New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-11
COMPLETED FILES PLAN.
COMMISSIONER PAUM'S SCHEME TO SIM
Pity PENSION BUREAU METHODS,
THE COURSE OF SUPPOSED CASE UNDER TIE
OLD AND NEW METHODS-MAN1FoLD
EVILS OF TIE NEW SYSTEM.
inv ,r,rcp.pH tn THE TnIBCNEt
IpY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE

IpY TELEGRAPH TO THE TnIBUNEJ
wasbinrton sent 1O-Thc business Of the Bureau
OF Pensions wich-a, the United states Treasury deals
with The various appropriations by warrant and en-
blocs, without doubt. the largest discussing ohce'
In time OF peace which the world has ever seen. has
,ecome so complicated of late years 10y the ever
Increasing number of cases, hundreds OF thousands
of them being filed. that any new system which can
IN any way simplify liz methods should he ha!lcd
with pleasure hy everybody Interested THIS Rc''
boon to the hundreds oi thousand, of claimants WHO
arc in effect the Naiion'> wards is alleged Ia have
been discovered by Commissioner Ranm In hi, coni-
ueicd files and in common justice to him it, merits
or It's faults should after careful and honest V'euea-
,ion DC forth without fear or favor Inc Oe''c'
metlmd Of investigating these questions, which "c
necessarily intricate and obscure 10 those WI" arc VI"
familiar with Pension Office methods, Will pro'ipF "
, ,.kc a suypo>i,iliouS claim. and briefly follow at
least a norton of il, history, both under the OLD anu
the new methods c,
Ic, H.. for the sake of argument. say that 'arl
Gu,tay Anderson, of Company n. 10Th Miihc>"'" !"
f,u,ry Ina, on file claim No. $4,000 for rheumatism
and results lie has. let Us say, proved that Ms o'>
aldy occurred during service. His claim mas l'''N
,iu,c lccn recorded. jackctrd and numtercu' All
Examiner of Invalid Claims, william j. Jones' 1t, u
say, has the among II hGinbcF vi "'".''
lie il treating. and which. under Ms '''V'
ncnt rilr,i from the sccd-which l. inc '''''', ,.
claim fri filed I'm the Inircan- to Hover anu i',''
Thc., claims have Ionc>'s name all written "p"" '"o
Tan az I'm, thick white wrapper of The :" Jacket "P'"
ne side Of which, in printed places are iI>trcu nanny
rank COMPANY. regiment. r">'"h'c "'"''' w
fling disability for which PENSION j. ''a''"' ""'
the name Of the attorney. If there i one - W." ,
Iii, po>toiice address. The other wv" i"'"N w Wv
i,cIct- which /, closed at first with mucl'r' h'N'he
only two faccs-arr left for what are called the "'''
",all,," for record evidence or testimony
These CASES the property for IN" """' "'
Examiner Ionc,: they are charged To HIM" IN i'c
nj fec
c,ploycd in thc ~ e., asks all til" c\ainn"' Jones i"
ended. whether he want ANY h"r' 'L>'>' JUN"
r,plr> after looking over his dc-h. YES w" '''''
liins me- down about twenty I'VE more. DOW" '""''
the ,a,c-, and Jones Reaches that "i '''' ""''''
Anderson. which has two or three letters
FINN the claimant who has attorney. lev IN" WAY
and roupl' pieces Of evidences u~" aild'\">' III
fact strapped 1t with rubber bands L""h'E on
the back of the Jacket. Jones finds Mig - -
d. c.: "Oct. L.. -. :. Co.; Ian. =. - tNo''
r, Paul MIMI. I'D" : Jan. =. -. ct since /" :"
.Exd Duluth u. I'd" "Ap. 4. - 'h ct. since
4, date" These notation~ are. all except III" E't ""
stricken through with the pen. and they mean i''
rc,ors of disability in service have been furn'"'i
from the Acknowledgement and TIE surgeon "'h''''''
that Anderson Ia, ben twic" examined uI 'h' "o"
states Examining Boards. and HI d>aoli'E i"n'" !"
.>,, and rated is also that continuance since
Service from 40 date has not been furnished
Examiner Jones takes up tbs case. 1T IL ~av. InN
10 las: and. finding TWO afidaNits Of reputable
ubvsican, giving the testimony for cOntinuan'" up l"
date finds the complete for rhelhid'i>l' u"
original disease: briefs IT for "aInIi>>i"h f"r r"r"
masul-: and puts the results" under Order 81.
