The National tribune., 1903-10-22
TIE ExAM1s1Ne-suReEoNs.

Examining Boards, of three Surgeons
each, making a total membership Of 4, 131 ;
and there were 90 single Surgeons and
1S9 specialists, making a total Of 4.413.
The amount appropriated for the pay
ment of these was 100000, which was
S1O2, 6O4 less than the actual expenditure
for the year ending June 30, 1901. and
much less than the average expenditures
for a period of years previous. In l9o2
the average earning Of these Surgeons
was SITS per capita, and in 1888, with the
reports not all in the average earning
was $164. OF course very many OF the
Surgeons get comparatively little, but Oh
the other hand many of them have a very
handsome addition to their professional
incomes derived from the fee of 81 per
case examined A position on the Exam
lining Board is a coveted appointment, and
eagerly sought. The Pension Bureau Is
evidently trying to get rid OF these
Boards. and there has been revival,
with notifications, of the old scheme OF
making travelling boards, which will go
from place to place and examine appi-
cants at stated times. In his report the
Commissioner strongly recommends this,
saying:
81 recommend a different method OF
examining applicants for pension. The
present system is n most uncertain, eX-
pensive. and unsatisfactory method. The
system is liable to outside control and polit-
cal dictation. and generates an enormous
amount of political friction.
"Those who are examined for disabili-
ties desire to have the very best medical
knowledge which is attainable. The path
illogical sequences of many diseases and
disabilities are so obscure and remote that
they can only be detected by careful eX-
animation conducted by those of learning
and experience. The Government needs
protection as well.
Il suggest boards constituted of experts
under Civil Service rules who should go
from place to place on fixed days, giving
examinations and receiving testimony re-
garding the condition of the applicants and
making reports thereon. The territory
could be divided into circuits and the
Board serve outside Of the States of their
domicie."
The Commissioner submits his idea OF
the change in a bill to be presented to
Congress at the coming session. The bill
authorizes the Commissioner to appoint
600 Surgeons, to make examinations OF APP
plicants and claimants. OF these 100 shall
be taken from a list furnished by the Civil
Service Commission, and they shall be di-
vided into travelling boards of two men,
bers each The United States and Terri
tories. excluding Alaska, shall be divided
into so districts. The Commissioner shall
designate 500 convenient and accessible
places in the United States which shall
be the points for holding examinations,
and at each of these shall be local Sur.
geon. Two of the travelling Examining
Surgeons shall go from one place to an
other, and with the local Surgeon consti-
tute the Board of Examining Surgeons to
examine all persons presented by the au-
thorty of the Commissioners. Each Of
the Travelling Surgeons shall be in the en-
ploy of the United States, and engaged in
no other business, receiving a salary for
his services from the Treasury. The local
members will continue to receive fee OF
| 50 for each examination made. The travel
! ing members will receive in addition IS
| day each for expenses and their railroad
! fare in addition. The Commissioner of
Pensions shall have power to discharge at
/ will anyone of the Surgeons, local or
| travelling. and to reduce the number when.
ever he sees fit.
This proposition does not strike us al
all favorably. The Commissioner of Pen
sions has at present an arbitrary power
over the people who do business with his
office not approached in any degree by any
other officer of the Government, and il
does not seem wise or just to give sucl
an immense increase of his power as is
contemplated by this measure.
In dealing with any other Department Of
the Government the man who has claim
against it has the ordinary rights of ar
American citizen to have his case fair!,
and fully presented and considered, and ht
can go to court if he has been ill-used. The
courts have repeatedly given the admins
trative officials mandatory lessons as t
the limits Of their exercise Of power ant
reminded them that they were overreach
| ing their authority and depriving the citi
zen of rights to which he was entitled. Alb
solutely nothing of this kind has eve
curbed the administration OF the Pension
Bureau. The Commissioner has Away
had the most unlimited authority owe
those with whom he did business, and
was solely within his discretion as t
whether or rot he would allow q claim
Differing absolutely from every other on
ciul, he was the sole judge of both the lay
and the fact, without any appeal. TIL
so-called appeal to the Secretary of til
Interior has always been more or less O
fiction, inasmuch as 1t is an appeal frOI
one set of clerks of the Pension Burea
to another set. The Boards Of Examining
Surgeons as at present constituted hav
been the only restriction upon the Commi:
sioner's unlimited power. They have bee
able to see what the applicant before thcr
was entitled to, and this gave him som
show in equity. Now 1t Is proposed I
e abolish even this little protection for til
b pensioners and claimants. The Trayelin
Surgeons will all be direct subordinates
a. iceiAr o;,-Ir L.