The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-02-17
PENSIONS In CONGRESS,


Mr.. Ray IN. Y, r., OF the Committee on
Invalid Pensions, made an important
statement regarding private bills. Said he
"In every instance thus far where a bill
has been reported to the House / have
caused the evidence to be most thoroughly
examined and sifted by the able assistant
sent to us by the Department, and except
in one or two cases no bill has been re-
ported to this House that was contrary to
his Judgment.
Il desire to say another thing: That in
no instance have We reported a bill con-
trary to the policy of the Committee; and it
is contrary to the policy OF the Committee,
as thus far enunciated, and i believe it will
be adhered TO, to report a bill to this
House until the remedy OF the claimant
has been exhausted at the Pension Blu
reau There are some cases where 1t
clearly appears that the claimants have no
pensionabje status because OF some tech
nicaiity; then. OF course, we do not re-
quire them to 90 there if that fact is clear
and beyond any dispute. But where they
have "a remedy at the Bureau, we insist
upon their first exhaustng their remedy
there.
And | can say another thing in that
connection: That where we have found a
close question on the evidence, where we
believed that the Bureau had made a mis-
take and that there was a possibility OF
their correcting that mistake, we have
sent the case back to the Bureau; and in
three cases already they have reversed the
former decision and have granted either
The pension or the increase asked for, be-
cause they had previously erred in their
decisions there through overlooking some
portion of the evidence or through some
other error.
In one case they denied the applica-
ton upon the ground that the widow had a
husband living. Now. that case happened
to be from my own locality, and it was
represented to me that such was not the
fact and that there was no evidence on
| file tending to show such fact. OF
| course having introduced the bill myself,
| | called up the papers and examined them
| carefully | had the assistant sent from
| the Pension Bureau examine the papers,
| and he could not find any such evidence.
| So we sent the case back to the Bureau
with the suggestion that they had mixed
| the case up with some other case, that
this woman had not been married since
| the death of the soldier in the service, and
| that there was no proof or pretenSe OF
| proof that she had been married.
"'They looked it over and could not find
| any such evidence, and they concluded
she had not been again married. so they
granted the pension. Now, these errors
| and mistakes do occur, and il does not
follow, | will say to the gentleman, that
| because now and then we Overrule the de-
| cision of the Pension Bureau that il is not
| correct action upon our part. The medical
| referee sometimes unceremOniOuSly turns
| :. case down after it has been approved all
| the way along, approved by the doctors at
home. approved by the physicians here,
| approved by the law division for accept
| ance The medical referee in his note will
| say. Rejected upon the ground that this
| disease was not incurred i'll the service.
| No record of it,.
Turn right back to the record. and you
will find that the disease that the soldier
| is now suffering from was connected with
| the service. There is a service record OF
| such disease and proof uncontradicted
| that he has suffered from disease all the
| way down. When these errors are dis
| covered we send these papers back to
| the Pension Bureau for that Bureau to
correct the error if they will, and they have
| done it in nearly every case.
The Invalid Pensions Committee last
week took up for consideration the bill
| recommended by Commissioner Evans,
prohibiting the issue of pensions to the
widows of old soldiers who married such
soldiers after the passage of the act.
Mr.. Norton of Ohio, fought the bill, say
ing it was AGAINST the widows and orphans
of old soldiers, and was only recon-
mended in order to prevent pension ex-
penditures and to permit the receipts from
the Dingley bill to swell much as
possible.
When the measure was put to a vote by
seven to five the Committee refused to
favorably report the measure. The divis-
ion was not on party lines.
Chairman Ray notified the Committee
60 day that he would appoint a sub-com-
mittee in few days to draft a service pen
sion bill