The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-31
THE CRITIC CRITICISED
PENSION BUREAU REVIEWS CAPTAIN
RAssIEUR's ADDRESS.
Statements of Ex-COmmander-in-
Chief of c.. A. II. at Cleveland COM
pared with OmciaI Records.

commandments or the Grand Army OF
the Republic, which was criticised as a
most remarkable utterance when delivered
in September in Cleveland, have been sent
out, has led one of the men assailed to
review some Of it's statements. Inc Kas-
sieur address assailed Congress, the secre-
tary of the interior and the commissioner
of pensions with a bitterness out or Keep
ing with the report of the head OF a pa
triotic body. Some of the statements APP
pear TO show an ignorance OF the laws
and others seem to be perversions wheh
tried by the records of the Pension Bureau.
OF the first class is the assault upon the
Pension Bureau because ii has not ap-
pealed cases 10 the Court of Claims. cap
tain Rassieur says there has been no oe-
cision denying the right Of the secretary OF
the interior to refer such cases TO that
court. If he had been as fair on this mat
ter as he was jealous to find an opportunity
TO find fault, he would have discovered
that an act OF March 3, 1887, declares that
the Court of Claims shall nave jurisdic-
ton over all claims founded upon the Con-
s~titution or any law Of Congress except for
pensions"
In his attack upon the Pension Bureau
the ex-commander-in-chief cites a case as
a sample of the harshness of the bureau
in executing the pension law, declaring
that there are thousands of similar cases.
The case he cites is that of William
Hauser, Of the Thirtieth Missouri Volun-
teers, the regiment in which Captain Ras-
sieur served. In his address, the then
commander-in-chief says:
He Hauser) was sober and steady In
his conduct as civilian just as ne had been
as a soldier. In 1896 he felt unable to con-
tinue the labor that he had been doing,
and hence applied for a pension under the
act of June n, 1890, and was directed 20
report for examination to one Of the boards
of surgeons in st. Louis. He was thorough
ly examined June 30, 1897. The report OF
the surgeons, as far as il found him dis
abled, reads as follows: Pulse rate, 81;
respiration, 10; temperature, $50; weight,
1873 pounds. Rheumatic crepitation in Shout
ders. hips and knees. worse in left side.
No other objective symptoms; rate. SIX
eczema on one leg, an additional rate OF
three-eighteenths was given"
INCOMPLETE REPORT.
So much Of the report of the surgeons
Captain Rassieur gives, but he omits the
following portion of it as it appears on the
records: Heart and lungs, normal; short
ness of breath and dizziness in head, no OBJ
~jective symptoms, reflexes normal, no
ataxia-no rate. No evidence of disease OF
kidneys, bladder, etc, no rate"
1t will be seen that The portion of the
report of the surgeons which the late
commander-in-chief omitted in his pres
e~ntation of the case had a very important
bearing upon it, consequently it was dis
allowed on the ground that no ratable dis
ability was shown under the law and rul-
ings as they then stood. which forbid the
grouping of several disabilities, but for
which the act of May, 1900. provides.
Another remarkable feature in Captain
Rassieur's presentation is that he causes
it to be understood that Hauser did not
apply until 1896. when the records of the
bureau show that he first made applica-
ton Sept. %, 1890. when the surgeons found
no cause for granting a pension. The late
commander-in-chief could not have been
unmindful of this fact, since his name APP
pears on the application of September, 1890,
as an identifying witness.
A new claim was filed Oct. -, 1898, and
an examination was made Oct. 6. 1899. Cap
tain Rassieur gives the result of the exam
ination by the surgeons at length, and de-
clares that on this second report ''the
claim was rejected for the same reason
stated before" The official papers i'm the
Pension Bureau. however, show that the
surgeons reported a ratable disability
Jan. II. 1900, the claimant was called upon
for evidence to show the existence of the
disability at the date of filing the claim
oct. II, 1900, some months later, the af-
fidavit of DR.. Black was filed showing the
claimants total incapacity to earn supper
by manual labor from the date of the
filing of the claim, and the claim was al
lowed Feb. 6. 1901, at the maximum rate
Of S12 a month, commencing oct. II, 1895
and ending with his death, Jan. "a. 1900
payable to his widow, who was granted
pension of IS per month, beginning Feb. 8
1900.
WHAT THE RECORDS SHOW.
The records show that the statement O.
the late cOmmander-in-chief that the claim
of Oct. II, 1898. was rejected on the exam
ination is entirely erroneous; no such &C
ton was ever aiken. His further state
ment that the claimant requested another
examination before a board in East st
Louis and the request was granted Il
shown to be erroneous, since the bureau
was entirely satisfied with the examination
of Oct. 6. 1899, and only waited the affidavit
Of a physician covering the time between
the date of the application and of the e x
animation.
The commissioner of pensions, who is as
sailed in Captain Rassieur's presentation
of the case, has given out the facts a
found in the records, and adds the follow
ing ummar of the facts and the lat
commander-in-chief's statement:
II record shows that the commander
in-chief willfully suppressed the fact tina
Hauser had filed a claim in 1880, and tina
a thorough medical examination in is
showed him a perfect specimen OF physica
manhood. He knew that Hauser had filed
claim in 1890. because he was one OF III
Identifying witnesses on his application.
The record also shows that when he al
tempted TO quote the report OF the surgeons
made in 1897, he suppressed the materla
statements in said report showing no DIS
ability from causes alleged in the claim
ants declaration.
The record also shows a gross mlsstate
ment of fact when he said the claim wa
again rejected on the report OF Oct. o, lSy'
and that the claimant requested that a
examination be made by a third DOarC
which met in East St. Louis, ana the re
Guest being granted, he appeared beIor
that board. and on the results or thel
examination. which l have not been adj
to obtain. 2 pension Of Sl2 was granted
etc The above statement is erroneous !
, every part. and has no foundation or eX
cuse for any part OF 1t.