The National tribune., 1901-06-27
OUTRAGEOUS sLANpERs.

"Last Wednesday afternoon, Congress
man Gordon, of Ohio, G. w. Sellars, of
Battle Creek. the electric road men, and
the writer were seated in the Williams
| House dining-room waiting for the sup
per order, when n gentleman seated OPP
posite the table, probably a representa-
tive of some fraternal insurance society,
| remarked that during the day he had ac-
| cidently came across fellow that was
drawing a total disability claim from his
society, and when he saw him, he was
working on the top of house.
| Other gentlemen in the party related
| similar narratives how the disability fake
had been worked successfully, each one
making it n little stronger. Finanlly Mr..
| Gordon spoke up: Now, | will give you
one that's right. Pension Commissioner
| II. Clay Evans told me once that there
was a man employed in the Pension Bu-
reau whose sole occupation was answering
the telephone, and besides getting good
| pay for that he received S12 n month for
| total deafness. Another fellow in the
Pension Department continued Mr.. Cor
don, recently got a bill passed which was
worth about 81 800 a year to him. Evans
went to him one morning and says, Il
understand. Mr.. -, that your bill passed
both houses all right" He replid that it
had. We'll" continued Evans, you are
drawing S1.500 year in this Depart
II
of these" The man was discharged -
Charlotte, Mich, Leader.
The responsibility of this monstrOus
stuff lies between Commissioner Evans
and Robert B. Gordon, Representative
from the Fourth District of Ohio, which
comprises the Counties of Allen, An
glaize, Darke, Mercer and Shelby. There
&c, Of ;a1o Of IN; hot nf
them know, or should know, if they have
even a superficial knowledge of the pen
sion system. In the first place there is
no such a rating as S72 for total deafness.
The highest rating that can be gotten for
deafness is $50. and to get this a man has
to prove-as thousands of poor veterans
know to their coSt-that he cannot hear
dynamite explosion.
The only ratings of $72 are for loss of
both eyes, loss of both feet, total disability
of both hands, or for such severe disabling
wounds as require regular aid and at
tendance" of another person in the ordi-
nary functions of life.
There are only 2,151 in this ghastly ar
ra- of mutilated veterans, and every one
of them is well-known to the Pension Bu-
reau, and to the communities in which
they reside. The list has been gone over
thousands of times by newspaper CORE
spOndents, anxious to attack the pension
roll, and by Lochren and Evans, eager to
make q showing of reform" and "econo-
my" Both Lochren and Evans have
given the harshest construction to the
phase regular aid and attendance of an
other person." in order to cue these men
down to lower rating. 1t will be re-
membered that Iochren tried to cut JUS
tice Baker, of Michigan, down because
the need of dressing his frightful open
wounds several times day, did not in
volve regular" attendance.
Next, there is no man on the pension
roll at 81 800 a year. The highest rating
On the roll for a man is 800 q month,
which is given for a man who has lost
both hands. 1t has also been given by
special acts of Congress to men who have
rendered distinguished services, such as
Gems. Shields, John NJ. Palmer and others.
There are but 20 men now on the roll re-
ceiving 500 a month"; from the army,
from the navy. Next there is one man
on the roll at SSS; one at SS2, 80, and four
at S75. Next comes the 2,151 at ST2.
Then the list drops down with l at S63.50;
l at S62; 13 at $50; . at sos; at $57:
at S55; at S53, and 1,150 at $50 who are
so badly wounded as to require periodical
aid and attendance"
These are plain, ordinary facts, which
certainly Pension Commissioner and Mem
bers of Congress ought to know.