The Washington times., 1901-11-07
HIGH WATER MARX REACHED.
Nenriy n Million Names on the Nn-
tionaI Pension Rolls.

100
a net increase Of 4.2es pensioners during
the twelve months ended that date. This
constitutes tne hlgh-water mark in the
history of the bureau.
During the year Ss.153 names were
dropped by reason of pensioners deaths.
SO widows remarked; 1,5S2 minors be-
came Of age; 1886 pensioners failed to
claim, and 1.t62 names were dropped from
| other causes making a total of A., $50 PEN
| sioners dropped from the rolls. During
| the year 1867 pensioners were restored
! to the rolls, and certificates were issued
! to ii,Z25 new pensioners. OF the latter
three were on account of the war of 1872
Cwidows), S5I on account of the Mexican
war. 146 for Indian wars, and 4,0s5 on ac-
count Of the war with Spain. the remain
DER being civil war pensioners.
CIaSsihed by wars, the pensioners no1
on the rolls are: Revolutionary, o. war
OF lSl2, l.52S' Indian wars, 1895; Mexican
war, l5.6n; civil war. 91o.S52. and Spanish
| war, 800. OF the Revolutionary pension
! ers, are widows and daughters of SOL
| diers who served in that war The only
surviving pensioned soldier of the war
q 1872 is Hiram Cronk. os Ave, Oneida
County, n. Y, who is 101 years of age
| The roll contains, however. the names
| of 81 widows of soldiers who served
m that war. being a reduction of 2I5 dur
/ ing the year. One thousand and eighty
SIX survivors and 3,fz9 widows draw
pensions on account of Indian wars. and
/ 1,5GS survivors and S,lo9 widows on ac-
count OF the war with Mexico
Inc total amount paid to pensioners
| from July /, 1870, to June so 1891. reached
| the enormous total of g. 763. $50 G83. OF
this sum, $4I S4i ,6iT was on account of
the war of 1872; $50. .201. .1S7. on acctsnt of
| the Mexican war. and 80 5402. .054 on ac-
| count of Indian wars. -Four thousand five
| hundred and forty-seven pensioners re-
side in foreign countries. and during the
| fiscal year, $641 ISL was paid to them
| According to the mortuary tables and
| estimates prepared by the War Depart
! ment. there should now be living 965 3l3
survivors, of the war OF the rebellion.
| The pension rolls contain the names of
| 1S5,CoJ survivors of that war. indicating
/ that over coo veterans have never been
! pensioned. Probably many Of these says
! the Commissioner, will never apply. un-
| less other than a disability pension shall
/ be offered, for the reason that they do not
! like 10 make the necessary oath that they
| are incapacitated by disease of a perma-
| nent Character to an extent as to disqual
! ify them from earning a living
! Commissioner Evans recommends the
! repeal Of the law making the pension n
widow begin at the date of the Eusbands
death instead of the date of filing the ap-
plication- He takes the positiS,4 that the
4 large arrearages were standing induce
| ment to nle fraudulent claims. especially
! when the chances of detection were so
! small. He also urges a complete revision
/ of the roster of attorneys practicng be-
/ fore the Bureau and a more careful scru-
tiny in future of the qualifcat tions of those
who apply for admission the fixing of a
! specific attorney for war claims under
| accrued pensions; that the Pension Bu-
reau be given power to determine the
proof of legal marriages in pension claims
! by standard uniform throughout the
I country, and the enactment of a provis-
] ion that the balance of pension money in
/ the hands of a treasurer of soldiers
! home shall, upon the death of the pen
/ sioner. be paid to his widow. minor chill
| dren. father or mother, and in default of
these be returned to the United States
/ Treasury.
His most important recommendation.
! however, is that, "a radical change be made
! in the present method of adjudicating
pension claims. his experience convincing
/ him that this was necessary in order to
/ ensure with a reasonable degree Of GER
talnty the payment of pensions to those
/ designated by law to receive them. In
| this connection he says:
| In the first place, claims are adjudi-
! Gated upon ex rarte testimony procured
| and submitted in written form on TIE
part of the claimant. The Government
I makes no defence to the claims filed
against it. The witnesses are not cross
examined, and no means have been de-
| vised by which 1t can be satisfactorily
! determined by the Bureau what manner
/ of men are offered as witnesses or what
reliance is to be placed upon their testi-
I mony, unless claims are specially inVesti-
| gated. No judgment could be obtained
! upon such evidence in any court of law
and an impartial mind is not satisfied as
| to the correctness of a decision based
I thereon. 1t is q lamentable fact that
/ claims are often admitted which are not
/ believed to possess any merit whatever.
| and claimants whose cases are rejected
are seldom willing to accept such action
I as final. Claimants lack confidence in the
! decisions of this Bureau as determining
| the real merits OF claims. and 1t there
! Iore often happens that rejected cases are
| reopened and aIpealed again and again.
! being abandoned only when claimant and
| attorney have both lost all hope of d
| favorable adjudication.
| After a claim is once admitted, this
! bureau ordinarily takes further ac-
/ tiOn in the case with a view of ascertain
| ing that peuSionable status continues;
/ therefore, a pension once granted usually
| continues for life. 1t can hardly be main
| tanned that soldiers and their friends. as
a class, are so different from other men
| that none of them have any temDta tiun
| to at least enlarge upon the truth when
| thousands of dollars may be obtained by
| a few affidavits made without even the
| prospect of oss-eXamination, and il is
| equally clear that ordinarily such affi-
/ davits would be given very little weight.
| especially when the atlantis testify posi-
| lively TO the existence of circumstances
| very material to the issue. but which hap
/ pened years before they became material,
! and which were not In their nature such
/ as to impress themselves upon casual OBJ
/ servers. Yet this is the character of eVi-
/ dence upon which many pension claims
are adjudicated.
In the next place. the evidence upon
which a claim is adjudicated is prepared
and filed by an attorney appointed by the
claimant. whose fee is dependent upon
| the allowance of the claim. There were
| registered June 30. 1901, 1882 attorneys
| authorized to prosecute pension claims
| 1t is a well-known fact that some of the
| attorneys practiCins before this bureau
| are men of the highest standing in the
communities in which they reside. but
! because of the comparatively small fees
| which may be charged and the amount
| of work involved If an attorney is con-
| scientiOus the pursuit has not attracted
! so many reputable practitioners as might
| be hoped for. on the other hand, it has
| attracted a large number Of unscrupulous
| men who, seeing the many opportunities
! for the perpo tration of fraud win ShlalI
| prospects of detection. calculate TO prose
| cute to favorable issue heafIy tNtlg
| case filed by them, and to accomplish
| their object they adopt every species OF
| fraud known to men
| ..The pension item has become enc of
| tha large st in the financial budget. The
! generosity of the American people TO the
| soldiers and sailors and their dependents
| knows no limit but the officers OF thc
| Government. the peoples serVa uts Shouiu
not permit that generosity TO be abused
| No argument Is needed to show that TN
| expenditure of such vast sums OF the
| peoples money should rest upon a sEs-
| TEN containing more Of the elements OF
| protection to the Government th5th can
| be found in the methods row in force IN
| settling pension claims. The fault is not
| with the soldier claimant or his widow
| but the system devised Tor ascef ftdlilhS
| their rights is so faulty that II offers Il
| most inviting field for the entSrpriSlnS
| and adventurous claim agent or attorney.
\ II holds out an inducement TO those thdt
| may be persuaded to file false claims or
| fraudulent evidence in support OF valid
for H.