Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-02
PAYING A JUST TRIBUTE
A Veteran Of War and Peace Describes the
Pension Bureau.
Clerks of the Highest Character and
the Elaborate Routine Pre-.
served by Them.

A recent issue Of the New York Independ-
ent contained a letter from Colonel G. C.
Kniffin of the pension bureau to General
o. o. Howard on the character Of the
clerks employed in that bureau and the
precautions observed in considering PEN
sions. General Howard sent the letter to
the Independent, with the following note:
Having obtained permission to publish
the letter Of my friend. Colonel G. c. Knit
fin, have thought it appropriate to give
it to you. Colonel Kniffin was on the staff
Of General Stanley, who commanded one
of my divisions in the 4th Army Corps
(Army OF the Cumberland). He was an
excellent officer during the war, loyal and
efficient. and lovable in character, and
since the war he has sustained a high rep
utation officially and socially. wrote 10
him on seeing some strong innuendoes in
the newspapers aimed at the pension bu-
reau, which l felt were unjust Colonel
Knifflns answer speaks for ITSELF 1t Is
more exciting to attack everything nova
days than to defend, but sometimes de-
tense Of the truth is wise. even If not
popular"
Colonel KnffHn's letter is as follows:
MY service in the pension bureau began
In 1889, and the greater portion of this
time have been chief or assistant chief
Of division. l have also occupied the desk
claims for pension; have had charge OF
the commissioners correspondence with
claimants and have spent two years In the
attorneys room preparing cases for their
personal inspection, SO that. my acquaint-
ance with the practice in the bureau Is
toierably extensive. 1 had reached the
middle age when I was assigned to duty
here, and prior to that time l had had
good deal Of experience in business life.
and on several occasions a large number or
men and women in my employ. l mention
this to show you that my opportunities
for judging of the comparative merit or
government clerks with those employed In
business life are fairly good.
You ask what occupies the time of OFF,
Gals and clerks? Do they do good work?
Is it Klondike to occupy a chair In the
pension bureau?
Replying to your last question first, the
average pay of clerk is 500 per month.
family clothe and educate the children,
and fit them for some useful calling in life.
BY the practice of strict economy, IL not
handicapped by protracted illness In the
family and resultant expenses, this can be
done. If the clerk is unmarried and has
no relatives needing assistance, is reason
ably economical and healthy, a tidy sum
might be laid aside against the day when
old age demands that the pen must be sur
rendered to a younger hand. 1t may be
said however, that very few Of the unmar-
ried clerks are free to spend their income
upon themselves. A large majority have
dependent relatives, to whom fully one-haif
OF the monthly pay goes out of the city to
loved ones in the states, or Is used in the
support Of mothers, brothers and sisters
at home. Speaking for my own division,
there are not more than six out of forty
two ladies who do not support one or more
dependent relatives, while Of the thirty
six men all but five are married and have
families to support. In addition, in several
cases. to paying for their modest homes
through the building associations. In moral
character they are as class the peers OF
t., no LAM INV In "
rious cities l have never associated with
more refined, cultivated people of both
sexes than are to be found among the de-
partment clerks. In general intelligence
they are superior to the average of wealthy
society people in the large cities. They
ere the associates of the families of Con-
gressmen-eXcept in rare cases where the
latter have become SO pufted up py political
success as to cause them to ignore their
former associates; for all the clerks come
from some congressional district Their
families at home have been of a character
to entitle them to the Endorsement of
member of Congress, or other prominent
citizen, else they would not be here; and
their intelligence, manners and accomplish
merts entitle them to consideration. They
are in evidence at receptions and banquets
and other society functions. without whom
many an assemblage would be an exceed
ingly tame affair. They are the mainstay
of the churches, Sunday schools and Chris
tian Endeavor Societies, and are the most
generous contributors to charitable objects
according to their means 1 have ever
known.
.Tha older class of clerks are in most
cases soldiers, and they are here, as you
knew them In the field, steady, prompt and
reliable. The drinking men, God bless
them, have left us, and are at rest in their
graves; those who remain. with rare excep-
lions. are sober, upright, God-fearing men,
who ask no favors on account Of the SER
vice they gave to their country in their
youth, but rely upon their own record for
efficiency today.
What occupies the time of officials ami
clerks? An application for pension is a
document which requires careful consdera-
ton from the date of filing until Its final
adjudication. 1t is subjected to the most
rigid scrutiny to see that the attorney who
files it is entitled to practice before the bu-
reau; that the magistrate whose jurat is
attached has certificate as such on file;
that the two are not identical; that the
claimant has two attestfng Witnesses and,
If either OF these conditions is lacking, the
defects must be remedied by correspond
ence. The application must be recorded.
jacketed and placed in the files of the prop
er adjudicating division, where 1t remains
Until drawn for action upon it. The ex-
aminer to whom the claim is assigned calls
for a medical examination. and, If the
claimant has never been pensioned. he calls
upon the record and pension Office, War
Department. for his military history. The
replies to these calls having been received,
the claimant or his attorney is called upon
for evidence to substantiate the validity Of
the claim. When all the evidence has been
furnished In response to the calls of the
bureau the claim. with all the testimony
attached, is submitted to the board Of re-
view for final adjudication. Here the evil
dence Is weighed from a legal standpoint,
and II found to be sufficient to entitie the
claimant to pension. the case goes to the
medical division, where the amount of per-
sion Is determined. after which the certil-
cate is issued. Between the Scylla of the
legal and the Charybdis OF the medical ex-
animation many claims are wrecked and
rejected. From first to last the utmost care
ts required to secure accuracy in preparing
claim for adjudication. and expert knowi-
edge OF pension law and practice, to secure
fair adjudication.
1T may well be imagined that there are
work awaits action. In q somewhat ex-
tended business career I have never seen
greater industry displayed or more willing
OBEDIENCE to Office rules rendered than "a