Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-02
Mr.. SMITHS REPORT,
His Review of the Operations of the
interior Department.
INSTITUTIONS In WASHINGTON.
An Explanation Of the Departments
Pension Policy.
THE INDIAN EST1ON

The official copy Of the annual report of
Secretary Smith was given to the press last
| evening. The document covers ninety-six
printed pages. AS indicated in The Star
| two weeks ago. the operations OF the gen.
| eral land office are treated of at length. OF
| Indian affairs he says:
"A fair examination OF the work OF this
bureau for the last fiscal year furnishes
| proof In support Of the wisdom OF the policy
| which for the past few years has controlled
| the administration of Indian affairs Slow
| ly, but steadily, these wards of the nation
| are being advanced to a condition suited for
citizenship. The expenditures necessary are
large. the labor required is great, but the
| responsibility cannot otherwise be fulfilled.
1t Is mistake to suppose that the number
OF Indians is rapidly decreasing. On the
| contrary, the last census shows over 25O,OOO.
and tribal wars and wars with the whites
having ceased. they are increasing rather
than diminishing in number.
Much good is being accomplished by the
allotment of land in severalty. True some
of those who thus accept homes are care
less and fail to properly utilize the benefits
conferred. but others are working success
fully upon their farms and are adapting
themselves to the changed conditions.
THE school house is beginning to have a
marked effect upon the race
The schools are organized with a general
superintendent and as a rule under the i'm
mediate control of local superintendent. the
latter being aided by teachers and assistant
teachers The local superintendents have
been placed within the classified service
Many of them are bonded officers and have
entire responsibility for everything connect
ed with their schools, including financial
| int
The commissioner states that the ordi-
nary civil service examination does not fur
nlsh proper test of the fitness of appIi-
cants for these positions. 1 fully agree
with him in this view. So far as / know. il
Is not the practice under any well-regulatel
school system to select superintendents
through competitive examination. The mere
technical knowledge which furnishes capaci-
ty to stand a civil service examination fails
entirely to demonstrate the qualities re-
CURED OF an efficient school superintendent
Executive ability, force, character ca
pactty to manage, ardor, enthusiasm-such
qualities are worth infinitely more in
superintendent than mere technical in
formation. They are of a higher order
than mere routine knowledge. These
Officers should be selected without
chosen by the general superintendent not
necessarily from applicants, but after care
ful inquiry among school men, to find those
who have already passed examinations for
4,
shown ability suited to the work
The evil result of obtaining superintend-
ents through a civil service examination
has not so far affected the schools because
as the letters Of the former officers in
charge show, as soon as II was determined
to bring these places within the classified
service all the vacancies were hastily filled
to obviate the necessity of obtaining SUPER
intendents from the civil service Nor
should teachers be obtained by the present
system of civil service examination.
Much trouble has arisen from the sale of
liquor to Indian soldiers, who, In turn fur
nish II to Indians on the reservations. OFF,
GERS commanding military posts have been
greatly embarrassed by the excessive drink
ing of the Indian troops, who, being refused
liquor at post canteens, are able to get all
the whisky they can pay for from saloons
near by. The Indian office has instructed
its agents that Indians enlisted In the army
are still under their charge, as far as the
duty OF protecting them from degrading in
huences Is concerned"
Pensions.
Concerning pensions the report states
that the average sum paid to the 966,O12
pensioners on the rolls was OSLO. 1884.
and the average annual value of each pen
sion was S1351O. There remained at the
close of the year. in the hands of agents
and in the treasury. an unexpended bal
ance of the appropriat ton, s.. 49, ,371.4O.
The report of the commissioner calls at
tention to the fact that whole sale frauds
were discovered by the work of intelli-
gent special examiners at Norfolk, Va, and
in New Mexico and Iowa. In the first two
instances named, hundreds of fraudulent
pension claims had been allowed by the
bureau upon testimony manufactured and
forged by the claim agents, and other hun
Greds of like claims from the same claim
agents We're pending III the bureau.
N-N1a.lF
sions in these three places alone has saved
the government an amount annually nearly
equal TO the expense of the entire force of
special examiners.
Under the act of June %. 1880, aside from
the requisite services and honorable dis
charge, there is but one condition that can
give right to pension, viz:
a mental or physical disability Of per-
nlanent character. not the result of their
own vicious habits, which incapacitates
from the performance of manual labor in
such a degree as TO render them unable to
earn a support.
On the 18th day Of October 1890, order 164
was issued by the commissioner, with the
approval OF the assistant secretary. 1t
directed that specific disabilities should be
rated under the act of June -, 1880, as
they would have been rated under the
schedules then in force for disabilities of
service origin, up to $12 per month. The
medical referee stated in answer to an in
quiry that under this order the capacity
of claimants to perform manual labor was
not considered in adjudicating their claims.
On January 4, 1885, Assistant Secretary
Bussey in the application OF Henry w.
Woke fer pension, officially construed the
act of June %, 1890, and held that to en-
title the applicant to pension the disability
must be of a character to incapacitate from
the performance of manual Ia Dor in such a
degree as to produce inability to earn
support While this was the clear lam
guaSe of the act of Congress, order 1874 had
caused its erroneous disregard by the PEN
sion bureau.
on May -, 1898, in the Bennett case, this
question was again before the secretary's
office. The decision in the Woke case was
affirmed and the commissioner was direct
ed to have an examination made to de-
termine what pensions had heretofore been
allowed under the second section of the act
of said act, and in conflict with the ruling
Of the department in the case OF Charles 7.
Bennett
In pursuance of this order, board of re-
vision was formed of the ablest and most
experienced men in the pension bureau,
with Instructions to examine the cases al
lowed under the act of June q, 1890, and to
Gull out such as had no legal basis to rest
upon. In cases where it was believed that
the pensions could not be sustained, and
another medical examination was thought
necessary. the payment Of the pensions was
ordered to be suspended pending investiga-
ton. This was done by the commissioner of
pensions in pursuance of the uniform prac-
tice of the bureau as it had existed almost
from the organization thereof.
The penSlOner not dropped from the
rolls. but the payment of his pension was