aid, II, 16. :......;... i4!"So
se s!@'nS upon ~''SN '"''s Is no Zee 'll'"'''
Thus it is found that the soldier, his
widow and his orphans i'll obtaining their
pensions last year gave up to claim agents
82,454.515.
The records of the pension Office show
that from 1862 to 1880 there were allowed
AT 1852 claims. Upon each one of these the
law allowed the attorney $50. In earlier
years the amount was much more. But,
assuming $25 as the average, here we have
the disbursement of l1,a37.o5o.
II is upon the increase claims that the
pension attorney reaps his harvest. There
are very few pensions that have not been
1uCIcdbcO III IttSt OIlSe SllCc tuc OIlSildl Id
sue. Many have been increased from three
to seven times Growing disability and
more liberal laws promote increases Each
increase carries with it n fee of So Attor-
neys and agents do not hesitate to say that
increases have been more profitable than
original cases. This class of fees has
amounted to between Sl2,0OO,0OO and Sl5,-
100000. But the original and increase fees
do not comprise all of 1.-The fat" There
are the claims of minors and of depend
ent parents the re-rating and the vari-
Gus other provisions of the pension laws.
These have been good for other mil
lions. The estimate of $37,OOO.OOo is none
too large.
All the money was taken from claims al
lowed to pensioners. 1t was transmitted to
the attorneys by officials of the government.
There was no cost to the attorneys, not SO
much as a postage stamp. The great pen
sion bureau has been free collection
agency, wherein the agency assumed all of
the responsibility, both i'll the collection and
transmittal, without remuneration. The at
torney was at neither expense nor risk Tor
his fee.
What have the attorneys and agents done
to entitle them to $37, 100000 i'll fees? That
question is best answered i'll the words OF
the pension committee. That committee
is composed almost entirely of old soldiers.
Its members have given years to pension
legislation. Most of them are lawyers.
Certainly there could be no better expert
or more impartial testimony upon the sub
iect of pension attorneys services The
labor performed by the attorney" says the
report. Tin original cases Is sometimes
great, but in most cases the claimant Is
required to look up all evidence, and the
attorneys energies are conferred on fling
the same in the department and dunnlnG
the claimant for postage stamps, which the
present law allows him to demand from his
client. The work usually required III IN
IL - r,n~a cypN a
and in nearly all claims of this nature thu
report of the medical board Mt the claim
ants home determines the action of thu
department in granting or rejecting tn
claims. The usual course or securing N
increase of pension is for the claimant t.
furnish proof that his disabilities have IN
creased since last examination. This n
does by tie proper sworn testimony, usual,
of a physician, and for which he pays M.
money. This is sent to the attorney, who
at the expense of a slip of paper. an envelol
and a two cent stamp, sends 1t through TIM
mail to the department: first, however
sending the claimant blanks for Il power o
attorney and liberal supply of postag
stamps. This power of attorney. with tn
aforesaid medical testimony, IS Enclosed Z
the commissioner of pensions. with a re
quest that the claimant may be ordered be
fore the medical board of his own count
for the examination that shall decide hi
rights in the matter.
This usually terminates the attorney
work, and he can afford to wait, for tn
government is watching the claim with
careful eye and when the wheels tur
around to the case it comes out of the hol
per; the attorney takes the toll! and the We
eran the grist, and very often the toll an
grist are so nearly equal in size that it II
quires a set of apothecarv scales to dete
mine which is grist and which is toll. Di.
gusted with the small sum that is left hir
he is an easy pray to some one of the mar
agents whe assure him that he has not T
ceiyed proper rating, and another claim
made. that in time reaches the surface, az
in this way the old soldier is supporting
army in numbers each of which grows
wealth. not at the expense of the Cover
ment, but of the man who risked his lii
and health for his country in time of war
The airing of the pension attorney sea
DIAL Is not exactly case of locking the do
after the stable has been emptied. I
pension attor ney has fevcled in $S7, OGO,(
fees, but he has not retired. from busine
He IL in the midst of his harvest. He 81
has great expectations. There is even n
in sight the enormous sum of $91. 500, 600
be paid to attorneys if existing laws stal
The committee has figured it ont. Tn
have been filed in the pension DEPARTING
since the passage of the new law of June
1850. go 600 claims, and more are be-
added each day. This act grants a pens
according to the disability of the claima
from Is 70 &12. careful consideration
the claims already allowed under this
leads to the following conclusion. bal
upon the theory that all will be allowed. &
- %hnk Ill - 4