The National tribune., 1894-03-08
NOT ESPECIALLY East WORK.

Gen. John G.. Black, in his defense OF Com
missioner Lochren severely criticized the
Commissioners predecessor for undue haste
in passing pension claims. He said:
In 1912 fully 81 600 claims were allowed. an
average Of los pension certificates issued day.
In tie final adjudication one clerk passed 400
cases in month. every four minutes. After
he had made this record be was promoted. Thou
sands of adjndicated On three papers:
]. The pensioners application. .fs
9. The date OF entering and leaving the army
without stating whether he WAS honorsby or dis
honoraby discharged.
3. The medical examination.
There was entire neglect of the great requisite
OF the law, that the condition of the applicant
should be shown not to have been the result of his
vicious habits. This was the sort Of skeleton
work which produced such enormous results. He
did not say this in criticism. but 10 show the
methods that obtained. II was impossible except
by tire interpretation of miracle avoid gross and
extensive errors with such methods.
This is very falacious. In the first place,
the Act OF June 81, 1890, makes it only
necessary TO prove three things:
/. That the pensioner was in the military
or naval service for period Of 80 days.
9. That he was honorably discharged.
3. That he is now suffering from disability
not due to his own vicious habits, which
ipcapacitates him from the performances of
manual labor.
The law never intended any complex or
intricate procedure under it. The main
idea of its passage was to do away with the
wretched Ted-tapeism under which appli-
cants had been suffering for SO many years
1t comprised in their utmost simplicity the
great essential requisites to pension, and
the intent of the makers of the law was that
the Pension Bureau should at once proceed
to carry it out with the greatest rapidity,
and so give redress to the hundreds of
thousands for whose benefit 1t was passed
This the Bureau did. There was no
reason for delay, or multiplying processes
to keep applicants out of their pensions
The essential facts were easily set forth,
and, when presented, man of ordinary
in five minutes as in year. Either the
evidence showed that the applicant was in
the army or navy for 90 days, or he was not;
the report from the War Department showed
either he was honorabiy discharged, or he
was not; and the report from the Medical
Board showed either that he was disabled
or he was not Anything beyond this was
merely pottering aroend to make obstacles
to defeat the purpose of the law, and cheat
the pensioner. q 10
Gen. Black knows, or at least should
know, that the report from the War De-
partment as to the length of the mans
service and honorable discharge was pre-
requisite to the consideration of a mans
claim. 1t is very strange, therefore that he
should allow himself, to make such state
| ment. 81
After the papers had passed through all
the circumlocution of the Pension Bureau.
clerk certainly ought to 60 over them at
the rate of four minute, to see that the st
testations and other technical matters had
been properly done. Does Gen. Black think
that he should have stopped to investigate
for himself all the points that had been
examined by the Law, Medical, Certificate,
and other Divisions? What was the use of