That i, to say, they have been waived or proper
evidence 10 prove them has not been filed. or the
boards Of surgeons failed find dat" for the rate
for them. The case goes to the l"a'u oil hc'cW,
passed by the reviewer: thence 10 the McdlcH DIV
SION who fix the rating and finally after rating III
red ink TO the Certificate Division where it receives
4 bc,y
muslin and a red certificate number etc. etc.. Inc
soldier receives his pension, and his case h'"hs>
khcnceforih, 10 what known a. the "auini'''1
blcs.' ..,v ,or,,no,o
: This of course would have been rarely fortunate
end most rapidly adjudicated claim An hohe'' p"'
IGNORANT Swedc let Us too poor or possibly 10"
thrifty to employ an attorney. has MS e''crs anu
hfhdavits. perhaps, prepared for nothing OF ior d
mere song, by some ncghborS or some IrehoIS
Justice of the peace or notary public lie mas oo
aimed his first allowance for the original disability
as has been seem but from hi rheumatism IA,
1o>sbly resulted special trouble, Toe "ho'"f a'"N''
perhaps eventually insanity. y, he tres l" c>
iabli.h-or hi, wife does his guardian his calm
for these possibly obscure results. the troubles e'
thick and fast. Testimony j. hard t" Obtain possibly
expert medical evidence i, called for; much wrtiii
has to be done; the laws delays become b'N'"'
the case seems to him hopeless. 1hci I" crown IL
all come, to him or hi, relatives the cnniilhsH "c
yi>ed circular relative to the admitted files. lheS
have in part. gotten used to the old system; hers
comes possibly through his Representative, Some
thing entirely ncw-n the shape OF an once 'I.'h-
lar cnbodying the now celebrated oidrr l1l.
The hr,t plan adopted IN the admitted hIe'' re-
lated only To the claimants, whom permitted l" apply
to have their ca,c- placed therein. Ent iac H"hcht
the scope Of these ii"> was 30 enlarged - l"
permit attorneys To have claims Placed There IL
O;cod the door at that great scramble among
them 10 have their cases placed upon the" he
Knowing we'll that. whether COinp!ri"d or not, INN
being 80 placed maxi, them at "n'e Practically
There arc already files for ncrIl, each one If III"
great division, Of the l.Ilcau III n"w 'r" almost
doubles them. The cd,', have I" u" cAii"liiu over
and again under the new ~ tim, l." Il "fii!"
whether They q not "coiipl"t".' Whrt"d-.
Under the Old methods. the ecanincf> wien ia" ci,"-
,ycr, complete" und - 10y themselves IA the REGULAR
order Of their work bIicr and sent them iOrWdd.
The completed nl'>" system has tih"I much u: the
force from IT. REGULAR work. has cost The 'Uv' Yiinrn
rlany Thousands q! dollars and a~ h"",>ly bci":."d
and embarrassed even the most Ini". zen; clerks II.
their work. Nor" than mi, IL render, "a" rclci'l"n OF
an attorney almost iupcraIvc!i h"tr--ary to ignorant
claimants who haVr hone. wuI' II "bNF'u>N ana I'M
lcTativcly mahc~ rc'".,dIy the ifGin- "i such dt'"r
res have neither IL" I"t"> nnu'"r %: 'a,'N on
Glc the ,irnn.'-t pull upon H." Ohio /" mo" al
once the proper weight Wich should j." given I" Nti"
nicntS made ~ The Iu!ran a. I" III" nIu"r "i clam"
allowed for Gi: ...it at iu":, Within gwen time" 1t
may i stated that some wr,.~ t,cncrJ Iluin gay"
ont pres 81 the country statement h;' ~r
many hundred thoaid claim, had been filed under
tally ~ tie Mail Division C:lici"d ht I'm" l"'.o"
from INA, mai. l., thr Record Division they nadr
rccouut. aud even tina; -"v'd dIil"rrn''. 81 "'r
$1,000. II l. G"ihtul If they have T. uii> das aNcr:
ttin@ The correct uuuii,':.
Th,~c pcrsu,i- who c"ncoci"i IN" new -: tenn have
h"pc">-N cntIiigrd the whole cpnpii' stl nI'h"N
Of the bureau have permanently injured the bi-lin -
Of the Thousand, of 'imii~. and have ncc'r>,M III,
posed a buricn upon the United STATES Treasury Oh
thousands of dollars.