Evening star., 1895-06-15
PENSION OFFICE DlSMISSAlS
An Effort to Be Made for Congressional
Investigation.
That Old Soldiers Were
Disseminated Against - Causes
Assigned for Their Discharge.

IT is said that an effort will be made to
nave the recent removal of hundred en-
ployes of the pension office investigated by
Congress ext winter, on the ground that
the law has been violated by the dismissal
of old soldiers who were specially pro-
tected by the statute. The diSmisSalS were
the fruit of a recommendation by Com
missioner Lochren to Congress last winter
that his force be reduced, as it was out OF
proportion to the work to be done. In con-
sequence, 169 dismissals were authorized by
Congress, to take place at the close of the
fiscal year.
A Star reporter was informed today that
the unpleasant task of selecting the par
ocular clerks who were to go was assumed
by the commissioner himself, assisted by
the chief clerk, Mr.. Mckeyttt. and the tenn
rorary assistant chief clerk of the bureau,
Mr.. Remission. Mr. Murphy, to whom the
headsman's duties have heretofore been
assigned did not in this instance partici-
pate in-the function. The number of clerks
put out was not the entire 169 required by
law, but transfers to other departments to
the number of forty-nine were arranged,
and twenty designations and deaths occur
red, whicfr We're charged up to the dis
missal account. This made the despair list
just an even hundred and to get this num-
Der the commissioner made the rounds of
the entire bureau, taking clerk or two
mere and handful there, until he had his
bouquet made up.
The List Secret.
The list of clerks dismissed has not been
made public. 1t was the intention to do SO
up to the last moment, when, as Secretary
Smith was about to give it out, Commits
sioner Lochren asked him not to allow it
to he published. The commissioners rea-
son for keeping the list secret is that he
did rot want the clerks who were put out
fn he I,ar has oh. .,f rom in,
any way disabled in the struggle for eX-
istence by the fact that they had been
selected to be dismissed because they We're
not up to the mark of efficiency desired in
the pension bureau. This is what the COM
missioner himself says about the fact that
the list has not been given out. But the
people who We're dismissed aver that it is
only preteXt, and that the commissioner
is descending. The real reason, they say,
is that he has caused the dismissal of
number of good clerks, who have been in
the office for great many years and sus-
tanned excellent records. In about a dozen
cases it is charged that old soldiers against
whom complaint has ever been made
have been dismissed. The law said that in
making the reduction of the pension bu-
reau force old soldiers should he retained,
other things being equal
No Hardship in These Cases.
1t is certain that Il number of old SOL
diers have been removed, but 1t is stated
-
of complaint. In one case about which
good deal of noise has been made, a vet
eran with one arm was dismissed. Inquiry
shows that he had a salary of $500 year,
that his daughter living with him drew
81 300 yearly and that his enjoys a
good place In another case d soldier was
dismissed who came into the bureau three
months ago by special arrangement, as he
was about to be dismissed from the land
office in consequence of a reduction of
the force there, and it was distinctly
agreed that he was to remain only to the
end of the year. With the exception of one
case that is being reconsidered there does
not seem to be any violent instance OF
discrimination against the old soldiers.
y good deal of criticism is forthcoming
from number Of women clerks, who, rs
a rule. almost without exception, it is
claimed at the department. were not good
clerks. Among these are several charity
cases and not few where strong political
or social influence had been worked to get
them into office and keep them in, not
withstanding their inefticiency.
Reduction of the Force.
The dismissals this year are, in all proba-
bilfty, but the forerunners of more eX-
tensive reductions to be made in the next
few years AS the old soldier passes off
the stage of action the occupation of the
pension clerk disappears. 1t is estimated
that in ten years the volume Of pension
al plica tons will be SO reduced that one
third of the clerks now employed Will be
rendered unnecessary.
AS these reductions of the force in the
pension Office become necessary the efi-
cient clerks will be transferred to other
departments-a thing to which few will
object With the discharge of the ineffi-
cient and the gradual transfer of fifty to
one hundred clerks to the other govern
ment bureaus annually the force can. it
is claimed at the bureau, be kept down to
the number necessary to take care of all
the meritorious applications for pensions
that can be made.