The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1898-09-10
(Rv Assocfo rod prar,N

sloI1S, ana It. Will increase in amount
naturally by reason Of increased
The amounts paid out at the several
agencies of the year on account of pen
slons under the general laws were $75,-
275,3S3, and on account of pensions I'M
der the act Of June q, 1890, $66, 255, go
The number of pensioners in foreign
countries at the close of the fiscal year
was 4,371, having increased 800. The
total amount paid to pensioners living
abroad was $669,8 , 49, d,
Commissioner Evans says there is lack
of system in the established practice of
this department in securing the necessary
original and continued identification Of
the pensioner with the service, as there
is also in securing notices of death, re-
marriages and necessary information for
dropping, from other causes, pensioners
living in foreign countries. as the bureau
has no supervision or criminal jurisdiction
over such pensioners.
There were IL survivors and 211 widows
fthe Indian wars, and 46 survivors and
SOP widows of the Mexican war pensioned
during the year. There are surviving S
widows and daughters of the American
Revolution. One survivor dead. payable
of 1912 were pensioned during the year
just closed.
Pension Claims Pending
June 80, 1885, numbered 635,O53. TIE
commissioner is confident that there are
not over $4,000 of these (invalids and
widows? that are genuine original claims.
The others arc cases where the claim
ants are already pensioned. The special
examination division has done good work
during the year, having endeavored to do
justice to all claimants, and many just
claims have been admitted that would
otherwise have been rejected. There is
much complaint among pensioners. says
commissioned
for such by reason of the lack of uni
formity Of ratings for the same or like.
disabilities of different claimants. This
complaint has always existed and always
will, with our present system, and es-
tabllshed practice, he declares, and it
cannot be remedied without radical
changes Of system
"The practice requires" says the re-
port, that medical examiners shall
make a diagnosis and complete and &C.
urate pen picture of the disability or dis
abilities of the claimant. They are paid
small fee for each examination and de-
tailed report, and such examination is
very often, no doubt, hurried and super.
fetal. Therefore, many test examina-.
lions are made. AS an illustration, it is
stated that the bureau recently found it
necessary to cause a test examination 70.
be made of pensioner. He was sent
before four medical boards, three men,
bers each, all present. All Of these boards:
were within the classified service. Each.
examined the customer under the same
instructions. Each board made care
full examination and reported the results.
of their Investigations with the usual
care, describing the pensioners disabili-
ties from their standpoint. Each board
found unanimously; no minority report.
The results, summed up briefly. were:
One board could find no ratable disabiIf-
ty; another found ratable disability
and estimated it at s. per month; anotl1-
er board found disability, carefully de-.
scribed, and rated at SIT per month,
while the other board made equally as:
careful examination and estimated the
claimants disabilities as third grade
$24 per n onth. Same man, same condi-
tons. same instructions and all within
forty-eight hours. These physicians are
each and all, I am informed, skilled in
their practtce--in every way reputable
practitioners.
Ta- Sustained and Reversed.
The secretary of the interior sustained
the action Of Commissioner Evans in 1896
appealed cases acted upon, and only re-
versed his action in 39G cases, and in these
reversals no precedents are set to change
the established practice of the bureau
Each case, according to the instructions
Of the secretary of the interior, must be
considered on it's Individual merits and in
accordance with the established practice
A special examination shows that no.
taries public, magistrates and others en-
gagged in the businss of taking acknowl-
edgments of pensioners quarterly vouch-
ers for payment have not always COM
Piled with the requiremnts of the law. 1t
has been shown that many fail to require
necessary identificatiOns Of pensioners, to
require presentations of pension certifi-
Gates by the pensioners at the time Of tax
ing such acknowledgements, and they have
violated the law also in the use of profess
sfonal or stock witnesses. Warming has
been given to the officials and it is hoped
that 1t will not be necessary to make them
feel the penalty Of the law.
Attention is called to an extract from
the pension laws, providing that all pen
sions granted under the General Laws reg
ulating pensions of widows in consequence
of death occurring from a cause which
originated in the service since March 4,
1861, shall commence from the death Of
the husband. Up to the passage of this
act, June Z, 1883, the Widows pensions
dated from the date of filing claim, if the
application was filed after July 1, 1856
no soldiers pension can go back of the
date OF its filing since July /, 1880. It
would seem, says the commissioner, that
there were and are large number Of
widows who had never been pensioned or
filed claims for pension. Many of them
at that date, June Z, 1883, had remarked
and before the passage of this law had TO
pensionable status on account Of their re-
marriage without filing claim for pension
The soldier husband for some reason had
not claimed pension and the widow had
not filed claim, although she may haze
remained widow from one to twenty
years or more. Under the act mentioned
the widow becomes
Beneficiary Of the Government
practically for the use and benefit of the
second husband. Commissioner Evans is
OF opinion that the operation of this law
is contrary to the spirit and intent Of a
just and generous recognition of the SOL
dier's services. The widows pension, he
says, is intended to aid, assist and COM
fort the soldiers widow during her wild.
owhood. It is recommended that pay
ments Of pensions be made to the wife.
or some suitable person in the case of pen-.
stoners who are likely to dissioate their.
money.
"A treatise has been made to facilitate
the settlement Of pending claims by place
Ing before examiners as simply. as prac
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