The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-09-29
PENSION REPORT.

Annual Report Of the Pension Commits
sioner-Matters of Interest to Pension
ers.
WASHINGTON, Sept 2S. -Pension Com
missioner Lochren has submitted his
annual report to the secretary of the
interior. The number Of pensioners on
the rolls Of the bureau In 966, 012, net
increase of SO. ga during the past year.
During the year "a claims for in
crease of pension and 1890 for
additional pension under the act
of June 81, 1890, were allowed.
In the same time 1921 claims
for pension and for increase were
rejected The claims pending consid-
Grafton July numbered I'll, The
amount of money paid for pensions
during the year was $3.50, TAO, 447. The
balance at the close of the year was
81, 1881. The appropriation for
the next fiscal year, Commits.
sioner Lochren states, will be ample,
and the estimates for the fiscal year
1895 amount to s162, 631, $50. Referring
to cases under the act of June 81, 1890,
Commissioner Lochren says:
Recognizing the difficulty of tracing disabili-
ties to service origin after long lapse Of time,
deserving soldiers. Who in their advancing
years. are mourning disabilities not Of service
origin uniting them from earning . support
by manual labor, are proper objects OF national
bounty. The act Of June "a, 1897, was passed.
providing that all persons who had served In
the military or naval service OF the United
States in the war ninety days or more and had
been honorably discharged therefrom, and who
atrYa nfQl v,hv ufa nj
disability of a permanent character, but
not the result OF their own vicious hsb-
its, which incapacitates them from earning q
support by manual labor. shall be pensioned
at not more than eIs nor less than % per
month proper toned to the degree Of inability
to earn . support Under this act, aside from
the requisite service and honorable discharge.
there Is but one condition that can give any
right TO pension, viz: "A mental or ply steal
disability Of q permanent oharacte not the
result OF their own vicious habits, which IN
capacitates them from the performance of
labor in such q degree as TO render them un-
able TO earn support" But By Order 164,
issued October Is. 1890, the commissioner,
with the approval of the assistant secretary,
directed that specific disabilities should be
rated in applicable under this act, as they
would have been rated under the schedules
then in force IL Of service origin, up to sl2 per
month The medical referee stated, in answer
TO inquiry, that under this order Of June q
1890, claim of inability to perform manual
Dor was no longer even considered In adjudica
ing claim. but that disabilities were rated up
10 sl2 per month, as if the claim had been made
under prior laws for like disabilities OF service
origin
1t is perfectly clear that under this Order l64,
In granting pensions under this act of June "a
1890, the act itself was set aside and disregard
ed with the result Of granting pensions not au-
fhfari NV luxr CHI In, tha
Bennett case, which called your attention to
this order and to the practice under it There
the claimant, applying under the act of June q
1890. was pensioned ut sls per month for slight
deafness not OF service origin. This slight deaf
ness could not interfere with his capacity to
perform manuel labor. And such a pension
has no warrant TO sustain it in any law.
1t is absolutely void The state
ment Of the medical referee above
mentioned made 1t appear probable that under
Order 1874 many pensions were Illegally granted
and pursuant to your order of May q, 1898, q
board OF revision was formed Of the ablest and
most experienced men of the bureau, to exam
inc the cases allowed under that act and Gull
out such as had no legal basis to rest upon. but
with instructions TO disturb no case which by
the most liberal construction Of the evidence of
the right TO the pension could be sustained un
der any law. Iu cases where it was believed
that pensions could be sus tained and other
medical examination was thought necessary,
the payment Of the pension was ordered to be
suspended, pending investigation, according to
the practice Of the bureau from the beginning,
and at the proper time thelusual sixty days no
tice was given to the pensioner. within which
he could ask for o medical examination or sup
ply further evidence OF his right 70 his pension.
This practice OF the bureau, always followed,
IL the correct practice II is not the withdrawal
or taking away of a pension, but the tenn
tuifh hold of Too e
appears TO be unlawful, pending q proper In
quirs.
Upon your suggestion that even this tempo
rarS Withholding might work hardship where,
upon the face OF the paper. it appears that the
pensioner is entitled to at least some less
rating. the practice will be moderately changed
TO cases under this act so far that suspensions
Of parment pending the sixty days are only or
dered when on the face of the papers it appears
p-ima facie that the pensioner is not entitled
TO any pension 1t is certain that there are
many cases like the Bennett case where
persons not entitled to any pension will
be removed from the rolls, but the work
has not yet proceeded far enough
TO enable me TO forecast the result. Undoubt-
edly, under the system OF adjudication which
followed the PRONUNCIATION OF Order l6i many
pensioners perfectly able TO perform manual
labor, under the persuasion of claim agents
familiar with the effect OF that order, apple
for and received pensions for specific dlsabili-
ties not OF service origin and not properly pen
sionabe under the aot of June q, 1891. This
also accounts for the large proportion Of lat
claims under that act, comprising the after
math in the work Of claim agents, which are
now being properly rejected
Wholesale frauds like those discovered at
Norfolk, Va, in New Mexico and Iowa have
been disclosed by special examiners The
work of this division has greatly increased
and an additional appropriation for augment
ing the force in the service Is asked for Con-
siderable work in connection with the frauds
has been done with the law division. All cases
Of fraud brought to light by special examiners
receive the personal attention of those in
charge Of this division