The Green Forest tribune., 1893-07-27
L0CHREN'S PENSION POLICY.
THE COMMISSIONER OUTLINES 1T MARE
CENT LETTER ON The SUBJECT.
Pensions Have Been Granted UnlawfuIly-Pe ension
ers Must Furnish Additional Proof.

WASHINGTON, July 20.-Pension Com
missioner Lochren has outlined the
pension policy of the Administration in
letter sent to a prominent politician
in Albany. The letter is as follows:
II can best answer your question by
reading to you the following extracts
from letter have written to the edit
or of the Albany Argus on the sub
ject:
Under the pension laws enacted prior
to June, 1890, pensions were granted
based upon disabilities incurred in the
military or naval service, and in many
cases specific ratings for particular dis
abilities were designated in the acts of
Congress, and it was provided generally
that for inferior disabilities an amount
proportionate to that for total disability
should be granted. Under this general
provision specific ratings for such infer
ior disabilities We're fixed by rules and
orders Of this bureau, with the approval
of the Secretary of the Interior Pen
sions gran TED for such disabilities of
service origin, are presumed to .haye
been properly granted and there will be
no Interference with respect to such
pensions.
Section 2 Of the act Of June 27, 1890.
provided that all persons who served
ninety days OF more in the military or
naval service Of the United States dur-
ing the late war of the rebellion, and
who have been hoaorably discharged
therefrom, and VINO are now, or who
may hereafter be, suffering from mental
or physical disability Of permanent
character, not the result Of their own
vicious habits. which incapacitated
them from the performance Of manual
! labori in such degree as to render them
incapable TO earn a support, shall, upon
making due proof ct bhe fac5 according
to such rules and regulations as the Sec
retary Of the interior may provide, be
placed upon the list of invalid pension
ers Of the Unted States. and be entitled
to receive q pension not exceeding 5I2
per month. aod lot less tban IS per
month, proportional TO the disability
10 earn a support
This act permits the pensioning Of
soldiers for disabilities Of permanent
character, although not Of service ori-
gin, which lnoap&aitatas them from the
performance Of manual labor in euch q
degree as to render taem unable to earn
support. u IS this incapacity for
manual labor alone which entities them
to be pensioned under this act, and It
is plain that no specific disability or
injury which does not affect the cappci-
ty for manual labor gives any right to a
pension under the last act referred to
Yet, under an order, No. 1874, Issued on
October Is, 1890, and approved by the
Assistant Secretary of the Interior, it
was directed III substance, that claim
ants under the act Of June 27, 1890,
should be rated for specific disabilities,
the same as If they We're Of service ori-
gin, up to The maximum rate Of So per
month, and whore the disability, if Of
service origin, would be rated higher
than 3l2 per month, 1t should be rated
at $12 per month.
This rating was mauifestly by the act
of June 27, 1880, and the effect Of the
order is illustrated by he Bennett case.
which called attention to it. Ia that
case q claimant for pension under the
act Of june u, 1880, was rated, for
slight deafness, at $12 per month; vet t
was manifest that slight deafness would
not interfere materially with the claim
ants capacity TO perform manual labor.
1 Upon inquiry the medical referee re-
ported back, acting under order l64, re-
ferred to, the capacity of the claimant
TO perform manual labor was not ordi-
nariiy considered in adjudlcating claims
for pensions under the act of June ~
| 1890. It was therefore deemed neees-
sary that these cases be re- e-eXamined,
and that where 1t appeared upon the
face of the papers that the claimants
| were not, upon the evidence submitted,
| entitled to pensions under the act Of
June y 1880, such pensions should be
| suspenaeds aad notice gwen to the pen
sloners to present further evidence in
support Of their claims, and that when
the claimant ultimately failed to show
! himself entitled to pension under the
law of June p, 1890, the pension should
be dropped ard the case rejected This
| is the oniysciass Of cases that is being
examined and revised by this bureau.
and the necessity. for snch action is, /
think, sufficiently Obvious