Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-12-21
e SMELLING COMMITTEE. "
Hon. Elijah A. morse, N. T., on the
Ionduct of the Pension Bureau.

Conduct of the Pension Bureau
The National House recently had under
consideration a bill making an aPpropIla-
ton for Pension Examiners cong ~ ilNl
Morse Of Massachusetts addresseu tne sIi
on the subject a. follows nc i
81 desire. Mr.. ChairgAn, In the three MIN
IT, yialded 10 me- merely TO say thh IN
Iorse ali that has been 50 Wen sAld ny Tue
ii-tinguished gentleman from new loIA'
Mr. Daniels, about his experience IN eohhec-
lion with the Pension Department IN MS dis.
,rtct Mine has been exactly tho same. All OF
,he pensioners In my district who make APP
nIication TO the Pension ONCE. either for an
increase OF pension or for an original pen
sion, under one pretext or another, almost to
n man or to a woman, are sent back Tor ad-
ditional evidence.
Last evening saw the great army OF en-
ployes Of that office coming out OF that es-
Enlistment at four O'Clock and wondered 10
myself what they had been doing, for my
own experience induces me to think that
the employees in the Pension Office, in
stead OF attending to their legitimate duties
Of adIudlcating cases OF applicants for pen
sion under the law. are at present turned ln-
to a smelling committee, looking all over
the country for fraud, or pretended fraud,
in the granting and payment OF pensions;
and sucn examinations rs they do make are,
or seem to be, inspired by the principle how
not to do IL, judged by progress and results.
II want here and now 10 call attention OF
Congress and the country to another Tact,
4. O., that the Postmssters throughout the
country-and / want TO know by what au-
tlfurity OF law the Commissioner OF Pensions Is
| authorized to do such a thing-I say, the
| Postmasters OF the country have also bean
! turned into smelling committee to
/ hunt for frauds In connection Tits
| pensions. In town In my district
| the Postmaster called my attention to
communication received from the Pen
| sion 0flce asking him TO look after pension
ers, to see II the parties were worthy OF pen
! sion, etc Another point All applicants for
! increase Of pension in my district receive
/ prompt attention, and have an order promptly
| to be examined by medical board, and this
! arrangement generally results In WHAT An
increase as the poor pensioner 'Npects? oh,
no; but In reducing or taking away the little
| pension altogether.
''Thc employees Of the Pension Office should
! he confined TO their legitimate duties and
repeat that instead OF attending TO their
legitimate business they are largely turned
from them In the manner l have indicated, to
the great injury OF the pensioners.
II desire to call attention TO one more I'M
| lust decision OF the commissioner OF PEN
sons, which does u great wrong to brave
men who in the war stood by the suffering,
the wounded and the dying and rendered
nntTlOtlC StTNItt u tUt COUNTY lVIVi w
the fact that the acting assistant surgeons,
who were pensioned under the act OF 1880, by
decision OF that department OF the govern
ment have been dropped from the pension
rolls.
Mr.. Chairman, am neithera prophet nor
the son of prophet, but more than year
ago | stood in this place, where now stand,
and said that when the people were again
heard from In a Congressional or national
election, they would rebuke the adminiStra-
ton for its unjust and unpatrotic conduct
toward the Union soldiers. That prophecy
has been more than fulfilled, aud promi'
ncnt among the causes of the re-
cent overwhelming defeat OF the demo
cratic party in the Northern States. in the
Stat that poured ont their blood and
treasure like watert to save us, a nation among
the nations OF the earth, was the unfriendy
hostile attitude OF this Administration and
Commissioner Lochren toward these wards
Of the nation.
II bid my suffering comrades be OF good
cheer the present injustice IS not to continue
the Republicans will surely elect royal and
patriotic man IA our next President The
Secretary of the Interior and the Commits
sIoner OF Pensions will he changed. and with
them the hostile and unfriendly attitude OF
that great department OF the Government