The National tribune., 1900-07-05
COURT OF PENSION APPEALS.
Introduction Of the Bill into the House {
Representatives.

| Representatives.
| By permission of that earnest friend of
| the veteran, Congressman Mlers, of In
diana, we publish below the letter trans
mittins the Grand Army Pension Court
Of Appeals bill to the House concurrently
with its presentation to the Senate, which
is well worth reading. The Senate pro-
ceedings, including the argument contained
in the Committees letter to the President,
appeared In The NATIONAL TRIBUNE of
June IA, 1900.
| Washington, d. c., June 3, 1900.
DEAR SIR: l am directed to hand you
the inclosed draft of a bill to establish a
Court for the adjudication of appeals from
the rulings and decisions of the Commits
sioner of Pensions, with request that you
| int oduce and urge its prompt passage.
Very recent events, with which you are
familiar and which everyone must deeply
deplore, for there's something far and
away beyond politics in the triAing sums
drudgingly doled out to the pensioners,
have demonstrated that the administration
of the pension system must have some
supervision based upon legal principles, or
at least some legal knowledge, if the laws
that have most literally been enacted by
Congress are not to be wholly nullifed.
Forsetful that we were old and help
less back numbers possessed even of
vote not much beyond the next election;
forgetful OF party, wholly oblivious to sec
tional lines; remembering only that the
beneficiaries were soldiers of the long ago
and had done their duty as they saw it,
in sunshine and in storm; 30 years after
the war had ended, the present Congress,
for the first time in history, unanimously
passed a pension law that declared that
hereafter all pension cases undetermined
should be adjudged according to law and
iIrGf nd do that rliaip Sinnlp m
ambiguous declaration mandatory. For
this the veterans feel more grateful than
they ever can express in words. Less for
the law than for the generous manner of
its passage and the kindly appreciation of
their services to the Nation expressed by
vote.
But this law, brief and clear, barely
three lines in print, is being ignored, dis
regarded and repEaiated every day in the
Pension Office. in every manner, shape
and form known to the ingeniously tech
nieal minds of those charged by the obi
cations of their oaths of office to carry
it into effect.
Consequently, the bill herewith, which
has been postponed in the hope that has
failed during the working days OF the ses-
sion until possibly too late for action; but
it can be printed and put before the coun
try so as to secure such expression OF
opinion, the expression of all the people,
during the recess as may warrant appro-
pirate action next Winter.
The copy of letter of April 10, 1900,
addressed to the President, expresses so
substantial argument in support of the
bill, that I send it instead Of separate
paper, as had been intended.
The veterans of the war Of 1879 feel
under many obligations to you and your
colleagues for the time, labor and patience
rrtxr to fha
asked. 1t may be poor return, bnt is
the best they can make-until little later
Ito get still further in your debt through
the introduction of this bill and its pre-
sentation to the Committee whereof every
member will, we are sure, be its friend
after the explanation you so well know
how to make.
The Grand Army of the Republic fur
nishes a comparatively small part of the
pension roll. but it has fraternal and
charitable duty to perform toward the
helpless and infrm, a duty someone must
undertake, in which, am charged to say,
Congress has ever met US more than half
way:
The laws you enact, however, are vio-
lated; your commands, that ought to be
unnecessary, to observe the law, are ig-
nored; the only remedy is to create tri-
compel obedience to your laws with ample
power to enforce its mandates.
We think that the bill herewith prom
ises relief to the pensioners, the. speedy
and effective end TO the present shameful
congestion, and that, by providing for the
determination of special cases. it will as
sist Congress to have at least one-sixth
more time for public business.
Again thanking you for your personal
efforts in our behalf, | am, by direction of
the Commander-in-Ch Chief and Committees,
Very truly your obedient servant,
GEO. III. PATRICK.
For the Grand Army OF the Republic.
Hon. Robert w. Miers, NJ. c., House
Committee on Invalid Pensions, Wash