The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-09

WASHINGTON. Aug. 3.-Commis-
sioner of Pensions Lochren has ad-
dressed a letter to the editor of the Ma
tiOnal Tribune upon the subject of pen
sions, and in it he said:
Il have not complied with your re
peated request that 1 should cause a test
to be made to show the number of fraud
ulent pensions by having 1000 cases
drawn from the admitted files and ex-
amined. 1 have not done this for sew
eral reasons:
Il. Fraudulent cases, if any exist, can
not be discovered in that way A fraud
ulent pensions must ordinarily have this
obtained upon false or forged testimony.
On the face Of the. papers such case
would probably appear to be well estab-
lshed an incOntestable.
go. No one whose opinion is entitled to
consideration has, as I think, had the
hardihood to claim that the great mass
of adjudicated pension cases is per-
meated with fraud. open and plain on
the papers, so that the examination of
1000 cases would disclose an instance.
And 1 certainly have far too high an
opinion of old comrades to believe that
large numbers of them are scoundrels,
who have sought and obtained pensions
dishonesty. Even among the twelve
apostles there was one who was I'M
worthy, md among the brave and true
soldiers of the union army it cannot be
denied that there were a few bounty
jumpers and men who were of no credit
to us and of little deserving and who
have been perhaps among the most
eager for a place on the pension roll at
high rating. The investigation to
the work Of dishonest pension attorneys
at Norfolk, New Mexico and Iowa. show
local frauds Of large extent. But it
would be far from fair to conclude from
such cases that pension attorneys are
generally INSCRIPTIONS or dishonest l
think, on the contrary, they are ordina-
rily as honest, painstaking and careful
as other business men.
so. The examination of June q, $780,
cases are made, not because of any part
of the claimants, but because it was dis
covered that this bureau had, by the
adoption of an erroneous rule for adju-
dication, allowed many pensions not au-
thorized by law. Under prior laws pen
sions were only granted on account Of
the disabilities of service origin.
"All pensions granted under former
laws are presumed to have been prop
erly granted and they are not being ex-
amined except on information showing
fraud in some particular case, as has al
ways been practiced. But the act of
June a. 1890, granted pensions to per-
sons who had served ninety days or
more; if suffering from mental or physi-
cal disability of permanent character,
not the result OF their own vicious
habits, incapacitating them from the
performance Of manual labor in such
degree as to render them unable to earn
a support-such pensions not to exceed
s12, nor less than IS per month, proper
toned to the disability to earn a support
by manual labor. Under this act the
disability need not be of service origin,
but to be pensionable at all the disabil-
ity must incapacitate the person from
manual labor, so as to render him I'M
able to earn a support. Specific disabili-
ties as such, were not pensionable at all
under the act. nor entitled to considera-
ton except as they might effect the
capacity to perform manual labor. But
by order 164, issued Oct 10, 1890, the
commissioner. with the approval of the
dSSlSldDl hllNSNN0 NAAaN GRCNlAAN
disabilities should be rated under this
act, the same as they would have been,
rated under prior laws had the disabili-
ties been of service origin, up to S12 per
month The effect of this order was
shown in the Bennett case. which called
attention to ii.
"a board of revision is therefore con-
stituted OF the ablest and most ex-
perienced men of the bureau to re-ex-
anime these cases, and Gull out such as
had no legal basis to rest upon, and
with instructions to interfere with no
case where, by the most liberal con-
struction, a right to the pension could be
made to appear, and in other cases
where the pension could not be sustained
under any law, to give the sixty days
notice, according to previous practice,
within which the pensioner may furnish
additional evidence and show himself en-
titled No one disputes the correctness
Of the decision in the Bennett case.
my old comrades may feel sure of
receiving everything TO which the law
most literally construed entities them.
Partisan leaders may try to arouse feel
ing for partisan ends; but the execution
of law upon the construction given to
IT by two heads Of the same department
of opposite politics, which construction
is admitted by either to be correct, has
no political character, and I did not hes
itate to commit the work to a board of
revision whose ability fitted them for il,
though most of them, with their chief,
are republicans. They are able and fair
men, and select from day to day, from
the cases examined, such cases as they
deem unlawfullys allowed. II that was
the class of cases you wished drawn and
examined, the work is done every day
by this board. None of the pensions in
these cases are suspended until after con-
demnation by this board. 1t is expected
that in very many of such cases the
pensioners will be able TO produce tes-
timony showing them entitled to PEN
sions under the law, in which case the
suspension will be removed"