Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-08-18
ION THE PENSION BUREAU.
The Findings of the Special Com,
mittee of Investigation Ap-
pointed by the 6. A. R.
CRITICISM CAUSED BY CLAIM AGENTS.
Not One in Thousand, 1t Is Said, Ever
Reaches the Personal Attention of the
Pension Commissioner Gen. Heath
Speaks on Rural Free Delivery.

Washington, Aug. 15.-The special
committee appointed by the G. 4. R.
to investigate the charges which have
been made by pension attorneys, prin-
cipally, against the administration of
| Commissioner Evans is now at work on
it's report. The report will be ready
| for presentation to the Ct. A. r. at the
Philadelphia encampment. The inves-
| tigation made by the committee elected
a great deal of interesting information
| about the manner in which the nation
al government is caring for its old sol
diers and finds that the charges are
without foundation. The report will
close with the following findings:
| The entire organization of the pension bureau
| is controlled by men who served in the union
| army 1t is essentially soldiers bureau
| and all matters pertaining to the organization
| of the different divisions, in appointments and
| promotions, the eX-unlon soldier and sailor had
| the preference The statute which gives pref
erence to the union soldiers of the rebellion has
| been faithfully observed by the officers OF the
| bureau
| Tt is well known that the foundation of much
| of the criticism that has arisen against the adj
| ministration of the bureau will be found in the
| refusal of the commissioner to allow the claim
agents to the bureau. He has striven to
| afford claimants who not represented by at
| torneys every facility for the prosecution of
their claims, and has often found it necessary to
| take action which some of the claim agents
! do not like, and as a result they have organ
| lied a systematic attack upon the bureau
| in all directions, thereby endeavOring TO
| create a sentiment of hostility among the
soldiers toward the administration of the pen
| sion bureau when, a matter of fact, all the
| officers and clerks putting forth their best
efforts to adjudicate claims justly and speedily
and in conformity with the law as it exists.
On assuming the duties of his Office the
| missioner realized that it would not be an easy
nor pleasant task, and therefore he selected foI
the positions of responsibility the most
| petent ex-union soldiers that he could find il
| the bureau, believing that the soldiers of the
country would appreciate the fact that their ole
! comrades-in- arms were to have charge Of the
| settlement of their claims upon the government
| for pensions.
| The work of the bureau has fully justified the
| expectations of the commissioner and it is be
| lieved that the determination of the commits
| sioner to adjudicate claims in accordance witt
the law has received the appreciation of al
worthy claimants for pension, and all other:
who believe that the pension laws should bt
| administered in the spirit which prompted theii
enactment, but who do not ask the officers o
the bureau to go beyond the law to satisfy the
| demands of the claim agents.
| The commissioner, the two deputy
commissioners, the medical referee and
ten of the IA chiefs of division are eX-
union soldiers or sailors. Under the
estab lished rules, it is the duty of the
board of review to see that every point
in the case is covered by competent and
| sufficient evidence. The legal review
er is the sole Judge of the weight and
| suficiency of evidence to establish a
| claim. The action of the legal pre-
cedes that of the medical reviewer. and
| the action of the latter is based upon
| that of the former. 1t is the sole duty
of a medical reviewer, under direction
of the medical referee, to fix the
rate of pension to which soldier
or sailor is entitled by reason of the
disability covered by the legal approx
al. The office of the medical reviewer
is really that of a medical expert, whose
province it is to determine the tech
meal medical questions. Claims usu
ally reach final settlement upon the
com bined action of the board of re
| view and the medical division within
their respective spheres, and not one
in thousand ever reaches the person
al attention of the commissioner. The
action of the legal and medical boards
is accepted as final except in rare cases
when a question of great Importance is
| involved.
Rural Free Delivery.
Washington. Aug. 15.-First Assist
| ant Postmaster General Heath said yes
| terday:
Rural free delivery is in operation in up
| ware. of 200 towns in the United States. Every
| state has had trial of it and il has been eSDe-
cially successful in the states CT New York
| Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana Illinois, Michigan
and Wisconsin, where there many lOcali-
ties that thickly settled and where it has
been established for longer time than in some
of the other states Now let me make a state
ment to you that is almost beyond belief. In
| every instance the amount of mail delivered
| has been greatly increased after the establish
ment of free delivery. In nearly every instance
| it has doubled in most it has trebled. in MANY
| Quadrupled and in some quintupled- Another
| feature Of the system that will surprise you is
that the cost of delivery to the rural population
is not more per piece than il is to the urbar
| population.
Will Purchase Crow Indian Lands.