The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-04
THOUSANDS MORE MAY BE PAID
TREASURY READY TO REDEEM MIL
LIONS OF PACIFIC BONDS.
Contracts Awarded to supply the
Navy with Millions of Pounds
of Sm0keIess Powder.


issued later. The commissioner says that
the roll is not only increasing in number,
but in value. 1t is believed that it will in
crease from the war of the rebellion. as
there probably are 1000 ex-Union soldiers
living who have never had pensions, and it
will increase in amount naturally by reason
of increased disabilities, as provided by law.
The amounts paid out at the several agen-
c.es for the year. on account of pensions
under the general laws were $75,275,3S5 and
en- account of pensions under the act of
June q, 1890. $65, 255,670. The number of
pensioners in foreign countries at the close
of the fiscal year was 4,371. having increased
500. The total amount paid to pensioners
living abroad was 1868, S62.
Commissioner Evans says there is q lack
of system in the established practice of this
department in securing the necessary orig
inal and continued identification of the PEN
eioner with the service, as there is also in
securing notices of death, remarriages and
necessary information for dropping, from
other causes, pensioners living in foreign
countries, as the bureau has no supervision
or criminal jurisdiction over such pension
ers
There were seventeen survivors and III
widows of the Indian wars and forty-six
war pensioned during the year. There are
surviving five widows and seven daughters
of the American revolution. One survivor
dead, payable to~his widow and seven
widows of the war of 1912 were pensioned
during the year just closed. Pension claims
perding June 80, 1885, numbered CSC, 059. The
commissioner is confident that there are not
over 1900 of these Qnvalids and widows)
that are genuine original claims. The others
are cases where the claimants are already
pensioned. The special examination division
has done good work during the year, hav-
ing endeavored to do justice to all claim
ants, and many just claims have been adj
mitted that would have been rejected There
is much complaint among pensioners, says
the commissioner, and very just cause for
such. by reason of the lack OF uniformity
of ratings for the same or like disabilities
of different claimants. This complaint has
always existed and always will, with our
present system and established practice, ne
declares. and it cannot be remedied with
out radical change of system.
THE practice requires says the report,
that medical examiners shall make a dag
nosis and complete and accurate pen picture
of the disabilities of the claimant. They
are paid a small fee for each examination
very often, no douD,. hurried and superficial
Therefore many test examinations are made.
AS an illustration, it is stated that the bu-
reau recently found it necessary to cause
a test examination to be made of a pen
sioner. He was sent before four medical
boards, three members each, all present.
All of these boards were within the CLASH
fled service. Each examined the pensioner
under the same instructions. Each board
made careful examination and reported
the results of their Investigations with the
usual care. describing the pensioners disa-
bilities from their standpoint. Each board
found unanimously; no minority report The
results. summed up briefly, were:
"One board could find no ratable disabil-
ity; another found q ratable disability and
estimated it at IS per month; another board
found disability, carefully described it and
rated 1t at $17 per month, while the other
board made equally as careful an examina-
ton, and estimated the claimants disabili-
ties as third grade, $24 per month. Same
man same conditions, same instructions and
all within forty-eight hours. These physi-
clans are each and all, 1 informed
skilled in their practice, in every way repu-
table practitioners"
The secretary of the interior sustained the
action of Commissioner Evans in 1926 APP
pealed cases acted upon and only reversed
his action in $50 cases, and in these
Versals 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 consid-
cred on its individual merits and in accord
ance with the established practice.
A special examination shows that notaries
public magistrates and others engaged in
the business of taking acknowledgements of
pensioners quarterly vouchers for payment
have not always complied with the require
nlents of the law. 1t has been shown that
many fail to require necessary indentifica-
ton of pensioners to require presentations
of pension certificates by the pensioners at
the time of taking such acknowledgements
and they have violated the law also in the
use of professional or stock witnesses.
Warning has been given to the officials, and
it is hoped that it 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 pensions
granted under the general laws regulating
pensions of widows in consequence of death
occurring from cause which originated i'm
the service since March 4, 1861, shall COM
mence from the death of the husband Up
TO the passage of this act June Z, 1885, the
widows pensions dated from the date of
tiling the claim if the application was filed
after July i, 1880. No soldiers pensions can
so back of the date of it's issue since July
!. 1880. 1T would SEEM" says the COM
missioner. that there were and are large
number of widows who had never been PEN
stoned or filed claims for pension. Many of
them at that date June z, 1881 had re-
married. and before the passage of this
Law had no pensionable status on account
or their remarriage without filing any claim
for pension. The soldier husband for some
reason bad not claimed pension and the
widow had not filed claim, although she
may have remained a widow from one to
twenty years or more. Under the act men,
toned the widow becomes the beneficiary
of the government practically for the use
and benefit of the second husband Commits
sioner Evans is of opinion that the opera
ton Of this law is contrary to the spirit
or intent OF just and generous recogni-
tion OF the soldiers services. The widows
pension. he says. is intended to aid. assist
and comfort the soldiers widow during her
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