The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1901-09-19

Try Its dlStruSt IN the accuracy OF SuCl
reports, and without the slightest persona
knowledge of the applicant or his disa
bility, then undertook TO make new rat
ing of the entire or of each disability, ant
almost as rule reduced the rating, ant
without other explanation frequently re
jected the claim, merely affirming that
there was no pensionable status, and il
other cases granted the pension at a rate
far below the amount indicated and JUST
fed by the report of the disinterested sur
geons who had made the personal exami
nation of the claimant.
ATTEMPTED JUSTIFICATION.
The Pension Commissioner attempted
to justify this cruel and unnatural con
duct of the Medical Division of his Of
fee at Washington by the explanation
that in some few cases the addition of
the ratings of the Examining Surgeons
showed a greater disability than total
inability to perform manual labor. He
went so far as to publish the substance
of some of these reports, evidently with
view of discrediting the reliability of
these reports, and showing, if possible,
the necessity for the arbitrary and know
it-all policy of the Medical Division Of his
Office.
The Pension Commissioner cannot be
charged with ignorance, and hence must
HdNe kuOWu at l0e time ludI Cldlludul
might have a disease of the lungs which,
with other healthy organs, would inca
pacitate the claimant six-eighteenths;
might also have a disease of the heart,
which, operating alone, would incapacitate
the claimant six-eighteenths, and might
at the same time have a disease of the
muscles Of the body which, considered
slngly, would impair the claimant nine
eighteenthS, but he also knew that the
cq he
pressed with the seeming impossibiIity of
the condition described by the Examining
Surgeon, apparently showing twenty-One-
eighteenths Of disability, and hence this
publication for the purpose of enlighten-
ing the public upon the necessity for the
arbitrary and unnatural power exercised
by his Medical Division at Washington
The fact that such report indicated
complete inability to earn living on the
part of the person examined, and that the
report was rational and easily explained
was not made known to the public
Another example might be given with
advantage to an understanding of this
subject, namely: The case of an aDpar-
emily strong man breaking down generally
who, upon examination would show signs
of lll-health in lungs, heart, liver, stom-
ach, muscles, blood and intestines, and
each be rated at four-eighteenths operat-
ing independently, which, when added,
made total of eight-eighteenths.
The Medical Division at Washington in
such case, as a rule, decided that there
was do disease Of sufficient moment to
give the claimant a pensiOnable status,
and ordered the rejection of the claim,
although the Examining Surgeons and
every neighbor of the old soldier, would
know that he was utterly unable to per
form any manual labor and nearing the
grave
The results of this unjust and unreas-
enable manner of carrying out or pre-
tending to carry out the law is easily
visible in the statement of the numbers
of pensioners receiving So, IS and $40
per month, respectively, under the law
of June p. 1880.
ALMOST UNIVERSAL COMPLAINT.
This statement about the course pur-
sued in the Bureau is not only borne out
by the almost universal complaints made
by the pensioners themselves and by
their comrades in their Department En-
but is also supported by the
fact that there are only few
OF these men under the age of 80 wears.
and 1t is within the knowledge of all men
mat when man shows any inability 10
earn a living by manual labor, which fact
IS conceded by the allowance of a men
sion of So, So or $40 per month, there
cannot in the very nature of things be
much reserve power in q claimant at
that advanced age to enable him to earn
anything at all, and hence the So rating
should, IN most cases, have been given.
Assuming that all should have been
allowed the maximum under the law.
what is the total amount which is an
nualy being unlawfully withheld by the
IenSlon Commissioner and his Medical
DIVISION at Washington from deserving
r IN N re md h.
that amount to the Government? There
are, according to the last report of the
Pension Commissioner, 104,S34 pensioners
receiving only So per month If they all
received 81 per month, il would require
an additional expenditure of S7.54T,O1S.
Los, 10 are receiving So per month. who
would at 81 per month receive additional
~ So;""S,go4; 3S,45Z are receiving $40 per
month, who would at So per month re-
ceive additionally the sum of $500 SI9: or
a tOtai additional amount of Sl5. lOg $40
Assuming that only Oue-third of the
number of each class was entitled tn tho
maximum, an additional amount of So
O3o,3ZU would be required to make the
payment. This is less than the amount
". Withheld last year by the improper and
Illegal exercise of arbitrary power on the
part of the Pension Commissioner and his
Aledical DIVISION at Washington. The
tact mat the appropriation was last wear
made IN ample amount to pay at least
one-third Of those receiving minor allow
ances, the maximum amount permitted Inv
the law is some evidence of the fact tbat
the PENSION Commissioner is also nj war
with the ideas prevailing in the legisIa-
i've branch of the Government. although
no complaint could be expected from that
source 'ii''
Another rule Of the Pension Office tho
invention of the devil, although possibIv
established by man, which operates n
confuse and confound the honest claim
ant, and hence retards the obtaining Of
ms Just rights under the law. is the rnIa
which prohibits the Examining Suroeo,,s
from making known the results OF tbair
personal. physical examination 10 the
claimant or his attorney, and which
therefore, leaves him in doubt where 70
locate the cause of his rejection, wbetber
ut Washington or at the doors of Tho
Board Of Examining Surgeons, Permit
me TO illustrate the operation of this LAST
rule. as well as the first rule mentioned
by the statement of an actual case adm
dicated under the present management of
the Pension Bureau, and which is. I am
assured, merely Il sample of MANY tbon-
SAND cases III most OF its essential fea-
lures:
William Hauser, an able-bodied and
strong farmer boy residing at F'lorissant.
a suburb OF st. Louis. enlisted in 1890
as a private OF Co A Goth M 81 -