The National tribune., 1900-06-14
he nresent practica Is ohiection.hla

both because OF the lack OF independent re-
viewers and because they do not, probably
cannot under their complicated system,
review until after meritorious claimants
may reasonably be supposed to have died
| from old age or disabilities.
The necessity for the establishment of
such court to interpret the pension laws
and to define and settle their application
to the multitude of cases in which appeals
have been pending for a long period is
Commissioner of Pensions before the Sen
ate Committee on Pensions during the
present session of Congress from which
the following are extracts:
Quoting from his annual report for
1898:
Since the passage Of the general law
Of July ii, 1862, there have been numerous
laws amendatory, special and general,
with the many rulings and decisions in
terprcting the laws, until the whole syS-
TEN is most complex and wonderful net
work or labyrinth of laws and legal opin-
ions, TO the end that precedent may be
cited for any action of this Bureau"
Quoting from his annual report for
1899:
with our present laws and established
practice there can be no uniformity in
pensioning. The beneficiaries are dissatis-
fed, and there is general criticism" page
8, Report No. ], Senate, Fifty-sixth Con
EteSS, HfSt SESSION.
For these and other reasons there is n
widespread conviction among the veterans
Of the civil war that court--a court of
competent jurisdiction and authority
court composed of judges of learning. abil-
ity and character, should be established to
hear and decide appeals from the decisions
Of the Commissioner of Pensions. Such
tribunal would likewise command the re-
Srect of all citizens, and secure for the
1imIDISt ration n tho law tho
largest measure of public confidence. I'm
der similar circumstances the Court OF
| Claims was established for the purpose of
atfOrding those who made demands upon
| the Government an opportunity 10 be
| heard by a, court, while the public inter
eSts were always guarded by the presence
| of the AttOrney-Gcneral.
According to trustworthy computations
there are now living a million of men
| who bore arms in the Union forces dur
| ing the war OF the rebellion, and proba-
| bly, not less than 100000 widows and or
| phar children of deceased soldiers, all OF
whom are entitled to be heard in court il
they. or any OF them, feel aggrieved by q
| decision Of the Commissioner of Pensions
| rejecting Il claim for a pension or for an
increase Of pension. If the public credit
| OrS of the nation have been justly given
a court for the adjudication Of their
claims, n like recognition is surely due to
the surviving veterans of the civil war and
TO the widows and orphans of their de
ceased comrades.
In preparing the draft OF an act for the
adjudication of appeals in pension cases
the undersigned have followed the provis-
ions of the Revised Statutes establishing
the Court of Claims and the circuit courts
Of appeals with such notifications as
seemed necessary to meet the require
ments of the large amount of business to
I.r.s Il 80
peals. 1t is believed, however, that n
court Of competent jurisdiction equipped
with adequate facilities would very soon
classify the cases before it in such man
ner as to reduce to comparatively narrow
boundaries the number of appeals requir-
ing special adjudication.
1t will be observed that the bill provides
for cOdfication and revision of the pen.
sion laws by the proposed court, thereby
securing prompt action by a competent
body of jurists and saving the large ex-
pcnditure tvery much greater, under the
code commission bill that has passed the
Senate and is pending in the House than
the gross salaries and expenses of the per
manent establishment of the proposed
court that otherwise would be incurred
by the appointment of O commission to
perform that duty.
Although the undersigned have awaited
themselves Of the best sources Of informa
ton within their reach in drafting the act
now submitted for your consideration
they respectfully suggest that it be re-
ferred to the Attorney General for revis-
ion; and If, upon examination, the meas
ure should be found to deserve your ap-
proval, we beg that you will recommend
it to the favorable consideration OF Con
greSS.
Very respectfully yours,
ALBERT ID. SHAW,
Commander-in Chief, Grand Army of the
Republic.
d. f. SICKLEs,
For Committee on Pensions, Grand Army
of the Repdblic.
GEO III. PATRICK,
Of Counsel for the Committee on Pen
sions and Legislation, Grand Army
of the Republic.
On Monday, May 2r, 1900. the honora-
bic Secretary of the Interior stated to
above named, in the presence of the Com
missioner OF Pensions, that the accumu-
lated pension appeals at that date had
reached the number of $4,000; gain over
current business of 1000 appeals in six
months.