The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-11-27
cRrr1cIsx OF PENSION ATTORNEYS.

CRIflCI8M OF PENSION ATTORNEYS.
A metropolitan newspaper refers trinm-
phantly to a publication about year old
in the Forum, in which the following state
ment appears:
There are now probably $4,000 men in
the United States-a pretty fair sized
army-who draw their livelihood largely
from procuring pensions. They include
solicitors, claim agents. and class of
tOuters. or pullersin, as they would be call
ed in an old-clothes district. There are
also travelling tnen-'drummers' for COM
mercial houses furnishing the model. The
whole lot are dignified with the title of
attorney, whereas comparatively few have
any knowledge of law" s
1t seems incredible that in face of off
cial reports such untruthful statements
should go into circulation as that above
quoted. There seems to be an effort on
the part of many to make out that the
Pension Bureau is being controlled and
harassed by a class of men who are rob-
bling both the Government and the soldier.
Never was a statement wider from the
truth, more maliciOusly made, and more
wrongfully reiterated. The lawyers of the
Pension Office are like the lawyers of other
tribunals they are necessary in the pre-
sentation of cases that have any complex
ity.
The people of the United States trust
their lawyers, else they would not send
so many of them to Congress, to the Legis-
latures, and TO fill SO many other offices.
From reading the above statement it
will be seen that the charge is made that
$1,000 people draw their livelihood largely
from procuring pensions. For a man to
draw his livelihood largely from any bust
ness would mean that he draws perhaps
$1,000 year from it. This is fair in
depreciation of the above, which would
make it appear that the so-called pension
sharks get about $50,OO0,0OO a year in
fees out of the United States Treasury.
The article cited says that these pay
ments are only made when pensions are
granted. 1t is well known that all fees
are paid by the United States, from the
pensioners pension.
1t is also well known that Congress has
enacted law fixing the amount of fees
and making it criminal to take any other
than such as is paid by the United States:
therefore, the official reports can be relied
upon to show how much the United States
has paid in attorneys fees.
1t will be found that the following is
the payment: In 1901, $591, 245. The years
of 1900 and 1899 were even less than this,
as was also the year Of 1902; hence, by
giving the highest annual payment in four
years it will be found that the $1,000 per-
sons referred to got less than $12 apiece
per annum.
How $4,000 men can get an average of
So apiece and be said to draw the great
est part of their livelihood from pensions, |
is a matter very difficult to understand,
and when the implication dwindled from
SOC, 100000 to less than 100000 it plain
~ appears that the writer of the magazine |
article deliberately intended to deceive his
readers, and to place fa1sehoOd in cir
been broadly and openly published year
after year.
Pension attorneys are reputable class
If citizens, and to say an average of less
Than $12 a year forms the burden of their
livelihood is preposterous.
Like all other attorneys, they may, per-
maps, be jealous for their clients, but it
IS the duty of the Pension Bureau, as it
s Of any other tribunal or of any court,
20 see that justice is done without refer
,nce to anything but cold law and cold
disregarding clamor or importuni-
y.
In the last official report of the Pension
Commissioner it is shown that if there
we're an attorney for every case in the
Bureau that the attorneys would average
,nly $4.S6 per case, which it will be adj
nitted is a rather small average for cases
hat hang for adjudication and readjudi-
,ation year after year; and this more
as the attorneys work gratui-
ously in the 100000 reflections that are
Tearly made in the Pension Bureau