Rock Island daily Argus., 1893-09-23
LOCHREN'S REPORT
Some Remarks on Those Gases
of Suspension.
A DBIl Use OF THE RECENT ORDER

About - Per Cent, However. VIII he
Retained ON the EoIls-A Whack at
Claim Acrnts-The senate Agrees to
Begin Talking Earlier Each Day-Wol-
colt willing to Let Cloture Go Through,
But Teller Quite Otherwise.
WASHINGTON, Sept. ga statement
prepared at the pension bureau shows that
since March I, 1893. the total number of
pensions granted was 5000 OF these
Alps were issued since Aug 70. 1873. LIE
being original and ,497 increases OF the
originals issued to soldiers of the late war
326 were for disabilities contracted in the
service and IN line of duty and 3l6 were
issuec under the act Of June -, 1890. The
number issued for disabilities contracted
IN she service were, therefore. twenty in
excess of those issued under the dependent
act. The board of revision is now dispos-
ing of an average of about 900 cases per
week Of those suspended under the recent
order of the bureau. At this rate it is
estimated that practically all of those
heretofore suspended will be disposed OF
by Oct. 10. 1t is also estimated that at
least 20 per cent of those suspended will
be retained on the rolls, though not all of
them at the old rate of pension. Commits
sioner Lochr"n's report has been prepared
The suspension of Pensions.
Referring TO the suspension of pensions
under the orders of the new administra-
tion tie says: 1T is perfectly clear that
under this order l64, in granting pensions
under the act of June p, 1890 the act itself
was set aside and disregarded, with the
result Of granting pensions not authorized
by any law" He then goes over the mat
ter as given out in these dispatches at the
time the order for suspension was issued
and repeats the later order modifying that
order "a also printed. He defends the sus.
pension as simply following the practice OF
the bureau from the beginning
Many Cases Like That of Bennett
The commissioner says: 1T IS certain that
there are many cases like the Bennett
case. where persons not entitled to aLv
pension will be removed from the rolls
but the work has not yet proceeded far
enough TO enable me to forecast the result
Undoubtedly under the system of adiUdi.
cation which followed the PRONUNCIATION OF
order 1854 many pensioners perfectly able
to perform manual labor, under the per
suasion of claim agents familiar with the
effect Of that order applied for and re.
ceived pensions for specific disabilities not
of service origin and not properly pension
able under the act Of June -, 1890 This
also accounts for the large proportion of
late claims under the act, comprising the
aftermath in the work of claim agents.
which are now being properly r, jected"
Roll Has Nearly Reached Its Limit
Referring to the estimates for the fiscal
year of 1895 Commissioner I.ochren says
that 1898 'is thirty years after the close OF
the civil war. The pension roll, in view OF
its size compared with the number of men
enrolled in that war, will, in my opinion.
by that time have reached its limit and
begin to decrease. The falling off in the
presentation Of new claims appears from
the fact, shown by the last report of my
predecessor, that there were on Oct II,
1892, Iss ,oGl claims pending in the bureau,
while on July :, ls93-nOt quite nine months
later-the number of claims pending had
been reduced to I'll. $50. 1t is apparent,
therefore. that the filing of new claims
and claims for increase has ceased to ex-
coed the number of cases disposed of by
the work of the bureau. and that a rapid
dimunitiOn in the number of new claims
may be expected"
Legislation Recon- mmended.
The commissioner recommends codii-
cation Of pension laws, with few changes;
that promotions be made with regard to
merit alone, and in utter disregard of in.
fiuence; and the repeal of the act of Con-
gress providing that no pension sha II be
paid To IA non resident who is not a citizen
of the United States except for actual dis.
abilities incurred in the service
WOLCOTT AGREES WITH PLATT.