Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-08-07
TWO VETS CUT OFF
WHO ARE IN SORE STRAITS
One Man Almost Biisd sad Hardly
Able 10 walk Cut or the Rolls
Without Notice ISI "a Il Done

EDFToR or The HkRALp-The Detroit
Free Press Of Augusta contained let
ter from John NJ. Resnolds. assistant
secretary Of the interior. IN which he
tries 10 defend the present counss OF
the democratic administration IN regard
70 pensions am somewhat surprised
that T'HK HERALD took no notice Of this
letter. although IL occupied over
column.
In this letter Mr.. Reynolds distinctly
says; This administration would have
been q party 20 perpetuating mons
trous wrong 10 the nation" if il did not
review and revoke the acts Of its prede-
cessor. This cool claim 10 superior
honesty and legal discernment on the
part OF the present administration. and
Its plain charge Of malpractice against
the former one, would be refreshing did
We not have 90 many giaring regulations
OF It's claims continually coming 10 light
He omphatically declares: This adj
minifItration Ia not hostile TO the soldier
who fought for the union. We're il
fact l would not remain here an
instant" Mr.. Reynolds vision must
be very defective or he Is playing
the hypocrite, as no sane unpreludiced
man can possibly conclude otherwise
from the evidence which Commissioner
Lochren is furnishing daily. These
cases are SO clear there can be no mis-
take about them.
Samuel Dole. aged 50 years. whose
case have before alluded 10, called up
on General Alger last week and the
general could hardly believe il possible
that MIR. Dole's pension had been sus-
pended. General Alger offered 10 honor
any draft / might make upon him for
the expense OF defending Mr.. Dole In the
United States courts. | have lately had
another case, however, which Is even
more outrageous aud exasperatlng than
that OF Mr.. Dole. Ii IL the case of John
A. Hoyey. Company a. Eleventh Mich
igan cavalry. also Of the Soldiers home,
who was granted q pension OF ell a
month, PIP. SIT, 7l5. under act june q.
1890. January 8, 1891, on diseases OF
eyes" The sight OF one eye is entirely
gone; the sight OF the other is so nearly
gone that he gets about with great dlf-
fculty and would be easily mistaken
as a man totally blind. lie is also 50
very greatly afflicted with the shaking
palsy that he can scarcely feed himself.
lie has been in this condition six years
that / know OF. he also has had an in
jury 10 right shoulder and right foot,
and is now 66 years old. or course he
has not quite reached the limit fixed by
the Almighty, viz: Three score years
and ten," (which Mr.. Tanner says Hoke
Smith, in his superior official capacity,
has raised five years. but he is so dis.
allied by his Affections. that Mr.. Dole at
So is much better able 10 care for him
self than Hoyey is. Yet he. Hovey. has
just received notice that he is mot die
alled in ratable degree under act OF
June q, $780," and 50 his pension is sus-
pended.
am confident that any one who sees
this man Hovey will at once pronounce
him totally and terribly disabled. His
mind is also considerably shattered.
Yet we are asked to believe on the ipei
dixit of Mr.. Reynolds that this admins
tration is not hostile To the soldier who
fought for the union. This may be Sd;
| IL il Is 50 we are forced to the other con
clusion, viz: the present admins
tration is utterly incompetent
TO conduct the pension bureau.
1t does not help matters any TO say these
are mistakes. and are therefore inexcus-
able; they are happening all over the
country, so they are not exceptional
cases. A great bureau should not make
such mistakes The peculiar feature
about this business is that Commits
sioners Tanner and Raum never made
such mistakes. Their mistakes. when
they made any. were usually in favor OF
the disabled soldier. | do not believe
you can find cases parallel 10 these Of
Dole and Hovey in the entire history Of
she pension bureau under republican
management. Ii seems singular, too,
that the very democrat congressman
| who helped 10 enact this law Of June
y, 1880. and who could not help being
! perfectly familiar with tho intent of the
law and the working Of the Law right
under their very eyes there in Washing
ton during the sessions Of congress never
made any complaints. 1t was reserved
10 'the honorable gentleman from Gcor.
| gia" % make the startling discovery Of
! gigantic frauds which has 50 shocked
the nation. is there not "A niger in
the fence" somewhere There is a;
least room for such a suspicion.
CHARLES X. GIBsoS,
Late Adj. Chaplain NJ. g IL