The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-06-17
THE PENSION BUREAU.
Interesting Information About the
Most Abused of Governmental
Departments.

No department OF the government IL
more unpopular than the pension bu-
reau and no officials more systematical-
ly maligned than its head. the commits
sioner of pensions. The first condition
is the result of liberal congress and u
too liberal Interpretation of laws, which
threw down the gates and opened the
treasury to the undeserying. The other
is due TO the fact that either the com
missioner is too liberal in his interpre-
tation of the laws, which brings criti-
cism from the people, or he is strict in
his Interpretation and thereby eXcites
the i'll will of the pension claimant.
Year after year the roll of pensioners
has grown until to-day there are 902,-
GGI wards of Uncle Sam, who require
an annual appropriation of upwards of
$l50,000, 900. When il is realized, as
every well-informed man does, that
much of this money is unjustly distrib-
uted the odium which attaches to the
pension Office cannot be wondered at.
The people expect wise and honest
Interpretation of the laws relating to
pensions, while many of the claimants
not only expect. but demand that the
commissioner violate the law in their
particular interest. This is by no
means an eNaggeration, for the files of
the pension Office are crowded with
claims that have absolutely no merit,
and from each one of these claimants
there goes forth Il complaint that the
commissioner of pensions is unfriendly
to the interests of the old soldier, and
that he should be removed. II is the
same experience with every commits
sioner of pensions, democrat or repub-
lican. Some commissioners have made
themselves popular with the claimants
by granting pensions broadcast, but
the wrath of the people was not slowin
making itself felt. ~
The provisions of the general pcnz
sion laws and the rules and regula-
tons established by the secretary Of
the interior form the basis of the ac-
ton of the pension bureau in the adj
judication of claims for pension.
The law places the commissioner of
pensions under the direction of the sec
rotary of the interior, and therefore the
action of the pension bureau is subject
to the regulations prescribed by the
secretary. In constituting the pension
laws the decisions of the department,
which are contained in nine volumes
published by the department, are bind
ing upon the pension bureau, and us
nearly all material questions relating
to the granting of pensions have been
considered and decided by the interior
department from time to time very lit
tie discretion resides in the commits
congress relating to the subject.
The act of June -, 1890. as construed
by the secretary of the interior creates
conditions which are not applicable to
claims under the general law, and much
of the misapprehension and dissatisfac-
ton with the operations of the pension
bureau arise from a want of under
stSnding as to these conditions.
Thus, for example, soldier is en-
titled to a pension of SO n month un-
der the general law for a single hernia,
while the same disability entities him
to only six dollars n month under the
act of June 27, 1890. The loss of one eye
is rated under the general law at ST.
n month, while under the act of 1890
only six dollars is allowed. \ degree
of deafness, which would entitlc "A sol
der to 500 month under the general
law, is not ratable under the act of June
~, 1890.
A widow under the general law is
pensioncd regardless Of her possessions,
while under the act of June %. 1880. the
enjoyment of an income in excess of
500 per annum is bar to pension un-
der that act.
Now, when these different conditions
arise in the same neighborhood people
seldom stop to inquire as TO the law un-
der which application is made, and
when claim is allowed under the gen
eral law at a high rate for degre" of
deafness which does not entitle to n
rating under the new law it necessarily
results in criticism of the commissions
err. And when widow who is in affiuent
circumstances is granted a pension un-
der the general law, while a claimant
not nearly so well off is denied pen
sion under the other law because she
is not without other means of support
than her daily labor. it seems to the
public to be an unjust discrimination
on the part of this bureau.
Yet the law creates these conditions,
and it is not within the power of the
to do otherwise than exc
cute the law, and in nearly all of these
cases the pension Office is blamed in
stead of congress, which alone has the
power to lcgislate.
When the present commissioner
took charge of the bureau he found
pending many thousands of claims of
persons who had never received any
pension, and to this number many thou
sands of similar claims have been added
since that time. He also found a still
larger number of claims pending for
increase, and this class of claims has
also received large accessions.
AS it was found impossible TO give all
these claims immediate consideration.
, rule was adopted devoting the time of
The examiners for four days in the week
10 original claims. While this rule APP
pears TO give preference to original
tlaims, the work on increase claims has
haen puabad ard no ra pidlv N NOS