Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-18
THE PENSION BUREAU
Something About the Most Abused
Of Departments.
LIMITATIONS FIXED BY THE LAWS
Causes for Complaints of Discrimi-
nation
BLAME RESTS ON CONGRESS

No department OF the government is more
unpopular than the pension bureau and no
official Is moro systematically malgned
tran Its head, the commissioner of pensions.
The first condition IL the result of n lib
eral Congress and too liberal interpreta-
ton of laws, which threw down the gates
and opened the treasury to the underserv-
ing. The other is due to the fact that either
the commissioner In too liberal in his inter
probation of the laws. which brings criti-
cism from the people, az he Ii strict in his
Interpretation ana thereby escites the ILL
will Of the penaion claimant.
Year after year the roll or pensioners has
grown until today there are W,2.t 1884 wards
or uncle sam, who require an annual ap-
preparation of upwards of $4,000, COO
When 1t Is realized, AS every well-informed
man does, that much Of this money IS un-
justly distributed the odium which attaches
to the pension office cannot be wondered
at. The people expect wise and honest
Interpretation OF the la relating to pen
sions, while many Of the claimants not
only expect, but demand that the commits
sicner violate the law In their particular in
terest This is by no means an exaggera-
uCn, for the files of the pension office are
crowded with claims that have absolutely
no merit and from each one Of these claim
ants there goes forth a complaint that the
commissioner of pensions ia unfriendly to
the interests Of the old soldier, and that he
should be removed. 1t Is the same exper-
ience with every commissioner of pensions,
democrat or republican. Some commissions
ers have made themselves popular with the
claimants by granting pensions broadcast
out the wrath OF the people was not slow in
making itself felt.
The Pension Building.
1here are many pensioners in the United
States who know nothing of this great ma
chine known as the pension bureau. The
building, while perhaps the largest brick
structure in the world is looked upon as the
most inartistic. 1t covers nearly two acres
in the north portion of Judiciary Square is
400 feet long and 200 wide. Several times
the large court has been used for the inau-
gural ball, when its ugliness has been hid
den in wealth of magnificent decorations
one external feature which attracts in.
torest is the terra Gotta freize. which ex-
tends around the entire building and repre-
sents familiar scenes in the life of the SOL
der infantry, cavalry and artillery are
mere portrayed going to battle with alert
elastic tread, or the scene changes to one
in which comrades, themselves slightly
wounded, are assisting less fortunate ones
to a place of safety. Every foot of the
freize appeals to the heart of the veteran
VINO gazes upon 1t, and to many who never
witnessed battle the experiences of a SOL
uler $ lie are made more real
The building is constructed around vast
court, the roof of which Is supported by
elgnt massive brick columns overlaid with
Stucco stained to resemble marble. These
imposing columns rest on foundations eight
cen feet below the floor and from floor to
ROOF are eighty-five feet in height. Each
column IS said to contain 10000 bricks
Inc building is four stories high and access
IS mad to the working rooms on the various
1loors by means of spacious galleries which
rise tier above tier ON all sides of the court.
Limitations of the Bureau.
The provisions of the general pension
laws and the rules and regulations estab-
hshed by the Secretary of the Interior form
the basis of the action of the pension bu-
reau IN the adjudication of claims for PEN
sion.
The law places the commissioner of pen.
sions under the direction of the Secretary
OF the INTERIOR and therefore the action Of
the pension bureau IS subject to the regula-
tons prescribed by the Secretary In CON
strung the pension laws the decisions of
the department, which are contained in
nine volumes published by the department
are binding upon the pension bureau and
as nearly all material questions relating to
the granting of pensions have been consid-
cred and decided by the Interior Depart
ment from time to time. very little dis
erection resides in the commissioner as to the
meaning of the acts of Congress relating to
the subject.
The act of June o. 1890. as construed bv
the Secretary of the Interior creates condi-
uons which are not applicable to claims
Under the general law, and much of the
misrepresentation and dissatisfaction with
the operations of the pension bureau arise
from q want of understanding as to these
conditions.
Thus, for example a soldier is entitled
to a pension of so month under the gen
erai law for a single hernia, while the same
clsabiHty entities him to only Sc a month
under the act of June u. 1890. The loss of
one eye is rated under the general law at
SIT month, while under the act of 1890
only So is allowed. A degree of deafness
which would entitle a soldier to $50 a
month under the general law is not ratahle
under the act of June 81, 1890
widow under the general law is pen
stoned regardless of her possessions. while
under the act of June q, 1890 the eniov-
ment Of an income in excess of 800 per
annum is bar to pension under that act
Bureaus Apparent IncOnsistency,
Now, when these different conditions arise
In the same neghborhood people seldom
stop to inquire to the law under which
application is made, and when a claim is
allowed under the general law at a
high rate for degree of deafness
which does not entitle to a rating
under the new law it necessarily results in
criticism of the commissioner And when a
widow who is in af1uent circumstances Is
granted a pension under the general law
while a claimant not nearly so well off is
denied a pension under the other law be-
cause she is not without other means of
support than her daily labor, 1t seems to
the public to be an unjust discrimination on
the part of this bureau.
Yet the law creates these conditions and
1t is not within the power of the commits
sioner to do otherwise than execute the law
and in nearly all of these cases the pen
sion Office is blamed instead of Congress-
which alone has the power to legislate.
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 thousands 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 wa5 found impossible to give all
these claims immediate consideration, a rule
was adopted devotfng the time of the ex-
aminers for four days in the week to origi-
nal claims. While this rule appears to give
preference to original claims. the work on
increase claims has been pushed forward
as rapidly as possible, and ii is hoped that
all classes of claims win soon be brought
up to date. u 4
Increase in Claims Allowed.
With reference to the work of the bureau
d.