The National tribune., 1902-02-13
MIR. nuRKErT,s SPEECH.

/ 'i'hFh it hih lipI say. siS NJ Ntli mt
that all of this uncertainty has been OF
the Commissioners own making. The law
is uncertain because the Commissioned
does not want to, and will not, obey its
plain provisions. Yet Mr.. Burkett could
not let the matter pass without one sting
ing allusion to the Commissioners prac-
tees:
Ratings under the old law are more
certain and more easy of Interpretation.
Their correctness may be established. De
gree can be measured with mathematical
precision in most instances. An arm off
at the shoulder has Il certain rating. and
off at the elbow has another rating. There
can be no uncertainty. But to measure
a mans ability to perform manual labor,
and then pension him according to that
judgment, could not possibly result other
than in error and complaint and dissatiS-
! faction. Then, too, Sirs, all the more so
when the man who rates has never seen
the soldier he is rating. and, while pre-
! tending to base his ratings upon the COM
promised opinion of three other men who
| have made an examination, absolutely re
fuses to follow their recommendations
"A more absurd proposition / cannot
! imagine. There is little worder that in
| justice is complained of, and yet how
could it be otherwise?
Mr.. Burkett might well have said much
more with telling effect as to the Commits
sioner's brazen claim to be better able TO
judge of mans ability to perform man
nal labor than the physicians who had
the man before them and scIutinized him
with their own practical eyes; but. this
will do.
Mr.. Burkett continued:
The rating part of the law is the part
complained of. 1t is the part that causes
the trouble. Soldiers do not complain. so
far as my experience teaches me, when
they feel that they are drawing what the
law allows them and what their Congress
intended they should have. But it is the
uncertainty and indefnitenesS of the 1890
law that condemns it as applied to prac-
tice. Then let us do away with the un er-
tainty: let us take from il the part that
makes no trouble. Let us have no slid
ing table to he specuated upon by a board
Of rating 5000 miles, perhaps. from the
soldier affected thereby Let the soldier
know in the feweSt possible words, and
in the plainest language. just what Con
"rcSs intends to give him. Take away
the nOwer of any man to work up or down
the rnr,, according to his whimS or his
fancy, his ignorance or his prejudice
"Whims, fancy. ignorance or prejudice
are good terms, and exactly describe the
Commissioners attitude
Mr.. Burkett went on to say:
With the infrmities of age stealing on
them, with the tolls and cares of life bur-
dening them down, with the years of war
and bloodshed that they experienced taken
into consideration. it is my Judgment that
none of them are able to earn support by
manual labor; at least that may he said
OF the great majority of them: and for one.
II it is necessary, in order to do away with
all the examinations and the evidence and
the parleying and jOckeying to establish
inability to perform manual labor, | am
in favor of establishing that fact by law
Suppose some one of them has retained
his health and his vigOr. and really does
perform manual labor, shall rejoice in
the fact, rather than begrudge him the
benefits of the law, if this bill should
pass.
The pension system should be a com
fort to the old soldier rather than a worry
Its benefits should be Obtained in the cas-
lest possible manner consistent with the
safety of the Nation against frauds What
the Government is gong TO do, it OuCht
to do generously and magnanimOus!y. and
not niggardly and begrudgiHgly. TO make
pension rate Of S12 or any other rate,
and then throw around il such barriers
as TO make it impossible to be attained
is ungenerous and un-American. If You
want, the old soldier, to have So per
month, say so, and strike down every bar
"ier that stands in his way of securing
it"
Mr.. Burkett pointed out that the ad-
ministration of the Pension Bureau cost
last year S2.49s. .639.9O. This could be re-
duced One-half by the adoption of the
amendment. The fees Of Examining Sur
geons last year aggregated 100000 These
would be cut down at least 100000.
He figured out that it will cost SOL
49, ,S47 to raise to SO month all those
who are now getting less than that un-
der the new and old laws, but against
this he sets the saving Of present expenses.
and other items, aggregating altogether
S1O,12O,9lJ.42, which wouid make neces-
sary only $5,774.94G.35 over the present
appropriation.
He supported his position by the fol
lowing illustration of the Commissioner
juggling with the laws to defeat most
deserving claimant:
a case that has come under my own
personal observation is perhaps in point
m this particular. The veteran served
four years and six months in the civil
war. He was a good soldicr-not a blot
upon his record. lie was at the front.
and the fact that he was at the front, to-
scthcr with the additional fact that lie
has not a line Of hospital record, probably
prevents him from drawing a single cent
Of pension He has only six teeth in his
head. He is totally deaf in one ear and
nearly so in the other. He is bowed down
with years. He carries, plainly visible, |
the marks Of a veteran. To layman il !
is easily apparent that he is absolutely un-
able 10 earn living by manual labor; yet
this decrepit old veteran, after four years
and a half Of patriotic service to his cnun-
try. is denied a. penny Of pension by the
Government he served so long and faith
fully. He IS caught between the machin-
cry of the two laws. While he hls had
applications in under both laws, and this
counts for two claims, yet he would be
satisfied if he could draw $l2 per month
under either.
His claim under the cid law is based
upon sculyy. Evidence enough to satisfy
any jury to the effect that he had scurvy
in the army has been introduced There
is not Il single syllable Of testimony TO
dispute that fact or 90 contradict the evil
dence in his behalf Several witnesses.
together with some OF the officers Of his
regiment, testify as to his afrlction. One
comrade, who knew him before he enlist
ed, messed with him during his service
md who testified that they knew him like
q brother makes affidavit rs tn thn die