The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-07-26
AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT.

| that careful examination Of the files Of
his office shows that there are but 2S7,
200 claimants who are not now receiv.
ing pensions.
This statement has twofold lnpor.
lance. The first question that suggests
itself is the pregnant one: Why %
years after the close of the war, and
with the unbounded facilities given the
Pension Bureau for transacting its bust
ness, should there be such an immense
number as 2S7 ,209 claimants still wait
ing for the adjustment of their claims
This statement is in itself the strongest
possible impeachment of the policy
which has governed the Pension Blu
reau. The Bureau has but one plain
duty to perform. 1t has but one SIM
pie function. 1t was created and has
been maintained for many years at
immense expense, simply to ascertain,
promptly and certainly, who have been
injured in the military and naval
service Of the country, and award them
certain rates Of compensation. 1t is a
very ordinary, easily-performed work.
Really, no business transacted by any
other branch of the Executive Depart
ments is naturally simpler and freer
from complications than this. Only
the most ordinary ability is required to
determine quickly and surely whether
man actually served in the Army or
Navy, whether he was honorably dis
charged, whether he is now suffering
from the results of that service; if so,
the extent and the amount to which the
law entities him. Any business man of
mediocre competency would ask but
few years to do all this, and close the
whole business. But the Pension Bu-
reau has now been 80 years dawdling
and pottering over the pension claims
arising out of the war of the rebellion,
and to-day has to report that it has
2S7,209 claims before it, in which the
claimants have received no measure of
consideration whatever.
1t must be kept in mind that this i'm
plies a number of unknown vastness
who have died during all these years,
defrauded by the unreasonable delay,
and that tens Of thousands more must
inevitably die, defrauded in the same
way, before the Bureau, at its present
rate of procedure, can reach their cases.
Equally strongly, it should be kept in
mind that there is no excuse or palliation
for this. The Pension Bureau has at all
times had all the facilities that it required
placed at It's disposal for the transaction
of its business. Congress has given it
all the clerical force and all the money
asked for, and the country was recently
amazed to see the Commissioner turn
back into the Treasury s25,000,OO0 as
=" saved from the annual appropriation.
That he should a few days later re-
port "a careful examination and count
shows 287,209 claimants not in receipt
of any pension" simply takes the breath
away and leaves none for fitting COM
ment
The other phase of this statement is
that it answers very effectively the rant
of the soldier-haters about no man be-
ing able TO foresee the extent of the
pension burden" That there are 287,-
2OS claimants not yet receiving pensions
enables the limits to be fixed with toll
cradle accuracy. If every one of these
is put on the roll at the high average of
1888 a month, or 800 year, it would
add but s2S,72O,9OO year to the roll,
or but little more than the Commissioner
saved" out of last years appropriation.
AS an unknown number Of those claim
ants have died since filing their claims,
and great many claims will be re-
jected, it is clear that the Commissioner
could readily have cleared up the
docket with the s25,000,O00 which he
turned back into the treasury.
We have this consolation, however:
this statement gives US something official
upon which to go before the country, and
meet the wild utterances of the soldier
haters. 1t is a conclusive demonstration