Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-09-23

WASHINGTON, d. c., September 81
Pension Commissioner Lochren sub
mitted his annual report to the Seere-
tary oi the Interior to-day.
The number Of pensioners on the rolls
Of the bureau Is 966,Ol2 with net in
crease Of SO, ga during the past year.
During the year PATS claims for in
crease Of pension and 1890 for addi-
tional pension under the act OF June
"a, 1899 were allowed. In the same
time rs 221 claims for pension and for
Increase we're rejected. Claims pend
ing consideration July 2, numbered
711.15O Amount OF money paid for
pensions during the year was S156,
467. Balance az the close Of the year
was So, 437, 37e. Appropriations for the
ueIt fiscal year, Commissioned Lochren
states, will be ample and the estimate
Tor the fiscal year 1895 amounts to Sl62,-
6s1, $50.
Referring to estimates for the fiscal
year OF 1895, Commissioner Lochren
SAYS: ''If these were based wholly on
the experience Of former years and the
capacity Of the force Of the bureau 10
handle cases through the formal stages
OF examination 20 allowance the result
would be much larger estimate. But
1895 is thirty years after the close or the
civil war. The pension roll, in view Of
its size, compared with the number OF
men enrolled 10 that war, will, Ia my
opinion. by shat time have reached its
limit and begun TO decrease. The fall
ing of In the presentation OF new claims
appears, from the fact shown by the
Last report of my predecessor, that there
Elere on October Il, 1892, 7SS,O6 claims
(pending In the bureau, while on July
2, 1s93-not quite nine months later
The number Of claims pending had been
reduced 70 7l1,15O. 1t is apparent,
therefore, that the filing Of new claims
and claims for increase has ceased to
exceed the number OF cases disposed OF
by the work Of tho bureau, and that
A RAPID DUuNUTION
in the number Of new claims may be ex-
pected.
Reference is thus made to cases under
the act OF June %. 1890:
Recognizing the difficulty Of tracing
disabilities 70 service origin after long
lapse Of time, and the fact that deserY-
ing soldiers, who in their advancing
years were mourning disabilities not OF
service origin, uniting them from earn
ing a support by manual labor, were
proper subjects Of the National bounty,
the act of June q, 1890, was passed,
providing that all persons who had serv-
ed 10 the military or naval service OF the
United States in that war ninety days
or more snd had been honOrably dis
charged therefrom snd who were suffer
ing from a mental or physical disability
OF permanent character, not the result
of their own vicious habits, which in-
capacltates them from earning a sup
port by manual labor, shall be pen
stoned at not ore than SO nor less
than So per month. prOportiOned 70 the
degree OF inability to earn a support,
Under this act, aside from the requisite
service and honorable discharge, there's
-bnk8Re condition that can give auy right
. 10 pension, VIA mepfal or physical
disability Of a permanent character not
the result of their .s0Wn vicious habits,
which inenpaei sates them from the per-
Torrance cs1smanual labor In such de-
nungto render them unable to earn a
sport.
''But by order 164, issued October Is,
1890 the Commissioner, with the ap-
provsl OF the Assistant Secretary, d.
rected that specific disabilities should
be rated, in applications under this act,
as thew would have been rated under
the schedules then In force, II of service
origin, up to twelve dollars per month.
The medical referee stated, in answer
to inquiry, that under this order the ca
paclty OF claimant under the act OF
June 81, 1890, 10 perform manual labor,
was
no LONGER EVEN Considered
in adjudicatlng his claim, but that his
disabilities were rated up to twelve dol
lars per month as il his claim had been
made under prior laws for like dlssoill-
ties Of service origin.
s,Is Is perfectly clear that under this
order 1G4 10 granting pensions under
the act Of June 81, 1890, the act itself
was set aside and disregarded, with the
result Of granting pensions not author
lied by any law. This was shown la the
Bennett case which called your atten-
tiOp 10 this order and the practice IN
der il. There the claimant applying
under this act OF June %, 1890, was pen
sioued az twelve dollars per month for
slight deafness not of service origin.
This slight deafness could not there
fore interfere with his capacity to per-
form manual labor, and such a pension
has no warrant % sustain 10 10 any law.
III is absolutely void. The statement Of
the medical referee above mentioned
made it appear probable that under or
der l64 many pensions were illegally
. granted, and pursuant TO your order OF
Nav %, 1898, o Board OF Revision was
ormed. of the ablest and most exper-
enced men OF the Bureau, TO examine
le cases allowed under that act and
lI cut such as had no legal basis TO
upon; but with instructions to dis
> no case where by the
~ MOST LIBERAL CONSTRUCTION
Of the evidence the right Of the pension
conld be sustained under any law. In
cases where it was believed that pen
sion could not be sustained and another
Observation-Disclosures was thought nee
ssssary, the payment of the pension was
ordered 10 be suspended pending hVeS-
tiqation according to the practice OF
the bureau from the beginning, and at
rhe oroper time the usual sixty day
notice was given to the pensloner,
within which he could ask for medl-
cal examination or supply further evil
dence Of his right TO his pension. Ihls
praetice Of the bureau, always followed,
Is the correct practice. 10 is not the
withdrawal or taking away OF the pen
.fo, hnt fhe temporary Withholding or