Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-10
THE BIGGEST BUREAU.
Its Great Force and It's Vast Annual
Expenditure.
COURSE OF A PENSION
The Claim Traced From Its First Entrance
Into the Once Until It's Allowance. OF Re-
jection-Temptations to Special Agents.
Gsgeral High Character Of the Employees.


l. about this time about pensions and pension
ers, but who that reads all that IL written
knows anything about the pension Office? Ac-
cording to the estimates of the Secretary Of
the Treasury for the service of the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1892. pensions and the pension
bureau will require an appropriation Of over
$140, 900 900, that is q sum Of money that is
almost incomprehensible to ordinary people.
1t is over 90 for every person in the United
States. The machinery that viii make the dis
bursements will require about Is, 000 900 to keep
it running. The staff Of the pension Office
consists of nearly 5000 people. There are
the United States examining surgeons who are
scattered all over the United States and whose
duties consist in m aking physical examinations
Of applicants for pension. There are the pen
sion agents, who pay out the money to the PEN
sioners. There are the special examiners, who
travel about and investigate cases Of unusual
complication or in which fraud is suspected.
They have pretty hard time Of it, these spec
ial examiners, and they need plenty of nerve
and decision OF character to do their duty
properly. One of them once resigned because
he said he was human being and his powers
were subject to human limitations. He thought
it was unreasonable of the government to ex-
pect him to be judge. jury, prosecuting
attorney and attorney for the defense at the
same time.
WHAT SPECIAL Examiner MUST DO.
A special examiner really has to be all Of
these in q measure, beside being his own clerk.
He must 60 to the different witnesses and ex-
anime them, taking down their testimony him
self. If be thinks it desirable he must cross
examine them. He must be careful not to
allow himself to be imposed upon, and he
must be equally on his guard to see that the
man who is applying for pension has fair
10 al
interests. Then when he sends the papers on
to Washington he must give an opinion as to
the merits Of the case. If the claim is rejected
he must sometimes add a knowledge of the art
OF self-defense to his other accomplishments
for the defeated claimant is frequently mad
and desires to wreak vengeance upon the head
of the man who wouldn't let him get q pension.
He must likewise be able to resist temptation,
for his opportunities to make money dishon-
estly are many.
fleet upon the magnificent record for honesty
that the smaller officials Of the government
have made for themselves. How many days
pass by that we do not read in the newspapers
of the genial cashier and the crooked books and
the little jaunt to zee the ice palace OF Mon
treal? How frequently do we hear of the
trusted business mans clerk who leaves the
office in the evening and comes not back any
more and who leaves behind him nothing but
an enormous reputation loose in the world and
safe. just stop and think q moment of the dis
honesty committed by those employed in BUSH
ness houses and then think of tire honesty that
marks the careers of the governments officers
The opportunity is not wanting either, and the
chances of detection are about the same in both
cases. Speaking of pensions, the faithfulness
and trustworthiness Of the men who run the
wheels of the government machinery might be
rewarded by pensions in old age or disability,
and it would be but q reasonable recognition Of
marvelOusly honest service.
TEMPTING PRESENTS OFFERED.
The special examiner of the pension Office
has opportunities of accepting tokens Of graft
tude from claimants that would make the
mouth of state legislator water il he heard of
them. In return for his abstinence and in con-
sideration Of the extraordinarily difficult duties
that devolve upon him, it might be supposed
that the government would pay him salary Of
about $4,000 year, but any such superstition
IL erroneous. He gets from 81 400 to 81 600 q
year, his travelling expenses are paid, and he is
given IS day in order that he may board at
S5-a-day hotels. He pays himself million dol
lars week in self-satisfaction and a knowledge
of duty well performed. The examining sur
geons, pension agents and special examiners do
not live in Washington, but they are q part Of
the pension Office and must make their reports
to it, and are amenable to its discipline.
THE PENSION OFFICE PROPER.
The pension Office proper, the huge building
Of red brick that Gen. Meigs put up in Judi
ciary Square, contains the bulk of the men who
give out pensions or refuse to give them out.
as the case may be. 1t is larger than several of
the departments and is to a great extent de-
partment by itself. There are fifteen divisions
in it and each one OF them does and amount Of
business that is quite astonishing, for there is
no loafing there. No matter how hard the
clerks work it is almost impossible for them to
keep abreast Of the increasing tide Of applica-
| iona for hot =.
applications are for every conceivable ailment
Before the enactment Of the dependent pen
sion law every claimant who made what is
known es an Original invalid" claim-that is,
claim on his own account for disability that
he had incurred in the war-had to prove q
number Of very difficult things. He had to make
it clear that he wa, himself first. Always the
government requires proof Of identity, and
yet some clever scoundrels have imposed on
the pension Office in this matter. Another form
of imposition is that practiced by the gentler
sex. According to the pension laws the PEN
sion Of a widow ceases soon as she gets mar
| ried. OF course this is hardship to a grea.
extent, because at that time, if she mnrries q
poor man, she needs more money than ever be-
fore; but Uncle Sam doesn't look at it in that
| light and thinks that her new husband ought
to support his wife. The consequence of this
| is easily foreseen- Some of the ladies, wishing
| husband and u pension at the same time. get
married and never give the pension Office a
chance to congratulate them, but continue to
lead dual existence, posing as poor forlorn
| widows before the government and leading
pleasant married lives at home.
THE BENEFITS OF THE NEW LAW.
The dependent pension law has made many
claims easy to prove. After the claimant has
established his identity it must be proved that
he served ninety days in the army or navy and
was honorably discharged and that he is suf-
| fering from .'mental or physical disability of q
permanent character, not the result Of his own
| vicious habits, which incapacitates him from
| the performance Of manual labor in such de-
| gree as to render him unable to earn a sup
port" But any claimant who prefers to claim
| under the old law may do so. and i'll this case
| he has to prove that he served in the war, that
he got disabled while in service and in line OF
| duty and that his disability, il q disease, has
existed to a reasonable degree each and every
| year since the close Of the war up to the pres
| ent time.
| WHAT CONSTITUTES LINE OF DUTY.
The question Of line Of duty has produced
many singular cases and has puzzled the PEN
sion Office sorely. Was man who bought q
pie from huckster in q certain southern city
| where his regiment was quartered and was
| poisoned by il in the line Of duty, and having
died from the effects of the pie, is his widow
| entitled to q pension? He had his regular
| rations the government never ordered him to
| eat q pie; is it responsible for his death? On
the other hand, is there any probability that
| he would have eaten poisonous pie il he had
| stayed at home? Isn't the government re-
/ sponsible for having put him in u situation