The National tribune., 1899-12-07

ing 10 grant MS victims every concession
but that his partner, .Jorkins, was absolute
: ly memorable. and destitute of bowels o
mercy. As matter of fact the rules and
regulations of the Pension Bureau are tn
creation of the Commissioner, as are th'
rules and regulations of all the other Blu
reaus, and their submission to and ap
proval by the Secretary of the Interior are
largely formal, and a matter of official rou
tine.
The explanation will also throw ligh
on that portion of the Secretary of the In
This report is almost necessarily merely
n condensation and resume of the reports
of the various Commissioners in the De
partment. The present Secretary of the
Interior, an estimable gentleman, of con
siderable ability, has been comparatively
recently transferred to that position from
the Legation to Russia. The presumption
seems just that he had as little interest in
and knowledge of the workings of the pen.
sion system as he had of those of the Patent
Office, the Indian Bureau, or the Geological
Survey. How much time or opportunity
| for their study he has had since can be
| imagined from the time required of members
| of the Cabinet in their duties as Constitu-
| tiOnal advisers of the President in the
great questions of policy which are at the
front requiring settlement.
The paragraph relating to pensions ap-
pears in the abstract given out to the press
as follows:
At the close of the fiscal year there were
991 ,519 pensioners, n decrease of 2.195
during the year. The average annual value
of all pensions will increase the pension roll
during the current fiscal year. The Secre-
tary concurs in the recommendations for
Legislation providing that no pension be
granted to commence prior to the date OF
filing the claim, and for an early revision
and codification of the pension laws, as the
numerous amendatory laws and decisions
have made the whole system labyrinth OF
laws and legal opinions. Secretary Hitch
cock urges legislation to definitely construe
the act of June u, 1890, relating to widows
pensions. Regarding this, he says:
In order to more exactly define the
words means of support l approve the
Pensions that the act of June 27,1S90, be so
amended that a pensionable status be
granted to widows whose income, lnde-
pendent of the proceeds of their daily labor,
is not in excess of $3.50 per annum."
The report also recommends Legislative
authority for biennial examinations of
pensioners; legislation prohibiting the pay
ment of "any compensation whatever to
pension attorneys and agents for any
service in connection with any claim or
proceeding under the pension laws. except
such as may, within certain limits fixed by
Congress. be allowed by the Commissioner
of Pensions, and paid from the pension
money, as now provided with respect To
claims for pension" and for the delivery
free of any part-paid letter or packet ad-
dressed to pension agencies.
The amazing part of this is that relating
to the limit on widows incomes. Mr..
Evans has heretofore lamented that he
wanted to raise the limit to $3.50 but was
stified in his generous impulses by the hard
hearted Secretary Of the Interior-"by De-
partmental rulings" he generally phrased.
it. We have pointed out that sstated above,
formulated by the Commissioner of Pen
sions. Now comes Secretary Hitchcock,
with the astonishing recommendation that
the matter be referred to Congress for action.
This is astonishing in view of the fact
that there is absolutely nothing in the law
making a limitation, and each Commits
sioner has established such limitation as
suited him. Commissioner Raum decided
that if a widow had an income from property
not exceeding $500 year. she came within
the provisions Of the law. and Commissioner
Evans has continued it, This is the first
hint that Congress has anything to do with
the matter, and is clearly an adoption of
Evans's favorite plan of creating mount
ainous obstacles in the way of doing any
thing that he does not want to do.
1t is difficult TO understand just what the
Secretary expects TO accomplish by his
proposed exceedingly expensive biennial
examination Of pensioners. The main
effect Of this would be to provide a steady in
come as long as the pensioners live to the
ing Surgeons. There can be no economy
in it. The aged men and women now on
the pension rolls are not going TO get any
younger; they are not going TO recover from
the rheumatism, heart disease, deafness,
impaired vision etc, for which they are
now pensioned. If the examinations
would have the object of securing an in
crease of ratings on account of the progress
of disablement it would be humane and
generous proposition. But such a thing is
not contemplated.
The remaining recommendations are
trivial, and do not reach the heart of the
great burning discomfort of the veterans and
their widows with the administration of the
Pension Bureau.
There is no suggestion as TO the ending of
the present stagnation in the allowance of
claims, of the furtherance of justice to the
thousands of long-waiting men and women,
who are heartsick over the delay to give
them their plain rights, and the meager
stipends they earned with their dearest
blood. There is no promise of any ending
or even amelioration of the eternal circum-
locution and aggravating hair-splitting
technicalities TO stave off the allowance of
claims until the claimants are worried into
their graves, and the paymentS 10 them