The National tribune., 1900-06-14
COURT OF PENSION APPEALS
The Biil in Full, with the Pension COM
mittee's Letter to the President.

| bttl III WIN tUS SOu'
mittee's Letter to the President.
Below we give the full text OF the bill to
establish Court of Pension Appeals, to-
gether with the letters to the President and
to Senator Turner, who introduced the bill
in the Senate:
HEADQUARTERS GRAND ARMY
OF THE REPUBLIC,
Tdshinqi0n, u. c., June =, 1900.
| DEAR SENATOR: | am directed to hand
you the incloSed draft of a bill to estab-
lish n court for the adjudication of appeals
from the rulings and decisions of the Com
missioner of Pensions, and to request you,
for the Grand Army of the Republic, to
Introduce the same at the present session
of Congress and to urge its substantial
enactment into law at the earliest practi-
cable date that may be consistent with
conservative legislation.
| Very recent events have demonstrated
the extreme urgency of judicial supervis-
ion whereby the administration of the pen
sion system should be made to conform to
and not longer be permitted wiifully to
violate and nullify every law that a lib
crai and Just Congress, wholly fOrgetful
of party or sectional lines, can, by unan-
imous vote, place upon the statute books.
The unwarrantcd construction placed
upon the act of June u, 1890, since its
amendment May g. 1900, might seemingly
justify an extension of the session until
that wrong to perhaps half n million of
Iinvalids and their dead comrades widows
and orphans could be rightcd, for we did
not hesitate, nearly forty years ago, when
life was all before us. to hold q continu-
Gus session through the warm and rainy
seasons alike. that those now in authority
might enjoy the incomes from the public
purse beside which our little six to twelve
dollars a month pension alIowances-and
| speak only for others, for the &. y. r.
representatives are not on the pension roll
of honor-are but as grains of sand to the
desert.
] also hand you copy of a letter ad-
dressed to His EyccIIpncy the President
under date April 10, 1900, in furthera nee
of the Instructions of our national en-
campment, as Il better expression of the
largumcnt in support Of the proposed legis
IlatiOn than | could write.
| lie" to thank you in advance of your
Iactiun in this behalf, and for the uniform
Iattenti0n to your long public life that you
have freely given to every demand of the
veterans and their families. 1t is be-
lcauSe Of your past kindncsses that we take
the liberty to impose upon you this add
tioral burden.
| With renewed assurances of our con
lsideration and esteem,
| ! remain, your obedient servant,
| GEO. II. PATRICK,
For the Grand Army of the Republic.
Hon. George Turner,
United States Senator, Senate Commit
tee on Pensions,
| Washington, ID. G.
| HEADQUARTERS GRAND ARMY
| OF THE REPUBLIC,
| Washington, ID. C., AprH 10, 1900.
To The Prcsidcnt:
| The undersigned, in behalf of the Com
mittcc on Pensions appointed by the last
| annual cncampment of the Grand Army
of the Republic have the honor to present
| for your consideration the incloSed draft
Of an act for the establishment of a court
TO hear and determine appeals from the
decisions of the Commissioner Of Pensions.
Heretofore such appeals have been
| heard 10y tribunal so constituted that its
| decisions could not possess the character
| Of judicial determinations. An appeal is
now taken from the Commissioner of Pen
sons to the Secretary Of the Department
Of the Interior. by that official the pa
pers are referred TO an assistant secretary,
who refers the matter to the chief Of di-
vision composed Of clerks some of whom
are employed in the Pension Office detailed
for such duties by the Commissioner.
These clerks make reports on the cases
given TO them. which are forwarded to the
chief Of the division who transmits them
10 the Assistant Secretary, by whom the
appeals are formally decided II the Com
missioner be overruled, he may ask that
the case be reviewed by the Secretary of
the Interior in person. 1t is obvious that
this procedure is not judicial. Many thou
sands Of appeals are annually taken from
the decisions of the Commissioner of
Pensions. According to the last an
nual report Of that official S,Si5 ap-
peals were taken during the year ending
June 80, 1899, of which 4,941 were de-
cided. Ia 3,S36 of these cases the action |
If the Cam m q affirmed and in |
81 cases his decisions were reversed. |
Twelve thousand aiiG Gfty-seven cases
were appealed during the year ending |
June 80. 1898. The Commissioners re. |
port (at page 1S) further shows that a |
number (not stated of the cases decided |
in 1899 were not appealed from the pres |
cnt organization; that is that they had |
been pending in the Department since be
fore your Inauguration two and Il half |
years earlier, and we are informed that, |
at the same date, an accumulation of more |
than l3,UOO appealed cases awaited de- |
cislon under the system then and now in |
vogue.
The Board Of Pension appeals in the |
office of the Secretary of the Interior as
shown at page so, Blue Book of 1899, |
volume |, is composed Of
l chairman Of the board, at $1,000
per annun SZ,UOO
! first vice chairman of the board,
at 5000 per annum. ........ 1000 |
| second vice c-chairman. ut $1,000
per annum ................. 1000
per annum 10000
2 clerks, at $1,000 per annum. -. 1000 |,
l clerk, at $1,000 per annum. -. 1900
, clerks, at 81 400 per annlm. 7.ODb
3 clerks. at 81 200 per annum. -. 5000
2 clerks. at 81 900 per annum.... 1000
] laborcr, ut $500 per annum.... 660
Total Observation-Disclosures. Al $50
The Commissioner of Pensions
(at page ~ of his annual report
for 1890 states that during the
year ending June 80, 1899. there
were detailed to the Secretary's
Office:
10 clerks. at the annual compensa-
lIOn OF IS,UJS. 40
. clerks were detailed from the
Pension Office to the pension
fGr.tnnittaag Of b, IInusa and