The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-11-02
LocHREN.s REPORT.
The Commissioner of Pensions Reviews
Judge Longs Case-Work OF Special Ex-
aminera.

Judge Longs Case-work of Special Ex-
aminers.
WASHINGTON, Oct. O-Commissioner
Lochren, of the pension bureau, in his
annual report reviews the case of Judge
Long, of the Michigan supreme court,
Mt some length. saying:
This case has attracted wide attention be-
cause of the fact that the pensioner is one Of
the judges Of me supreme court OF Michigan
and has upon the rostrum and through the
press unstintingly denounced the bureau and
myself for alleged arbitrary and Illegal pro-
ceedings in the reduction OF his pension. and
because Of TIE suits instigatcd by him in this
district against myself to prevent sacA reduc-
tions
1t is quite clear that under sn honest but
mistaken Interpretation of the pension laws
by prior commissioners this pensioner has OBJ
tanned from the treasury more than S1.OO1 10
which he was never lawfully entitled Should
he make good his assertions that he will take
this case for decision to the supreme court of
the United States he may. when it shall be
finally decided. consider the propriety Of re-
turning this money to the treasury.
The commissioner then discusses the
work of special examiners. saving:
The report of the chief of division exhibits
the character OF its work. Cases which have
merit but in which the claimant has not been
formation in respect to witnesses as the bureau
can obtain, have been placed in the hands of
special examiners, who are often able
to discover and obtain the evidence
necessary to prove the claims. The larg-
er part of the force is always kept employed
in this class of work. But the special
examination division. aided. as il is. by
the law division. constitutes the main protec-
tion which the government has against fraud
and imposition. Most of the pension attorneys
and claim agents are capable and honorable.
but some among them are the most dishonest
and INSCRIPTIONS of men. dealing habitually in
perjury, forgery and every species of fraud.
Without special examiners the villainy OF such
men would operate without check or fear of
detection and be generally successful. And it
is too often now in spite of all safeguards.
Such men attract the unworthy as clientS-the
bounty jumpers. towards and deserters, and
the fraudulent maligners.
As many Of their crimes are discovered. their
fraudulent cases overthrow and themselves
and their guilty eonfederates brought to pun
ishment by the work of special examiners
(there were 1874 convictions for pension frauds
last year,, it Is but natural that such men and
their clients should be loud and unceasing in
decrying special examiners as spies. and seek
ing with the aid Of INSCRIPTIONS partisan
newspapers and politicians to create preju-
dice against special examiners in the minds Of
The worthy and deserving soldiers who are
still modest in the race for pensions are ell
bowed to the rear by the unworthy in their
continued struggle for pensions and increases
as when operating for bounties They crowd
themselves to the front at all soldiers gather
ings with resolutions for more pensions,
and denunciations of every regulation
tending to unmask or prevent dis
honesty and fraud as "unfriendly to
the soldier" Their Unsuitable greed and de-
teStatiOn of all resolutions made to insure hon.
esty and restrain or discover fraud, shameless
ly proclaimed, has done much to lower the re-
gard which would otherwise be universally
manifested for the deserving soldier. 1t has
been reported that the attempt to discover
frauds is new movement and credit been
given me in that direction, to which L am not
fairly entitled
The commissioner then copies ex-
tracts from reports of commissioners
ever since 1867 to show that the most
care is necessary to prevent fraudulent
pensions. after which he adds:
/ have selected these extracts from the re-
ports of the earlier commissioners since the
civil war to show that special examinations,
fraudulent claimants, dishonest claim agents
and the practice Of dropping unworthy PEN
sioners from the rolls have all existed in the
past. But in the early days the frauds in pen
sion cases did not find active champions in
public men or much support from the public
press.
The provision placed on the pension
appropriation bill December 81, 1898,
preventing the commissioner from sus-
pending pensions until fraud had actu-
ally been esta blished, the commissioner
says, has been carried out. He con-
tinueS:
The effect OF this provision is to take from
the officers of this bureau the power to inter-
fere where they plainly see the treasury being
plundered by the fraudulent and unworthy. 1
could cite numberless instances of pensioners
having no title. pensioners drawing more than
one pension widows who, having remarked,
continued to draw pensions, and all manner of
fraudulent and illegal pensions, where the
treasury would continue to be pfundered for q
time with the knowledge Of the officers of this
bureau who. because of that provision, were
rendered pOWerleSS to prevent il.