The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-06-27

Some Specimen Pensions.

The New York Herald gives some very strong
to confirm It's assertion that the government is
being defrauded of $4,000 900 year by fraudulent
pensions 1t cites the case of pension certificate No
I7OsS6, held by Daniel Robinson, formerly of Com
pany D, 14Sd New York Volunteers. This man was
discharged from the army July 90 1865, and fifteen
years later applied for pension on the ground of
disability from hernia. He was pensioned June 30
1880, at SIS per month from the date of discharge
But on March A. 1888, the special examiners of the
Pension Bureau learned that the alleged disability
had existed before he entered the service There
upon he was promptly dropped from the rolls. But
the pension disease is not only contagious and pro-
gressive but ineradicable. Mr.. Robinson was too
fond of his eight dollars month to give it up. On
February Is, 1889, find him restored to the rolls
and his pension by the arbitrary order of the Com
missioner. There was nothing to show that the
dropping from the rolls wrong, nothing 20 con-
tradict the discoveries of the special examiner The
Commissioner merely ordered the mans pension
restored to him and it was done. Imagine in the
War Department a contractor ordered to be paid
for stores he had never furnished, or in the Navy
Department. builder ordered to be paid for vessel
he had never constructed. What fierce howl there
would be. But what in the other departments of
the government is sheer robbery. in the Pension
Department is regarded eminently proper
thing Also the case Of pension certificate No
l,73l, held by Philip II. Barton. This man was
pensioned in 1872 at ten dollars month, from day
of discharge, OIL the ground of chronic dysentery.
In 1885 the pension was increased TO twenty dollars
a month, to date from November 10, 1884. He ap-
piled on January To- 1889 for increase and reratng,
and January 81 1889, secured twenty -four dollars
from November. 1881, and thirty from January 81,
1880. All this was on the ground of chronic dysen-
terry The amount of chronic dyson terry Mr. Barton
~ -, -
examined in 1872 he weighed 100 pounds; in 1873,
l35 pounds in 1875 $50 pounds; in 1884, ls2 pounds;
in 1886, ls6 pounds; and in 1882 lse pounds A man
who can have chronic dysentery twenty -four years
and increase his weight through it from $50 TO lS9
pounds is a curiosity worth knowing about
Mr. Barton appears to have fine talents in the pen
sion line, but after all it can be questioned if he
would not do even better on the museum stage.
Also the of pension certificate No. 9iO03, held
by Peter Z. Balm late second lieutenant in the 6lst
New York Volunteers. Lieutenant Balm promptly
applied for pension on the ground of wound i'll
the face and sunstroke, and got one on November
2S 1865 of $3.50 month. His first application for
an increase was rejected on September ., 1869 His
second application for an increase rejected on
June s. 1870 his third on August TO- 1870; his fourth
on February s. 1876. In each case the rejection was
made because there was no ground for an increase.
On May II, 1880 he succeeded at last in getting
increase TO S. a month Another application for
increase rejected on June 10, 1885. On March
IS 1891 the time the great flood of reratngs and
increases setting in Balm put in another appli-
cation and got rerated at eight dollars per month
from the date of his discharge to March is, 1889 and
twelve dollars per month thereafter. Even this did
not suit the irrepressible Balm. He looking for
further windfals of this kind On July H. 1883, he
was rerated again to bring in the sunstroke aud
everything else at thirteen dollars month from the
date of his discharge to July 1870 eight dollars
month from July Z, 1870 to March, 1889, and twelve
dollars month thereafter. Twelve medical ex
aminations, made at various times between 1868 and
1889 had declared that the utmost disability that
could be figured out for this man was one-fourth
rating, or sS.75 month. Yet in 1889 the Pension
Bureau assumes TO know more of what the mans
condition was fifteen twenty years before than
these medical examinations showed. In 1889 The
Pension Bureau practically declared that the ex-
aminers who in 1869 and thereafter could find only
one-fourth disability either lied made mistake.
But these medical examinations are expensive
things to the government. If it is true that we
tell twenty years hence what a mans condition is
today better than we can by medical exaInfna-
tons, now and here conducted, it would have been
better to have omitted all examinations between
the close of the war and the present time. That
would have saved the great Sims of money that
these examinations have cost, and in his present
dilemma the saving would have been right pleas
ant and handy thing for Secretary Foster. But if
these twelve medical examinations were of any use
whatever the slightest then it is plain that to
give Mr.. Balm three Ices as much pension as the
examinations could filiI cause for is barefaced
swindle. There 100000 cases on the files of the
Pension Department as bad as this and ten times
worse. A Congressional committee could find some
startling things among them. The Supreme Court
of the United States has decided that pensions are
not debts due from the government, but simply
bounties of the government, which Congress has
the right TO give withhold distribute or recall at its
discretion. This decision was rendered in the case
of the U. s, VS.. Teller 1O7 U. S. 35i, January %,