Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-10-30
CoMMIssIoNER LOoHREN
Submits Ais Annual Report Of the Pen
sion Bureau-The Long case Mentioned
dealing with Fraudulent Pensioners.

/ Submits ais Annual Report Of the Pen
! sion Bureau-The Long case Mentioned
dealing with Fraudulent Pensioners
WASHINGTON, October 29.-The re-
argument of the Long pension case In
| the District Court, of the District oil
| Columbia, does not awaken very much
interest Commissioner Lochren is
/ confident that the same opinion will be
reached.
In his annual report the Commissioner
reviewed the Long case at some length,
10 which he said:
This case has attracted wide atten-
| ton, because of the fact that thu pen.
] sioner is one Of the judges OF the Su'
preme Court Of Michigan, and has upon
! the rostrum and through the press un-
/ stinttnglY denounced this bureau and
myself for alleged arbitrary and illegal
proceedings In the reduction Of his pen
sion, and because Of the suits instituted
by him in this district against myself
to prevent such reductions"
After reviewing the proceedings in
the case, Commissioner Lochren said:
1T is quite clear that uuder honest
but mistaken Interpretation OF the PEN
sion laws by prior Commissioners this
penSloner has obtained from the Treas
ury more than $1,000 to which he was
never lawfully entitled. Should he make
good his assertion that he will take this
case for decision to the Supreme Court
of .he United States, he may when it
shall be finally decided, consider the
propriety OF returning this money TO the
treasury"
In the same report the Commissioner
discusses the work Of Special Examin-
ers, which has been criticized 10 Con-
gress and elsewhere. The Commissioner
says:
The report OF the chief of the d.
vision exhibits the character and i'm
portance Of its work. Cases which ap-
pear " have merit, but in which the
claimants are unable to obtain essential
evidence are, with such information 10
respect TO witnesses as the bureau can
obtain, placed in the hands OF special
examiners. who are often able 10 dis
cover and obtain the evidence neces-
sary to prove the claims. The
larger part OF the force is always kept
employed in this class of WORK. But
the special examination division, aided
as 10 is by the law division, constitutes
the main protection which the govern
ment has against fraud aud imposition.
Most OF the pension attorneys and claim
agents are capable and honorable; but
some among them are the most dishOn-
est and INSCRIPTIONS Of men, dealing
haOitually in perjury, forgery, aud
every species OF fraud and falsehOOd.
Without special exam liners the villainy
OF such men would operate without
check or fear Of detection and be gem
orally successful, as ii is too often now
in spite Of all safeguards.
"Such men attract the unworthy as
bounty jumpers, towards
and deSerters, aud the fraudulent
maigners, As many Of their crimes
are discovered, their fraudulent cases
and themselves and their
guilty cOuiederates brought to deserved
Justice by the work OF special examiners
There were 1914 convictions for pension
frauds last year., ii is but natural that
such men aud their clients should be
loud aud uuceasing 10 decrying special
examiners as spies, and seeking with
the aid of INSCRIPTIONS partisan news
papers and politicians TO create a !
prejudice against special examiners |
ia the minds OF deserving pensioners |
and others. The worthy and deserving !
soldiers are still modest and in the race !
the unworthy, who are as truculent In |
their continued strife for pensions and |
increases as when operating for boun-
ties. They crowd themselves TO the |
front at soldiers gatherings with ciamor
for resolutions for more pensions, ana
denunclatiOus OF every regulation tend
ing 10 unmaSk or prevent dishonesty
and fraud as "uniriendly to the SOL
der" Their Unsuitable greed and de-
hesitation of all resolutions made to IN
sure honesty aud restrain or discover
fraud, shamelessly proclaimed, has done
much 10 lower the regard WEIGH would
otherwise be universally manifested lot
the deserving soldier.
at has been reported that the at
tempt 70 discover frauds Is new
aud 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 1877 to show that the Ut
most care is necessary to prevent fradu-
lent pensions, after which he adds
al have selected these extracts from
the reports of the earlier commissioners
since the civil war 70 show that special
examinations, fraudulent claimants,
dishonest claim agents and the practice
of dropping unworthy pensioners from
the roll have all existed In the past.
But in those earlier days fraud In pen
son cases did not find active cnsmplons
10 public men or much support from
the public press
The provision placed on the pension
appropriation bill December p, 1873,
preventing the Commissioner from sus-
pepdipg pensions uatil fraud had actu-
alIv been established, the Commissioner
saws. has been carried out, but with no
advantage 20 the bureau. The effect
OF this provision is to take from the Of
ticers of this bureau the power to IN
terfere where they plainly see the
Treasury being plUndered by the fraud
ulent and the unworthy. l could cite
pumberless 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 Treas
urv would continue TO be plundered Tor
a time wiz the knowledge OF the OIL
GERS OF It's bureau, who, because OF
that proviso, were rendered poWeress
to prevent it.
stabb,ng Array at ParkerIburg.