The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-30
PENSION IRREGULARITIES.
why Carern, Revision. OF the Rolls should
he Mnde.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2a..-lt needs very little
examination OF the records to discover how 1t
Is that Irregularities and frauds have crept
into the pension system. Seven years ago
Commissioner Black declared in an official re-
port that at one time the Pension Bureau
was all but avowedly political machine"
whose officers had for tho claimant othcr
tests than those Of the law. Not always.
but often. was this true; not orcnly but
surely. we're the tests applied" 1t is fairly to
10 presumed that man holding tn" response
bio position OF Commissioner Of Pensions
would have somc knowledge IN that subject.
and would not mako so grave charge with
out having some basis for II.
Testimony on another point OF Importance
had been given by one OF his predecessors. 1t
was contained in u letter OF Commissioner
bentley. laid before the Sennte,which declared
that while do no. believe 1t possible to
eliminate from tho pension rolls all tho fraud
ulcnt claims. 10y any manner OF means yet.
considering tho whole case. it is my opinion
that not less than 10 per cent. OF the pension
approximations are paid out upon fraudulent
anu illegal claims. which by tho adoption OF
proper method for the preparation and pres
entation OF tho evidence in support OF the
cases would be saved to the Government and
the people, The criticism thus made upon
the pension system. about dozen years ago.
was p'tScu upOH tHe On pufCe character OF inc
evidence for the establishment OF claims.
In an interview about tho same timo Com
missioner Bentley pointed out the way in
which this OK parte system operated. He said
that the medical examinations wore usually
mado by the ncghborhood practitioner often
perhaps the family physician OF the claimant
who received only n small fee for the examine
tion. Tho plan that he proposed to substitute
was the appointment of "A commission in carh
Con yrpSSiODui iii strict n Ia Of
! claimants aud their witnesses in public pro-
S cecil" .,vont e sSleyeH thu, this publicity
of,'i0s.c making them. However that may ie.
nun Der of illegal and fraudulent pensions is
worth CONSIDERATION bv those who protests
the pension rolls The irne explanaiio NOT Of
the success Of such cases Is undoubtedly in
part feeling Of sympathy amnng witnesses for
rect fnrGeries The Pension once under tho
existing system was compelled to nudge from
tho appearance Of the payers filed. and there
was nothing on , them to show that they were
imrrorcrIy granted have been discovered. this
fact suggests that many more must have es-
S 1SS:tSs az Re G snm Of n9hn Ina
been saved to tho Government by invcstiGa.
ton. Commissionnr Bentley frankly expressed
sih cha to aeesnt or voluntary ini9rma.
us 'a'' "no b"i'o eNlueHso
committed had been discoverei' Wv "N'
1T may also be remembered that Commits.
sioncr Black. under II sing 10 order. directed
the suspension of lO2 pensions at the Phila-
delphiG agency. which had continued to DO
drawn regularly after the pensioners were
dead and seven other cases were those of
widows who were remarked and had unlaw-
fully drawn PENSIONS. Shortly after. 1t was
said that oD or 900 such cases were discov-
cred ut Chicago.
During the term OF Gen. Dudley rs Commits
sioner of Pensions the corps OF supervising
examiners was greatly enlarged. Instead OF
twelve for the whole country. there were 28O.
and it was asserted that the system in one
year saved the Government Sl.5UOOOO by
exposing fraudulent pensioners and stopping
he payment of fraudulent claims" And yet
1t was a subsequent Com ioner who passed
the severe condemnation already quoted upon
the Pension Onicc as Il political machine
Without going further into the subject, it is
plain that the charges OF fraud and irreguari-
ties in the pension system have been made
from time to timo by the highest officials OF
the bureau: and while each Of them may say
that his own work is efficient in hunting out
frauds. yet his successor always finds plenty
OF work to do in the same direction. Commits
sioner BENTLEY. as has been seen. took the
ground that the very nature of the system
made it impossible to detect more than u small
percentage Of these cases 1t should also be
kept in mind nat in many instances the real
III 'Ealty consists not in absolutely fictitious
claims or forgeries. but in placing upon the
rolls those whose cases do not really fall
within the law.