Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-10

since. There was . man once who claimed
pension for leprosy. When the examining
surgeon examined him he found white spots
upon his skin caused by the loss OF coloring
matter in certain places, a harmless affection
known in medicine as ''veal skin" The claimant
observing that he was spotted, as leopards are,
naturally supposed that he had leprosy. 1t ID
pity that there should be 30 many applications
be taken seriously, because these claims inter
fere with the speedy adjudication Of worthy
claims.
THE COURSE OF cLAn.
Let us briefly watch the course Of Q claim
through the different divisions of the pension
Office. John Smith, let us suppose, claims pen
sion for rheumatism contracted when he was
serving in the swamps Of Virginia. The declar-
alton, or affidavit in which he sets forth the
facts, Is received by the mail division and
stamped there. Then it is sent to the record
division, where there are hundreds of enor-
nous books in which the names Of all appli.
cants are transcribed and where q number ID
given to the claim and where it is put in o neat
tough paper jacket From the record division
it comes from a Pennsylvania or Michigan
man it goes to the middle division; If from q
New Yorker, to the eastern division or to the
southern or western division, as the case may be.
When it reaches the files of one of the divisions
it may be considered as having been launched
it, and it is his duty to call for all the evidence
necessary to establish it as good or bad claim.
John Smiths rheumatism is investigated from
every point Of view, and the correctness Of his
purely ex parte system. In the hands Of the
examiner the claim stays until it is completed.
Sometimes it takes a few months only to reach
stage Of completion. and sometimes, too
often in fact, it takes years. There are plenty
OF claims still pending in the pension Office
hat tan oil
that are five years old, and there are even
some that are a quarter Of century old.
When the examiner has brought the claim to q
complete state he briefs the papers in it and
submits it to the board of review for admission
or rejection, as the case may be. The board of
review, if it thinks the claim requires more evil
dence, returns it to the division from whence
it came, where it undergoes more treatment
from the examiner, but if, on the other hand,
the board of review approves the findings of
the certificate division, where pension certif-
cate is issued If the claim is rejected it is sent
to the rejected files of the adjudicating division
from whence it emanated.
EVERYBODY CANNOT BE PLEASED.
1t is not such an easy thing to get a pension
and it is not surprising that the commissioner
Of pensions, with such large force Of employes
under him, and having in his charge the inter-
ests OF SO many thousands of claimants, should
be pretty apt to be abused by some class or an
other. He cannot please everybody and those
who are not pleased make it lively for him, no
matter who he is Taken all in all, the lot
OF the commissioner Of pensions cannot be a
happy one. If he is strict and suspicious of
Dishonest claims the cry is raised that he is an
tagonizing the soldiers interests. II he is lib
eral and disposed to deal literally by the claim
ants the cry is that he is permitting the govern
ment to be robbed Sometimes he is accused
of playing into the hands of the pension attor-
neys, and, again, as in the case Of the able and
conscientious commissioner under Gen. Grant,
Mr.. Bentley, the pension attorneys accuse him
Of every crime conceivable. On the whole, il
is better. if you wish to lead quiet life, not to
accept the position when it is offered to you.