Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-03

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
In your editorial Of last week. headed
The Special Pension Bill Burden" you.
speaking OF these special bills. say: "Prac-
tically all of them are barred by the laws
or by the lack Of evidence" You also sug-
gest the passage OF law utilizing the
great pension. bureaus machinery and spe-
cial appliances" May i suggest to you that
Ii is just on account OF the great pension
bureaus machinery" that this unprecedent-
ed flood of special legislation Is being pre-
cipitated on Congress: The congressman
we'll know that all this great machinery Is
being used to defeat just claims for PEN
sion. hence the readiness with which spe-
clal acts are passed. To show you that all
these rejected cases Of the pension bureau
are not barred by the laws or lack Of ev1-
dence" 1 cite the recent action of the pen
sion bureau in three cases. merely with
holding names, and assuring you these
cases are only samples OF thousands OF
others rejected by the pension bureau. not
from lack of evidence" or want of disa-
bility. This method of procedure in the
pension bureau shows why these eNtraordi-
nary demands are being made on Congress
at this time. and why II would be useless
for these deserving claimants to look to
that quarter for justice.
Take the case OF w. p. an Illinois soldier,
whom the medical board rates for rheuma-
tism S.1S, for disease Of eyes S.1s and for
cough 4lS. -Four doctors testify TO dis
ability from thIee-quarters to total 1t
would seem that1S1S amounts very closely
to a total disability. yet his claim was re-
jected under the act Of June a. 1890. as
mot ratably disabled under said act
Here is another and case, too, which
will repay very careful reading: b. C, an
Indian, soldier, was penssoned in Sep
TENDER. 1895. $40 per month, for chronic
diarrhoea and resulting disease OF rectum,
and disease of left foot, resulting from
frost bite. On his application for increase
the medical board examining him reported.
This man is poorly nourished. the skin is
al In I'M and 1lnr
gested, and the liver dullness has largely in
creased and IS very tender and tympanItic.
The hemoTThosdai veins at the lower part
Of the rectum are badly varicosed. The
heart is both hypertrophed and dtlated. The
pulse Is easily excited after a short exer-
else, and it ran UP from a to CO. Both
legs are badly swollen from a varicose con-
dition of the superficial veins. The left
great toe has been frozen, the nail is gone
and the toe displaced to the left. overlapping
the second toe making very painful and
disabling condition. There has evidently
been fracture of the left ankle: motion
of the ankle is impaired and the ankle is
slightly swollen. The sight OF the right eve
is entirely gone, probably the result of an
attack of iritis. The sight Of the left eye
is about 2050, tho deficiency being due to
presbyophia. There il slight DEAFNESS Of
both ears. There is no evidence that his
disabilities were caused or prolonged by VI
cious habits"
Now. it would seem from the above that
this man comes pretty near to being a
physical wreck" The examining board ag-
gregated his disabilities exclusive of his
blindness) at 241s. For the eye he was
rated Ills But lieten to what the medi-
cal referee of the pension bureau says in
rejecting this claim; In my opinion So
under act of June "a. 1880, was ell to which
claimant is entitled The medical examina-
ton of May 8. 1897. certainly shows that
the claimants general condition had mate
September 70. 1895" {What must have been
the poor fellows condition then in 1852
In May. 1897. his weight was the standard
weight for his height. The loss of one eye
does not materially add TO the soldiers dis
ability ana the deafness is not ratable"
have quoted this case in some detail in
order to give fair idea OF the working OF
the medical division Of the pension bureau
Here is my third citation:
c. p, an Ohio soldier. Medical board rates
for varicose veins ais. scuryy 61S wound
of right hip or thigh GlR Family physi-
clan says unable 20 perform any manual
labor except Of the lightsst character
Claim rejected August Ii, 1899, mot ratably
disabled" under act Of June "a. 1890
who served three years in the Army OF Ten
nessee. On his medical examination for
pension a full board Of medical examiners
in June, 1899. found him disabled as follows:
left eye, u. 1s; wound right thigh, SIS; ca
tarrh. 21S. A total OF 20 IL win it be be-
lieved that this application was rejected not
for lack of evidence. not because 1T was
barred by the laws but with the usual
stereotyped formula not rntahly disabled
under said act?'
If The Star would grant the space this
list might swell into hundreds ali equally
meritorious with those dtsd but rejected
Just the same under the urtroilsss grinding
of 1.-THE great pension bureRu's machinery
within the last year, and II justice is ever
obtained in any OF theee cases Il will be
through the merciful interposition Of Con-
gress. VIM. EDGAR ROGERS
The greatest height ever reached in a bal
loon was % 100 feet; two of the three aero
nautS who made this ASCENT Rere snnncaf.